IDEO.org improves the lives of poor and vulnerable communities through design. To effect that change, we work directly with foundations, nonprofits, and social enterprises; create tools and resources that teach human-centered design; and influence the social sector with stories of human-centered design in action. IDEO.org works directly with organizations across a range of focus areas including health, financial services, gender equity, education, and agriculture.

Position Summary

IDEO.org has an opportunity for a Design Lead to join our New York studio. As part of a multi-disciplinary design team, you’ll tackle complex, poverty-related challenges alongside other builders and thinkers from different backgrounds. With frequent trips that will take you to Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East, you’ll lead and collaborate with a team of designers focused on turning human insights into tangible products, services, and consumer experiences, and help our partner organizations carry those designs forward.

This particular Design Lead role is for a creative coder with demonstrated experience developing digital products and tools. You may have started your career in a traditional design discipline (graphic, industrial, etc) but you’ve spent the last few years designing code.

Leadership experience is a must. Interest in social justice is a given. Passion for craft is absolutely critical.

You are:

• A natural collaborator and a proven hands-on leader. You’re at ease with multidisciplinary teams and can set strategic direction across interaction, product, space and service design.
• A believer that great design creates impact, both in it’s ability to deliver needed solutions and delight through unexpected details.
• Skilled at turning human insights into concrete design concepts.
• Solution-focused and medium-agnostic, willing to step out of your core skill set or discipline to find the correct solution to a challenge.
• A systems thinker, and can logically visualize complex systems.
• Able to distinguish between “good” and “great” work, and clearly articulate the difference.
• Knowledgeable about how to support other disciplines in their work and champion their success.
• Able to articulate the value of human-centered design through verbal and visual presentation.
• Cool with trial and error, and have experience prototyping and experimenting at different levels of fidelity.
• A designer at your core, and see bringing products and services to market as an important part of your process.
• Willing and able to travel internationally ~30% of the time.

You have:

• Experience designing interactive digital experiences, products, services, and systems across a range of platforms, including mobile technology, tailored to the needs of particular users and contexts.
• A background in one or more traditional design disciplines (interaction, visual communications, or service design preferred), with 6-8 years of work experience, ideally with some innovation consulting experience.
• Experience building prototypes and evolving digital and physical products throughout their life cycle.
• Created systems-level concepts by visualizing complex systems, user interaction flows, and beautiful user interface.
• Convey and present concepts through wireframes, flows, storyboards, and mockups.
• Fluency in the human-centered design process, from qualitative research and synthesis to ideation, prototyping, and implementation.
• Examples of your work creating impact out in the world.
• A credible portfolio with examples of digital products, services and systems that you helped create.
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary design teams.
• Insatiable curiosity and a passion for experimentation with new technology and design methodologies to build new solutions.
• Experience managing clients and partners—from early stage companies to mature organizations.
• Experience creating quick and dirty prototypes as well as more refined deliverables.
• Fluency with visual design tools, such as Adobe Creative Suite, Sketch, Invision, etc.
• Experience or demonstrated interest in tackling poverty-related challenges.
• Cultural sensitivity, and an ability to connect easily with new people.