Simone Del Rosario Business Correspondent

5 job openings to build the metaverse, from Nike, Roblox, Microsoft

Feb 25, 2022

Simone Del Rosario Business Correspondent

By Simone Del Rosario (Business Correspondent)

These days, we’re hearing more and more about the metaverse: a magical virtual world where people use avatars to interact in real time. But amid many questions about what it will look like, a large question looms: Who’s going to build it? Here are the top job listings in the metaverse in this week’s Five For Friday.

#5: Virtual Material Designer at Nike

It’s not enough to practically own the sneaker market in real life. The giant shoe-and-apparel maker now wants your avatar to also wear Nike gear. According to this job description, this role requires the creativity to build the future of Nike Footwear materials (and 5-plus years experience creating virtual materials in a creative environment).

#4: Senior Graphics Engineer, Avatar Emotions at Roblox

Some consider Roblox the OG of the metaverse. Now Roblox is looking to build on its Lego look to create more life-like, emotive avatars.

“The technologies we envision will allow Roblox players to watch their favorite music artist sing with facial expressions in real time during a virtual concert or interacting with friends in a life-like, interactive way,” the company said.

#3: Animator at Meta

Mark Zuckerberg is hiring 10,000 new employees to build out his metaverse dreams, like this AI “builder bot” demo he unveiled in late February that can design users’ reality using verbal instructions. As an animator, users would create interactive characters and environments for virtual reality experiences for Meta’s Oculus and other mixed-reality products, many of which are TBD.

#2: 3D Environment Art Manager at Microsoft

Tasked with building immersive 3D environments, it’s easy to question how to get experience to land a metaverse job when the metaverse itself is so new. This role calls for 7-plus years of work experience as a 3D artist and involvement in at least five AAA game titles.

#1: Chief of Staff, Metaverse at Sotheby’s

The famed auction house is already doing real business on its dedicated metaverse platform of NFTs, where a collection of 300 avatars called Queens Plus Kings sold out in quick order. The new chief of staff will have to manage two more releases by the same artist early this year, plus all things Web3.

SIMONE DEL ROSARIO: THESE DAYS I HEAR A LOT ABOUT THE METAVERSE – THIS MAGICAL VIRTUAL WORLD WHERE PEOPLE USE AVATARS TO INTERACT IN REAL TIME. WHICH GOT ME THINKING, WHO’S GONNA BUILD IT? HERE ARE THE TOP JOB LISTINGS IN THE METAVERSE IN THIS WEEK’S FIVE FOR FRIDAY.

IN OUR FIVE SPOT – A VIRTUAL MATERIALS DESIGNER AT NIKE. IT’S NOT ENOUGH TO PRACTICALLY OWN THE SNEAKER MARKET IN REAL LIFE, THE GIANT SHOE AND APPAREL MAKER NOW WANTS YOUR AVATAR TO WEAR THEIR GEAR. NIKE SAYS THIS ROLE REQUIRES CREATIVITY TO BUILD THE FUTURE OF FOOTWEAR.

AT NUMBER 4, A SENIOR GRAPHICS ENGINEER FOR AVATAR EMOTIONS AT ROBLOX. SOME CONSIDER IT THE O-G OF METAVERSES. NOW ROBLOX IS LOOKING TO BUILD ON THEIR LEGO LOOK TO CREATE MORE LIFE-LIKE, EMOTIVE AVATARS. THINK – REALISTIC FACIAL EXPRESSIONS WHILE WATCHING A VIRTUAL CONCERT OR INTERACTING WITH FRIENDS. SENIOR ENGINEERS CAN SNAG SALARIES UP TO 430-THOUSAND DOLLARS – AND THAT’S REAL WORLD MONEY.

IN THE THREE SPOT, AN ANIMATOR AT META. ZUCK IS HIRING 10,000 NEW EMPLOYEES TO BUILD OUT HIS METAVERSE DREAMS -LIKE THIS A-I BUILDER-BOT DEMO HE UNVEILED THIS WEEK. AS AN ANIMATOR YOU’LL CREATE INTERACTIVE CHARACTERS AND ENVIRONMENTS FOR V-R EXPERIENCES FOR ITS OCULUS AND OTHER MIXED REALITY PRODUCTS, MOST OF WHICH ARE TBD.

COMING IN AT NUMBER TWO, A 3-D ENVIRONMENT ART MANAGER AT MICROSOFT. TASKED WITH BUILDING IMMERSIVE 3-D ENVIRONMENTS, YOU MIGHT QUESTION HOW YOU GET EXPERIENCE TO LAND A METAVERSE JOB WHEN THE METAVERSE IS SO NEW. THIS ROLE CALLS FOR 7-PLUS YEARS WORK EXPERIENCE AND INVOLVEMENT ON AT LEAST FIVE TRIPLE-A GAME TITLES AS A 3-D ARTIST – THAT RULES ME OUT. MOVING ON…

TO OUR TOP SPOT – CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE METAVERSE AT SOTHEBY’S. THE FAMED AUCTION HOUSE IS ALREADY DOING REAL BUSINESS ON ITS DEDICATED METAVERSE PLATFORM OF NFTS… WHERE A COLLECTION OF 300 AVATARS CALLED QUEENS PLUS KINGS SOLD OUT IN QUICK ORDER. THE NEW CHIEF OF STAFF WILL HAVE TO MANAGE TWO MORE RELEASES BY THE SAME ARTIST EARLY THIS YEAR.

IF ALL THESE JOB DESCRIPTIONS SOUND A LITTLE OVER OUR HEADS, MAYBE IT’S BECAUSE NO ONE *REALLY KNOWS WHAT TYPE OF FUTURE THEY’LL BE BUILDING. MY FUTURE SAYS…I’LL SEE YOU RIGHT BACK HERE ON MONDAY. I’M SDR FOR JB. HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND.