Vision Science Lab Manager - Fixed Term

Snap Inc is a technology company. We believe the camera presents the greatest opportunity to improve the way people live and communicate. Snap contributes to human progress by empowering people to express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together. The Company’s three core products are Snapchat, a visual messaging app that enhances your relationships with friends, family, and the world; Lens Studio, an augmented reality platform that powers AR across Snapchat and other services; and its AR glasses, Spectacles.

The Spectacles team is pushing the boundaries of technology to bring people closer together in the real world. Our fifth-generation Spectacles, powered by Snap OS, showcase how standalone, see-through AR glasses make playing, learning, and working better together.

We're looking for a Vision Science Lab Manager/Prototyper to join the team based in Boulder, CO or Santa Monica, CA! This will start as an 8-month fixed-term contract.

 

What you’ll do:

This role will support the Vision Science team by managing day-to-day lab operations, moderating human-subject research studies, and building rapid prototypes to enable experimental design, validation, and prototyping. This role bridges research, engineering, and creative development, ensuring studies run smoothly while translating vision science concepts into functional prototypes (e.g., in Lens Studio and related tools).

Additionally you will: 

Lab & Study Operations

• Manage daily lab operations, including equipment setup, maintenance, and troubleshooting.

• Prepare labs for experimental sessions, ensuring protocols, hardware, and software are ready.

• Coordinate study logistics: scheduling participants, managing consent forms, and maintaining study documentation.

• Moderate in-lab vision science studies, following established research protocols.

• Ensure participant safety, comfort, and data integrity during studies.

• Maintain organized records of study sessions, datasets, and lab inventories.
   

Research & Team Support

• Provide hands-on support to vision scientists during experiment design, setup, and execution.

• Assist in piloting experiments, debugging experimental flows, and identifying usability or technical issues.

• Collaborate closely with researchers, engineers, and designers to translate research needs into practical implementations.

• Support data collection workflows and coordinate handoff of data to researchers for analysis.

• Contribute to continuous improvement of lab processes, tools, and documentation.
   

Prototyping & Development

• Build rapid prototypes to support vision science experiments and demos, using tools such as Lens Studio, Unity, or similar real-time/AR platforms.

• Implement experimental stimuli, UI flows, and interactive behaviors required for research studies.

• Modify and iterate on prototypes quickly based on researcher feedback and pilot study results.

• Maintain and document prototype codebases for reuse and iteration.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Act as a liaison between research, engineering, and creative teams.

• Communicate technical constraints and possibilities clearly to non-technical stakeholders.

• Support internal demos, reviews, and knowledge sharing related to lab capabilities and prototypes.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

• Experience running experimental studies.

• Experience with experiment development packages, such as Psychtoolbox or PsychoPy.

• Experience with image processing software, such as Matlab or Python.

• Experience with data analysis and statistical software, such as JMP, R, Matlab, or Python.

• Experience in object-oriented programming languages, such as Unity or Lens Studio
   

Minimum Qualifications:

• Earned Bachelor’s Degree (MA/PHD preferred) in a related field such as vision science, perception psychology, cognitive psychology, psychophysics, computer science, human-computer interaction.

• Experience with programming for VR/AR using applications like Lens Studio or Unity; Experience with object-oriented programming 

• Must be able to work from an office in Boulder or Santa Monica.

If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please don’t be shy and provide us some information.

"Default Together" Policy at Snap: At Snap Inc. we believe that being together in person helps us build our culture faster, reinforce our values, and serve our community, customers and partners better through dynamic collaboration. To reflect this, we practice a “default together” approach and expect our team members to work in an office 4+ days per week. 

At Snap, we believe that having a team of diverse backgrounds and voices working together will enable us to create innovative products that improve the way people live and communicate. Snap is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and committed to providing employment opportunities regardless of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other protected classification, in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. EOE, including disability/vets.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law (by example, the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, where applicable).

Our Benefits: Snap Inc. is its own community, so we’ve got your back! We do our best to make sure you and your loved ones have everything you need to be happy and healthy, on your own terms. Our benefits are built around your needs and include paid parental leave, comprehensive medical coverage, emotional and mental health support programs, and compensation packages that let you share in Snap’s long-term success!

Compensation

In the United States, work locations are assigned a pay zone which determines the salary range for the position. The successful candidate’s starting pay will be determined based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, work location, and market conditions. The starting pay may be negotiable within the salary range for the position. These pay zones may be modified in the future.

Zone A (CA, WA, NYC):

The base salary range for this position is $107,000-$161,000 annually.

 

Zone B:

The base salary range for this position is $102,000-$153,000 annually.

Zone C:

The base salary range for this position is $91,000-$137,000 annually.