Human-Centered Design Lead (Research-Oriented)

Company Description

At Greater Good Studio, we work exclusively on addressing some of society’s toughest challenges by designing programs and services for non-profit, foundation, and government clients. From early literacy and child nutrition to veterans housing and tenants’ rights, our projects tackle issues of health, education, poverty, and injustice head-on. We believe that the best way to empower clients and communities is to put the design process in their hands, and the best way to create impact is to craft deeply respectful, empathic, and user-centered tools and experiences.

We work on everything from user research and strategy projects to UX and service design projects. We also teach human-centered design to clients and communities who are seeking to bridge the gap between those who make decisions and those who are impacted by decisions.

This position requires being located within commuting distance in Chicago. This requirement both facilitates in-person work and eases our small firm’s operations. Applicants will have six months to relocate to Chicago upon hire.

Title: Human-Centered Design Lead

Overview

We are seeking a Human-Centered Design Lead with a strong research background to join the team! You are deeply familiar with all aspects of the Human-Centered Design process, from framing through piloting, and you lead clients and teams strategically with an equity lens.

In this role, you will lead human-centered and equitable design processes, create deliverables that meet client and community needs, support project teams to work together effectively, and align project operations with timing and budget constraints.

Responsibilities

Project Responsibilities

• Internalize, articulate, and deliver on each project’s vision
• Provide strategic oversight to project teams through a rigorous and collaborative human-centered design process
• Envision, plan, manage, and delegate tasks throughout each phase of a project
• Plan and facilitate both internal and client touchpoints, from weekly check-ins to major milestone moments such as meetings and workshops
• Build the trust of all project stakeholders, including research participants, advisors, and clients, supporting their engagement and advocating for their perspectives throughout the life of the project
• Anticipate and troubleshoot challenges; develop new plans in response to changing project circumstances, including impacts on timeline, budget, deliverables, and resourcing of the project team
• Lead or co-lead the presentation and communication of work to clients and stakeholders
• Lead or co-lead participant recruiting and primary research activities
• Lead or co-lead primary and secondary research synthesis by organizing data, drafting compelling insights and actionable design opportunities, and ideating on frameworks and other communication tools
• Lead or co-lead ideation and concept development by generating ideas, and prioritizing and developing concepts through the lens of participant needs
• Deliver content and facilitate activities at workshops or trainings on human-centered design methods and mindsets
• Coach clients and partners through the HCD process

Studio Responsibilities

• Engage with studio-wide learning experiences and growth opportunities
• Participate in studio-wide moments of connection, reflection, and celebration
• Adopt studio tools and protocols, such as project management software and ethical guidelines
• Contribute to business development by helping to evaluate potential projects
• Support performance reviews, hiring and onboarding activities for self and peers
• Participate in recurring operational processes such as team meetings and time-tracking

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of human-centered design, design research, and/or related community engagement experience with demonstrated ability to plan and conduct human-centered design activities, such as ethnographic research, ideation, and/or prototyping, synthesize insights, and communicate compelling findings to multiple stakeholders
• Minimum 2 years of project management experience
• Minimum 1 year of consulting or client-facing professional services experience
• Minimum 1 year of professional design practice or educational experience in a creative field such as graphic, industrial, UX, architecture, or service design
• Lived and/or learned experience within under-resourced communities, including personal, professional, and/or volunteer experience
• Interest in applying a social equity lens to both client work and internal practices
• Interest in teaching, training, and coaching clients and communities
• Willingness to travel for research and client workshops as needed

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