SR. DESIGN RESEARCHER (CONTRACT)

THE SHORT AND SWEET

ChiByDesign is seeking a Sr. Design Researcher to join our team for a project. We’re looking for someone passionate about anti-racist design who is eager to contribute to impactful work addressing social and civic challenges.

The ideal candidate will have strong research skills, advancing service experiences, and a genuine interest in designing interventions that tackle inequities affecting communities of color. This role focuses on designing alongside people and communities most impacted by these challenges, fostering systemic change that centers their needs and perspectives. At ChiByDesign, we value collaboration, curiosity, and a commitment to learning. We’re seeking someone ready to explore innovative anti-racist design methods and contribute to our growing and dynamic company.

ABOUT CHIBYDESIGN

ChiByDesign is a civic and social impact design firm. We partner with systems and organizations, such as governments, NGOs, and philanthropy, to understand the complex civic and social issues of our time through the lens of the people and communities most harmed and impacted.

At ChiByDesign, people come first. We are passionate about our work and the people we collaborate with—our clients, co-designers, and each other. We foster a culture that is open, transparent, and energetic. We welcome and nurture new ideas and perspectives because we believe co-creation will enable an anti-racist, trauma-responsive, and just future.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

• Mission alignment: Have a passion for anti-racist work, which involves designing with people and communities closest to social and civic challenges to create system change that impacts them. We value people who are open to learning and developing methods and approaches for anti-racism and ready to jump into the work and contribute to a growing company.
• Collaborative Mindset: Openness to learning new methods and collaboratively working with the internal team, co-designers, and diverse stakeholders.
• Adaptability: Comfortable navigating ambiguity and evolving project needs in a fast-paced environment.
• Research and Design Experience: Experience planning and conducting research and synthesis. This includes drawing on a range of methodologies to conduct all aspects of research translating data into actionable insights to make strategic decisions and inform co-designed interventions.
• Project Management: The ability to effectively oversee research processes, manage timelines, and ensure deliverables are met is essential as this role will directly support the project lead.

QUALIFICATIONS

• A seasoned professional with substantial experience in design research or a design-adjacent field. This includes individuals with a formal degree in design, social sciences, or a related field, or those with equivalent expertise gained through industry experience. Strong qualitative and quantitative research skills, strategic thinking, and the ability to lead research initiatives are essential.
• Advanced expertise in qualitative and/or quantitative research methods (e.g., in-depth interviews, ethnography, surveys, participatory design methods) with a track record of leading research efforts that inform strategy and design.
• Proven ability to translate complex research findings into actionable insights, strategies, and design interventions that drive meaningful impact for teams, clients, and stakeholders.
• Demonstrated expertise in translating complex research findings into strategic insights and actionable recommendations that drive organizational decision-making and strategy.
• Experience mentoring teams in research synthesis methods and developing effective insight-generation processes.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills to articulate ideas clearly and collaboratively.
• Proficiency with design and collaboration tools such as Miro, Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, and Google Workspace, with the ability to adapt to new tools as needed.
• Preferred: A demonstrated interest in equity-focused work, social justice, or addressing systemic inequities affecting communities of color.
• Preferred: Experience collaborating with lived experts throughout the design process.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS ROLE

As a Sr. Design Researcher, you will collaborate closely with the ChiByDesign team, co-designers, and clients to contribute to a real-world project. This role provides a unique opportunity to utilize your skills in research, strategic thinking, data synthesis, and co-design..

• Research and Synthesis: Plan, design, and conduct secondary and primary research. This includes drawing on a range of methodologies to create research plans and protocols, conducting interviews and observations, and literature reviews.
• Strategic Thinking & Synthesis: Translate research findings and data into actionable insights that enable our partners to make strategic decisions and inform co-designed interventions.
• Collaborative Teaming: Collaborate with a design team that is fun, open-minded, and passionate about our work to ​​facilitate research activities, strategy sessions, ideation, and design.
• Stakeholder Engagement: While you’ll mostly work remotely, you’ll likely engage with clients, co-designers, and other stakeholders through interviews, focus groups, and other capacities.
• Communication & Storytelling: Translate research findings into compelling stories through reports, effectively communicating insights to the clients while fostering stakeholder alignment on strategic direction.
• Travel: Travel to client locations will be required during the contract.

Expected Weekly Hours: Average of 20 hours per week (hours may fluctuate based on project needs)

Additional Hours: The contractor will be compensated for any time worked beyond 20 hours per week at the standard hourly rate.