Senior Design Lead (MOEO)

City of New York•New York City, NY

About The Position

The Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity (NYC Opportunity) aims to reduce poverty and increase equity in New York City by leveraging data, design, and research to improve government systems and social services. The Service Design Studio within NYC Opportunity focuses on spreading service design and community-centered design methodologies within government, building the City's design capacity through consultation, technical assistance, and skills-building. The Studio collaborates with agency partners to enhance or design new services that are effective, accessible, and dignified, prioritizing the needs of service users, deliverers, and administrators through feedback and prototyping. The Senior Design Lead will apply their expertise to strengthen how New York City designs public services and programs aimed at decreasing poverty and increasing opportunity, driving systems change, equitable resource allocation, and participatory decision-making.

Requirements

Demonstrated multi-year project management experience and ability to lead multiple projects and manage multiple deadlines for design deliverables.
Demonstrated ability to apply the Studios service design principles to the design research process
Experience conducting design user research with a wide range of stakeholders, including but not limited to government leaders, frontline staff, non-profit staff, and community advocates.
Meeting and workshop development and facilitation (preparing facilitation guides for prototyping and user testing, collaborative synthesis, generative discussions, co-design sessions, etc).
Strong understanding and confidence in employing participatory research and collaborative engagement methods that share decision-making power and center lived experience as expertise.
Demonstrated experience in systems thinking and analysis, with the ability to understand, navigate, and synthesize complex interdependencies within public sector systems.
Deep commitment to advancing equity through evidence-informed approaches, with a nuanced understanding of how structural inequities and governance systems shape access to and experiences within human services.
Experience working inclusively with communities who are engaged with public services and programs, and/or has lived experience engaging with public services and programs themselves.
Proven ability to work in a manner that respects differences in race, ethnicity, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, religion, ability, and socio-economic circumstance.
Exceptional communication and presentation skills, both verbal and written.
Strong interpersonal and empathy skills: Self-reflective, takes time to observe, develop, and foster relationships with team members and partners.
All hands on deck attitude: Comfortable working in a fast-paced bureaucratic environment, can pivot their work and respond to rapid requests willingly.
Experience with agile, iterative development processes.

Nice To Haves

Experience with tools such as Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, or similar prototyping and visualization platforms is preferred but not required.
A master's degree from an accredited college in design, social sciences, public policy, public administration, urban studies, or a related field, and 3-4 years of satisfactory full-time professional experience in government, non-profit, or social impact sector OR a Baccalaureate degree from an accredited college in design, social sciences, public policy, public administration, urban studies, or a related field, and 5-6 years of professional experience in government, or non-profit or social impact sector.

Responsibilities

Lead service design projects from scoping to implementation, using human-centered design methods to enhance existing or new public services that are effective, accessible, and dignified.
Facilitate and adapt design processes for diverse networks of stakeholders inside and outside government.
Use mixed-method approaches for design research and participatory activities that foster meaningful collaboration and a trauma-informed practice throughout the process.
Turn user research insights into practical solutions and deliverables that enhance how public services are delivered and experienced.
Contribute to the identification and shaping of new projects that align with the office’s priorities and mission.
Develop wireframes, mockups, final design documentation, and style guides.
Prepare decks, agendas, and other facilitation materials to run successful stakeholder meetings and workshops.
Build the City's knowledge and capacity to carry out human-centered design processes and build evidence of the impact on service outcomes.
Contribute to the development and facilitation of existing and new technical assistance offerings, including office hours programming, design skill workshops, and forum events.
Provide facilitation and thought leadership support for office-wide or cross-agency efforts.
Contribute to city-wide design standards and infrastructure.
Manage, care for, and advise junior design staff and fellows, supporting their professional development, and fostering space for shared dialogue and leadership growth.
Provide design feedback across team projects and incorporate team feedback into projects.
Review and maintain design-related deliverables from development teams, vendors, and external partners.
Contribute to the identification of operational enhancements to monitor, manage, and grow the team's capacity to do the work.
Contribute time and skill in promoting and storytelling the work of the Studio and the larger office.
Provide thought leadership and facilitation for internal and office-wide strategic planning to foster alignment, knowledge exchange, and interdisciplinary collaboration.