Service Designer (Contract)
Substantial, United States
Job Description
Substantial has multiple projects in need of Service Designers. It is expected that candidates can conduct design research, protocol development, discovery research and insights synthesis with participants. Candidates also should showcase experience supporting design and facilitation of workshops, designing toolkits, service blueprints and system maps. Preference will be given to candidates who have experience working with equity centered design research or implementing liberatory design methodologies.
Our portfolio is always evolving but here is an overview of one of our current projects:
The Client: Non-profit partner working in K12
The Project: Understanding demographics, experience and needs for K12 students impacted by systemic racism and poverty.
The Expertise: We are looking for a service designer with client-facing discovery research experience who can facilitate research protocol development and conduct interviews with stakeholders, lived experts and subject matter experts. We will also need the designer to support insights synthesis and collaborate with the client to develop toolkits, maps and blueprints by centering equity in the process, methods, and approach.
Expected Duration: 10 months
Weekly Hours: 15-30 hours
Role Description (this is a 1099 contract position):
Expectations:
- Bring a strong equity and anti-racist mindset to the work
- Bring a collaborative approach to developing research protocol, interview or discussion guides
- Visualize and map research, insights and opportunities
- Take on various tasks, design-related or not, to support different processes and needs on your project teams
- Collaborate directly every day with design leads, engagement managers, and clients
- Balance time between directly working on research, gathering feedback from the larger team and executing against client and team feedback
- Design and facilitate workshops with lived experts, clients or other stakeholders
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
- 3+ years of design research experience in a client services or agency environment
- Proven experience service design projects or similar experience in other design roles
- Experience or familiarity with a range of research methodologies across foundational and generative research
- Proficiency in communicating insights clearly
- Strong communication, client services, and interpersonal skills
- Fierce passion for collaboration and growing with others
Benefits
This is a 1099 contract position and does not qualify for employee benefits. Company laptop will be provided as needed to contractors.