Overview

This position will serve as the design research lead for the City of Austin’s Bloomberg Philanthropies-funded Innovation Team (i-Team). The i-Team is the City of Austin’s incubator for solving complex social problems. Our first year focused on researching and designing solutions for homelessness. See info here.

As the i-Team’s design researcher, you will work with a team of designers, analysts, and city staff to reimagine how the City provides service-oriented solutions for residents at risk of displacement and/or experiencing homelessness. You will be responsible for creating and delivering research plans to understand stakeholder needs through quantitative and qualitative user research, contextual inquiry, rapid prototyping, and evaluative testing.

This position is currently grant funded through calendar year 2019.

Applications close November 22, 2018

Salary

Commensurate with experience

What we’re looking for

• 3+ years of professional experience with design research using qualitative and quantitative methods
• Experience facilitating workshops, interviews, and other meetings across the stakeholder spectrum
• Experience collaborating on multidisciplinary teams; flexibility and openness to adapting user research methods to fit the needs of a multidisciplinary team
• Knowledge of design thinking, user-centered design, and agile design methods, including expertise in determining when and how to use specific approaches, deliverables, and facilitation methods
• Ability to zoom in and out on a project; ability to shift from focusing on small details to understanding the larger system
• Ability to professionally and productively respond to unexpected hurdles
• A bias towards doing and making things real
• Comfort with ambiguity and working on projects that might not have a predefined solution and/or scope
• A passion for public service and a commitment to doing the hard work that is necessary to improve our city services, especially the willingness to work on emotionally demanding topics.
• Bilingual (English and Spanish)

Minimum qualifications

• Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major course work in a related field
• Three (3) years experience related to the job.

Application requirements

Please submit the following with your application:

1. Résumé
2. Cover Letter
3. A work sample of a research plan

Please be sure to detail on the application all previous employment that you wish to be considered as part of your qualifications. Be sure to include your specific work experience that relates to the minimum and preferred qualifications for the position on your application. Please do not use phrases like “see resume” within your online application. The information provided in your resume must match the information in the job application. Your resume will not substitute for a complete employment application.