» Web Developer
» Master Carpenter
» Master Electrician
» Systems Programmer
» (Sr.) System Administrator, Network
» Director for Research
» Lead Video Engineer for Research, Arts and Imaging

Web Developer
POSTED 06.19.2008

We need a code whisperer!

Rensselaer’s Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) is at the apex of Art, Research and Technology. Under one roof lies an unprecedented interface between the virtual and the physical worlds, where art and technology interact on a truly human scale to create immersive experiences unlike anywhere else in the world.

You are an artist with code. You can wrangle and shape systems into masterpieces that will make us cry tears of joy… a code whisperer… making our back-end web-based systems worthy of what EMPAC embodies: – art, technology, and the melding of the two together.

Job Summary

We seek a seasoned Web Developer to complete our two person team creating multi-audience user experiences and systems across all of our web-based application services, with the ability to integrate standards-based XHTML/CSS design templates into dynamic web-based content systems. The Web Developer should be capable with both front-end and back-end web development technologies, with a strong foundation in various back-end frameworks. Front-end technologies include XHTML, CSS, and AJAX. On the back-end we require PHP/MySQL with openness for experimentation in other frameworks. We hope to move to Flash/Flex-based elements/frameworks for future iterations (video).

As Web Developer your job will primarily be to create and maintain content systems (PHP/MySQL, etc) from cross-browser, standards-based XHTML/CSS templates. The Web Team will also work to integrate our ticketing system into our website – creating templates and integrating it seamlessly into our front-end. A good personality and positive attitude are as important as strong skills and diverse abilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent of five years demonstrated experience in web development or related field; product/project references and portfolio required.
• Expert in at least one scripting language: PHP (Drupal, Joomla)/MySQL required.
• Experience and/or strong interest in at least one or more frameworks: Ruby-on-Rails, Python (Django, Zope), Drupal, Flex, and/or other MVC-pattern web frameworks.
• Ability to hand code standards compliant cross-browser markup for multiple browsers and resolutions (computer, handheld) if needed using: XHMTL, CSS, HTML-DOM, Javascript, AJAX/JQuery/Prototype with a strong understanding of SEO (against various target engines).
• Experience with source control: svn, sourcesafe, perforce, cvs, etc.
• Experience mingling with Apache + Linux as it pertains to your job (rsync, configs, basic understanding of Linux OS and Apache web server configuration).
• Knowledge of and passion for user-centered design principles, UX/IA/UI, web standards, usability and accessibility.
• Thrive in an environment centered around brainstorming and collaborating on projects with a diverse groups of technical and non-technical contributors and peers.
• Strong communicator with the ability to express ideas about technical solutions in a clear and demonstrative way.
• Work collaboratively with our UX/visual designer/XHTML-CSS markup writer.
• Troubleshooting/problem-solving skills a must!
• Attention to detail and highly self-motivated.

Desired

• Experience with media-streaming technologies a plus. (Quicktime, Flash, Real, VBricks)
• Experience in audio/video production, editing, and/or processing a plus.

We offer cubicle free workspaces, plenty of mental and physical stimulation + inspiration, and an espresso machine that will knock your socks off. Rensselaer offers a competitive compensation and benefits package, and is located in Troy, New York. We invite qualified candidates to learn more about EMPAC and the Rensselaer Plan.

How to apply:

Please share your resume including urls/portfolio, a brief cover letter, and any questions with Shannon Johnson at

Master Electrician + Master Carpenter
POSTED 06.19.2008

The Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center has an immediate opening on its Production team for a theatrical Master Electrician, responsible for production lighting aspects of EMPAC performance venues in avant-garde and traditional artistic productions and a theatrical Master Carpenter, responsible for stage construction, load in, and strike of scenic environments for EMPAC venues in avant-garde artistic productions as well as traditional performances in the production spaces. EMPAC comprises studios for artists in residence and four venues for performance, production and research.

A concert hall seating 1200, a theater with fly-tower seating 400, one black box studio of 3500 sq ft. area and 40’ height, a second black box studio of 2500 sq ft and 30’ height. Each venue has its dedicated control and machine room which are tied to a building-wide central machine room that hosts discrete audio and video production rooms.

Job Summary(s)

Master Carpenter

Applicant must be motivated and capable to work under the conditions of a “start up” and high pressure environment for fast paced productions in a new (four venue) performing arts center with avant-garde programming. Must be a self-motivated, able to organize construction time and crews effectively to support a wide range of artistic mediums, while delivering consistent quality in a production schedule. Requires substantial expertise and knowledge with scenic and staging technologies, shop operation, and implementation of state-of-the-art rigging. Is versed in CAD aspects of design, and preferably experience with the mechanized systems of stage events. Knowledge and experience with tour methods, construction and stage operations.

The Master Carpenter (Rigger) will manage the construction shop, stage load-in and load outs for EMPAC productions, and will assist in the installation and load out of audience risers in the studio spaces. As assigned, the master carpenter will assist in the ongoing research of performance technologies and media applications. Detailed construction knowledge of wood and steel scenery along with rigging and staging methodologies are expected.

The Master Carpenter reports to the Director for Stage Technology/ Production Manager and collaborates with the Assistant Director of Stage Technology, Lead Video Engineer, Lead Audio Engineer, Master Electrician, and Project Managers to create a highest level professional environment for experimental media.

Qualifications

• BA/BFA in theater with emphasis on production technology (Technical/Staging, Theatrical Design, or related Performance Arts) or equivalent documented experience as a Theatre Carpenter in a high level production environment.
• Experience with managing crews for production construction, load-ins and strikes.
• Extensive knowledge and experience with wood and steel scenery construction, shop and stage operations, and typical stage rigging methods as well as computer aspects of state-of-the-art rigging.

Master Electrician

Applicant must be motivated and capable to work under the conditions of a “start up” and high pressure environment for fast paced productions in a new (four venue) performing arts center with avant-garde programming. Must be a self-motivated, able to organize production time lines and teams to effectively support a wide range of lighting designs while delivering consistent quality in the production schedule. Requires substantial expertise and knowledge with lighting equipment, electrical, automated lighting fixtures and computer control system and facility lighting systems. Is versed in lighting aspects of design, peripherals (foggers, hazers, etc) and preferably experience with show-control. Knowledge and experience with lighting production, lighting maintenance and electric shop operations.

The Master Electrician will be responsible for the supervision and training of students, lighting crew(s), and training of guest artists in the use of EMPAC lighting control systems and coordination of support equipment (including scrollers, foggers, hazers, rotators, and automated fixtures). Collaborate campus-wide with scientists and researchers who will use EMPAC as a platform for new directions of media applications and will include a full range of assigned duties pertaining to technical, engineering, and managerial operation of the EMPAC concert hall, theater and studio spaces.

The Master Electrician reports to the Director for Stage Technology/ Production Manager and collaborates with the Assistant Director of Stage Technology, Lead Video Engineer, Lead Audio Engineer, Master Carpenter, and Project Managers to create a highest level professional environment for experimental media.

Qualifications

• BA/BFA in theater with emphasis on production technology (Technical/Electrical, Theatrical Design, or related Performing Arts) or equivalent documented experience as a Theatre Electrician in high level production environment.
• Experience with managing crews and lighting equipment for a wide range of production methods.
• Extensive knowledge and experience with lighting controls and wiring, dimmers, rigging and automated lighting fixtures.

To apply, and for more information about this position please make your way to the Rensselaer Jobs website. On the left in blue click "search postings" and in the "department" pulldown select Experimental Media & Performing Arts Center. This will bring up a list of all available jobs, including this one.

For more information, about either of these positions please contact Bob Bovard at

Rensselaer offers a competitive compensation and benefits package, and is located in Troy, New York. We invite qualified candidates to learn more about EMPAC and the Rensselaer Plan.

Director for Research
UPDATED 06.23.2008

The Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, is a center where arts, science, engineering and technology come together under one roof in a unique, newly constructed facility. EMPAC provides large-scale venues and studios designed and constructed to the highest quality required for contemporary artistic development, production and performance in all domains of time-based arts, and are equally enabled for any research and development that links sensory perception and human expression with computational processes.

EMPAC is slated to open in the fall of 2008. The artistic program for EMPAC has ramped up over the past five years laying the foundation for the arts program in the new building. As part of the construction of the building, a research program involving the acoustical characteristics of the canopy for the concert hall was used in the design of the concert hall.

This new Director for Research position at the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is charged with creating a research program for scientific and engineering disciplines that also may engage perceptual and artistic knowledge and practice. A broad mandate for enhancing understanding of challenging real-world problems is also charged with creating new research directions and solutions for human-scale immersive environments.

The Director for Research at EMPAC will coordinate and initialize inter- and trans-disciplinary research activities that utilize the unique facilities at EMPAC at the intersection between the physical and the digital domains in the context of Rensselaer’s multi-faceted fields of research (e.g. nanotechnology, biotechnology, environmental engineering, future chip research). Rensselaer recently opened one of the most powerful super computer systems in the world - based at a university. Initiatives are underway to integrate EMPAC in research projects with this computational super cluster.

The Director for Research will establish the EMPAC research program in the national and international context of research in areas such as augmented reality and virtual reality, scientific visualization, audification, haptics, and multi-modal modeling in this large-scale fully media-integrated, multiple-user facilities. This would be expected to cover domains as disparate as modeling and projection of interacting proteins in living systems to artificial intelligence (including 3-dimensional and synthetic sentient designs) to engineering and architectural design in massive spaces, with 360° projection capabilities and synthetic holography.

The Director for Research will advance interdisciplinary research in the fields of science and engineering as they relate to multi-modal representations and interfaces, will facilitate knowledge transfer in research and development between traditionally separated disciplines within or between science, engineering and the arts, will establish interdisciplinary project-groups in research and development in collaboration with Rensselaer’s schools, departments and centers, and in conjunction with EMPAC’s arts-based projects and productions.

When it is formed, the Director for Research will work closely with the EMPAC Constellation, a group of internationally acclaimed researchers with a highly focused research agenda.

Constellations are established at Rensselaer to create unique new research thrusts. Constellations are multidisciplinary teams of senior faculty, junior faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates. The Director for Research will ensure a close link between the long-term research of the constellation, and the wide-spread research and artistic activities of EMPAC in general and its linkage across the broader campus.

The Director is the clearinghouse for projects and teams where scientific and artistic computing are engaged with the senses (media and physical rendering).

The Director for Research will collaborate with researchers on campus to prepare and write grant proposals that incorporate specific technologies and infrastructures of EMPAC. The Director for Research will develop and write grant-proposals for scientific and engineering research and development projects as they pertain to interdisciplinary arts-based projects in collaboration with EMPAC curatorial and development staff.

Prerequisites:

• Experienced in interdisciplinary research and in managing interdisciplinary teams.
• Preferred experience in research and development of immersive environments, multi-modal interactive systems, augmented reality or other related fields.
• Ph.D. in a relevant area
• Familiarity with international activities in related fields.
• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills.

Rensselaer offers a competitive compensation and benefits package, and is located in Troy, New York. We invite qualified candidates to learn more about EMPAC and the Rensselaer Plan.

How to apply:

The Division of Human Resources has retained the services of Technology Partners, LTD to source applicants for this opportunity. Interested parties are asked to send their CV, cover letter and references to:

Paul J. McCartney
President
Technology Partners, Ltd
14001 N Dallas Parkway, Suite 1200
Dallas, Texas 75240
(Office) 972 735 0550
E-mail:pjm at technologypartnersltd dot com

Seeking Communicative Nerds!

Looking for an IT job that's NOT your typical IT job? Motivated by challenges? Capable of taking direction and running with it (and delivering results on time!)? Like working with a broadly skilled professional team of like and unlike minded passionate individuals? Already honed some serious, real world IT skills and want to use them in new ways? How about joining EMPAC full time?

EMPAC is at the apex of Art, Research and Technology. Under one roof lies an unprecedented interface between the virtual and the physical worlds, where art and technology interact on a truly human scale to create immersive experiences unlike anywhere else in the world.

Systems Programmer
POSTED 05.29.2008

The Systems Programmer is responsible for development and maintenance of one or more IT services and works under limited direction. This responsibility includes planning hardware and software resources. This may include server-based technologies such as DNS, LDAP, SMTP, IMAP/POP, HTTP, and SQL as well as middleware and end-user (desktop) implementations. This team member should be flexible across platforms (UNIX/Linux, Windows, and OS X), and be capable in scripting with tools like PERL, PHP, Java, and various shells.

QUALIFICATIONS (Education/Experience)

• Bachelor's Degree in computer science or related field.
• Two or more years relevant professional experience.
• Extensive and broad background in server and client applications and support.
• Experience in planning and development of personal computing applications and dsigns in a heterogeneous environment.
• Experience in server-based technologies such as DNS, LDAP, SMTP, IMAP/POP, HTTP, and SQL as well as middleware and end-user (desktop) implementations.
• Experience across various platforms (UNIX/Linux, Windows, and OS X), and be capable in scripting with tools like PERL, PHP, Java, and various shells.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrated success in providing personal computer services.
• Extensive knowledge of personal computer networks, protocols, and communications methods.
• Extensive knowledge of personal computer hardware and operating system software in Intel-based environments.
• Ability to diagnose hardware and software problems.
• Ability to communicate and cooperate effectively with colleagues and users in a diverse computing support organization.
• Ability to work both independently and as a team member.

Systems Administrator/Sr. System Administrator for Network
POSTED 05.29.2008

The System Administrator for Network will provide network server, desktop hardware architectural specification, design and implementation for EMPAC's heterogeneous technical environment. Technologies may include DNS, NIS, electronic mail, Active Directory, and LDAP.

The network administrator will provide hardware level support in challenging configurations including heterogeneous operating systems, fiber optic networking, SAN, NAS and tape backup.

QUALIFICATIONS (Education/Experience)

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related field required.
• Extensive and broad background in information technology or engineering.
• Experience with managing Linux and Windows servers; Linux/Windows/OSX administration and support.
• Without degree, 4 additional years of directly related experience are required.  

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Responsibilities:

The Systems Administrators are jointly responsible for servers, network, and network services design and implementation. The positions also are responsible of the daily operations, support and administration of these servers, networks, and services.

• Working knowledge of TCP/IP based networking and communication is required.
• Ability to write scripts and perform task automation.
• Ability to support production.
• Ability to communicate effectively to all levels of staff (technical and non-technical).
• Excellent computer troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.
• Knowledge of Virtualization and Distributed Computing a plus.
• Able to take a project from analysis to deployment.
• Ability to work both independently and as a team member

Additional opportunities (starting at senior level) may exist for applicants with 5 or more years of relevant progressive responsibility including supervision and project management.

Rensselaer offers a competitive compensation and benefits package, and is located in Troy, New York. We invite qualified candidates to learn more about EMPAC and the Rensselaer Plan.

To apply, and for more information about this position please make your way to the Rensselaer Jobs website. On the left in blue click "search postings" and in the "department" pulldown select EMPAC. This will bring up a list of all available jobs, including this one, search #20080216 (system programmer) & #20080201 (network).

Lead Video Engineer for Research, Arts and Imaging
POSTED 02.22.2007

EMPAC has an immediate opening on its team for a Lead Video Engineer for Research, Arts and Imaging, responsible for development and implementation of video systems that support creative productions and research projects. EMPAC comprises studios for artists in residence and four venues for performance, production and research.

A concert hall seating 1200, a theater with fly-tower seating 400, one black box studio of 3500 sq ft. area and 40’ height, a second black box studio of 2500 sqft and 30’ height. Each venue has its dedicated control and machine room which are tied to a building-wide central machine room that hosts discrete audio and video production rooms.

The video program of EMPAC includes virtual reality/ immersive environments, panoramic 360-degree projections, fully integrated multimedia theatrical performances as well as traditional and experimental research-based video. Candidates require experience in all aspects of video technology for emerging projects in research and production.

Duties include production of visual elements for day to day program development, the ability to perform fast and competent video editing on current professional grade software and hardware platforms. Excellent camera skills, familiarity with international and internet video standards and experience with real-time video processing and multi channel projections.

Candidate must be able to conceive, deploy and operate high-resolution single and multi-channel video projection systems. Broadcast level controlroom experience preferred. Working knowledge in both SD and HD SDI formats, as well as strong subjective/objective characterization skills. Candidate should have component level understanding of analog and digital video systems including routers, switchers, scalers, noise reduction, compression, frame rate conversion, ADC and DCA’s, color space and color management, edge enhancement, interface standards, de-interlacing, comb filtering and chroma separation, projector and lens definitions. Experience with system design and integration is preferred.

The Video Engineer for Research, Arts and Imaging collaborates with the Lead Audio Engineer and the future Director of Stage Technologies to create a highest level professional environment for experimental media. The Video Engineer for Research, Arts and Imaging reports to the Director of EMPAC.

Required Qualifications

• BA or BS with emphasis on video technology or "arts and technology" preferred
• 8 to 10 years of experience in video for show and concerts, recording and mastering required
• An understanding of and interest in contemporary and experimental time-based arts (theater, dance, music, installations and video production, etc.) is strongly suggested
• SBE (Society of Broadcast Engineers) certification is preferred

To apply, and for more information about this position please make your way to the Rensselaer Jobs website. On the left in blue click "search postings" and in the "department" pulldown select EMPAC. This will bring up a list of all available jobs, including this one, search #20070142.

Rensselaer offers a competitive compensation and benefits package, and is located in Troy, New York. We invite qualified candidates to learn more about EMPAC and the Rensselaer Plan.

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