Senior Director, Innovation & Design

Job Posted: December 13, 2024

iCivics has grown tremendously in recent years. At the onset of a new strategic plan, we are seeking a Senior Director, Innovation & Design who will lead a team focused on transforming our product approaches, designs, and delivery methods with a focus on K-12 education market trends and student and teacher feedback. Reporting to the Chief Product Officer, the Senior Director, Innovation & Design will be responsible for the following:

Strategy and Design Vision

Set strategy and direction for the Innovation hub and broader organization design needs; ensure that projects are aligned with the organization’s strategic goals.
Establish a clear and compelling vision for the organization’s product design direction, aligning it with the broader strategic goal of developing more visual and digital product experiences.
Evaluate market needs and opportunities, staying abreast of changing technologies.
Conduct competitive analysis to inform strategic direction and identify potential partnerships.
Develop and enforce design standards and guidelines to ensure consistency across all products and platforms.
Oversee user research initiatives to understand user needs, behaviors, and pain points.
Institute a process for creating user stories based on journey maps and user flows to visualize the user experience from start to finish.
Define a strategy to bring an aging product line into compliance with accessibility guidelines.

Innovation

Establish and lead an innovation hub focused on experimenting with new digital learning approaches, rapidly prototyping content and refining materials based on user feedback.
Build a foundation for centering the design thinking process in the organization.
Establish the processes and protocols needed for incorporating user research and testing to ensure designs are user-friendly and deliver a seamless experience.
Create a culture comfortable with productive failure and effective pivoting.

Visual and UX Design

Serve as a thought leader to establish experience design principles grounded in market, learning science, and competitive research that will serve as a framework for guiding organization’s design strategy.
Direct the creation of visually appealing and engaging designs appropriate for K-12 students, ensuring consistency with the iCivics brand guide.
Lead and mentor cross-functional teams, fostering a culture of design thinking and ensuring the delivery of exceptional user experiences through the entire product development lifecycle.

Management and Process

Build and lead a high-performing design team and an Innovation team providing mentorship and guidance to foster professional growth.
Collaborate with the Chief Product Officer and other directors to plan the product roadmap.
Establish a staffing plan that is aligned to the product roadmap.
Manage project budgets and resources to ensure that projects are completed on time and within budgets.
With Project Management lead, establish and evolve design processes and workflows to support digital product needs.

Who You Are

This role is ideal for someone with the following skills and mindsets:

Strategic thinking driving vision: You can look past the present and help define the future. They can create and clearly present a vision fit for the goals of the organization, centering innovation. You love to think critically, solve problems, and make data-driven decisions.
Creative/Innovative: You have a passion for innovation and a desire to create visually exceptional, fun, and friendly user experiences. You thrive when pushing limits, generating original ideas, and motivating your staff to think creatively. You’re not afraid to ask questions or challenge assumptions.
An Effective Communicator and Collaborator: You clearly articulate a vision for the design of our products. You are confident and comfortable working collaboratively with software engineers, data scientists, and other technical team members to communicate functional and non-functional requirements. You’ve successfully managed others on dispersed teams and you have the ability to operate in complex situations.
Industry knowledge and trend awareness: You keep ahead of trends and track industry change and use that information to inform your design strategy and vision. You share that information to build stronger understanding across the organization. You understand the needs of the school market, and can translate feedback gathered from user research into effective design solutions.
Leadership and team management: You inspire and encourage the people on your team to reach their full potential. You achieve the finest creative results, by being outstanding in your ability to direct several teams, promoting a cooperative culture and developing individual skills.

What You’ll Need

12-15 years of experience developing digital and print product experiences for the K-12 market.
A solid understanding of design thinking and user-centered design methodologies. A deep understanding of user experience principles, including information architecture, interaction design, and usability testing.
Comfortable and proficient with design tools and software and applications used to create prototypes, wireframes, and digital designs (such as Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, Premier Pro, After Effects, or InDesign).
A solid understanding of how to design instructional experiences that meet WCAG 2.1.

Salary: The expected salary for this position is $140,000 plus benefits.

Location: This position is remote and able to work from anywhere in the United States, with occasional travel (less than 15%).

Application Process: To apply, please email your resume and cover letter to [email protected]. We will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis.