Head of Game Development

Compensation: Competitive Base + Founding-Level Equity

Reports to: CEO

Stage: Product live, shipping hardware, and scaling AI-driven play

Team: ~8 core members + global hardware and content partners

Location: Los Altos, CA (In-Person)

KID is not a tablet; it is a portal to a living world. We are looking for a visionary Head of Game Development to build the proprietary "Engine" that powers our AI characters. You will move us from a standard mobile framework to a robust 3D environment (Unity or similar) where characters can interact, play, and evolve in real-time.

• Engine Architecture: Lead the transition to a 3D game engine (Unity/Custom) capable of rendering high-fidelity characters and environments on KID hardware.
• Living World Development: Build the technical framework that allows AI-driven characters to move, emote, and interact with the user and each other.
• Art & Content Synergy: Work with the content team to turn "scripted activities" into immersive, interactive experiences. Bonus points if you can lead Art Direction and 3D asset standards.
• Performance Optimization: Ensure the engine runs flawlessly on KID’s Android-based hardware, balancing visual fidelity with battery life and thermal constraints.

• Game Industry Leader: 10+ years in game development, with at least one "shipped" platform or major engine migration under your belt.
• Platform Thinker: You don't just want to build one game; you want to build the platform that allows for endless creative play.
• Unity/C# Expert: Deep technical proficiency in modern game engines and a passion for the "Future of Play."

• Engine Excellence: A high-performance, proprietary 3D engine is fully operational on KID hardware, delivering seamless AI character interactions with zero lag.
• Immersive Living World: We have transitioned from basic activities to a rich, evolving environment where characters possess lifelike movement and emotional depth.
• Technical Scalability: The platform architecture supports rapid content deployment, allowing new games and AI behaviors to be added without core engine overhauls.
• Hardware-Software Harmony: Achievement of industry-leading visual fidelity while maintaining optimal thermal performance and battery life on our Android-based devices.

• Define the "Future of Play": You aren't just shipping a game; you are building the fundamental technical framework for how children interact with AI in the physical world.
• Unprecedented Technical Challenge: Lead the rare charge of migrating a live product from a mobile framework to a robust, custom 3D environment optimized for proprietary hardware.
• Mission-Centric Innovation: Your work directly enables a "Safe Alternative" to traditional screens, using high-end game engineering to foster active, imaginative play.
• Architectural Autonomy: As a founding-level leader, you have total ownership over the tech stack, the development culture, and the roadmap for our digital-to-physical portal.