Design Director

The New Jersey State Office of Innovation The New Jersey State Office of Innovation is looking for diverse and experienced team members to deploy world-class innovative and digital services that solve pressing public interest challenges for the people of New Jersey. Our work spans numerous issue and policy areas, and is focused on making an impact in the lives of the New Jerseyans that we serve. Our work has decreased the amount of time it takes to apply for Unemployment Insurance, made it easier to start, operate, and grow a business in the Garden State, and connected millions of New Jerseyans to government programs, services, and benefits.
Our team members wear many hats, contributing to both the execution of core projects and the evolution of the Office of Innovation (OOI). We use data and modern research, design, and development methods to inform our decision making, and we collaborate with stakeholders within and outside of government to understand and solve challenges. To learn more about the New Jersey State Office of Innovation, read our inaugural impact report here and visit our About Us page.
We are hiring a design director to co-lead our design team, which comprises visual designers, content design leads, service designers, civic technologists and other specialists working across various initiatives. In this role, you'll partner with your co-lead to drive design excellence, manage project staffing, and mentor a diverse team. You'll collaborate with the co-directors of engineering and the director of product management to foster a culture of collaboration and creative problem-solving, keeping the resident at the center of our work and impact as our guiding principle. As a design director, you will contribute to both project work as well as office leadership and management functions. 
This role will report to the Chief Innovation Officer, and work closely with initiative leads and other team members across the office. Responsibilities may include:
\n Management and leadershipCollaborate with the co-design director to establish and promote standards for the design practice. Support the adoption and implementation of these standards, and facilitate knowledge sharing among practitioners.Coach and foster the growth and evolution of product designers and content design leads within the Design practice. Conduct monthly one-on-one meetings to offer regular feedback, support professional development, and help team members navigate project challenges.Manage project staffing by assessing team readiness for new projects or additional work, and collaborate with product, engineering, and design directors to address staffing needs effectively.Engage in organizational leadership discussions to assess new project opportunities and collaborate with directors and initiative leads to drive project intake and resource allocation.Hire and onboard new designers. Product designSolve complex problems through the use of human-centered design, cross-functional, agile development, and data-driven decision making.Create design concepts, prototypes, and mockups for mobile and web interfaces, developing designs for our products that deliver solutions meeting the needs of diverse users across New Jersey.Create visual frameworks – like design sketches, wireframes, journey maps, and other guides – that inform the development of products and can be shared with team members and stakeholders.Lead end-to-end user research using modern practices and tools to arrive at key insights and solutions.Consider content needed for designs and/or collaborate with content designers to ensure simple and user-centric copy.Collaborate with diverse stakeholders and subject matter experts to define new features and iterate existing capabilities.Run collaborative workshops to communicate users needs and collaborate with internal teams and external stakeholders.Take part in office-wide initiatives and stand-ups to enable collaboration and support across projects. Do what's needed for the teamExecute additional duties and responsibilities to advance the Office of Innovation's mission and work. Skills and CompetenciesPassion for your craft: You have a deep understanding of human-centered design principles, visual design, mobile-first design, interaction design best practices, and research methodologies. You can prototype designs at varying levels of fidelity using wireframes, click-through prototypes, high-fidelity designs, drafting plain english copy or collaborating with content designers, and working with engineers to create live prototypes in code.User advocate: You approach problems with curiosity, asking questions and striving to understand the needs of New Jersey residents to design optimal solutions. You have experience defining user needs and experience goals using frameworks such as personas, storyboards, scenarios, and flowcharts. Additionally, you have led user research through methods like user interviews, usability testing, surveys, and behavioral metrics. Clear, effective communicator: You excel in storytelling and providing rationale, promoting understanding and fostering alignment through your words and designs. You're comfortable interacting with a diverse range of individuals, including NJ residents, state partners, and government officials.A self-starter: You are results-oriented, and skilled at driving projects forward while communicating and collaborating closely with the team.Effective collaborator: You're a team player with a positive outlook and an entrepreneurial spirit. You've successfully worked on a distributed team, and have a proven track record as a strong cross-functional partner.Committed to DEI and accessibility: You're always asking: "Whose voice is not at the table?" You have experience working with diverse stakeholders and you deeply value creating a society that is supportive of difference.Mission-oriented: You believe in the mission of the Office of Innovation and are passionate about solving pressing public interest challenges for the people of New Jersey. Experience, Skills, and AbilitiesAt least 5 years of experience in product design, UI/UX design, or a related field, including 1-2 years of cited experience in people management and leadership, overseeing multiple work streams and team members.Professional experience in managing and scaling a design team.Experience leading end-to-end research planning and execution using modern practices and tools.Experience creating design concepts, prototypes, and mockups for mobile and web interfaces.Experience solving complex problems through the use of human-centered design, agile development, and data-driven decision making.Proficiency in Figma, Mural, and other tools to design, prototype, and facilitate workshops.Portfolio demonstrating product design; please be sure to include process and outputs.
\nWe welcome applicants from a broad range of backgrounds. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. If you have any questions, please contact ******** .
Compensation: $151,410 + Full benefits
The New Jersey Office of Innovation is proud to be an equal opportunity employer We are deeply committed to the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusiveness and seek to create a pluralistic community for all. We strongly encourage people of color, members of racial and ethnic minority groups, women, LGBTQI+ people, those with disabilities, and Veterans to apply. We are committed to building a team that is reflective of New Jersey's incredible diversity.
We do not discriminate against any candidate because of color, race, age, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, membership in an employee organization, pregnancy, marital status, status as a parent, ancestry, national origin, disability (physical or mental), family medical history or genetic information, political affiliation, military service, retaliation, or other non-merit based factors.
Eligibility You must be authorized to work in the United States. Candidates may be required to pass a background check and complete additional steps as part of the application and onboarding process. You will be considered an "at-will" employee, meaning both employer and employee have the right to terminate employment with or without cause or notice.