Design Innovation Associate

The Position

Title: Design Innovation Associate

Position Type: Full time

Requisition No: 25017

Category: Classified

Supervisor: Innovation Lab Manager, Design Research

Last Updated: October 2024

Job Purpose: Responsible for supporting the design and development of applied research programs in support of institutional strategy and goals and is responsible for designing and supporting research projects using a human-centered approach that drives towards meaningful impact. 

Location: Remote, various locations throughout California

Salary Range: The beginning salary range for this position is Range CL25, (Steps 1-3) $97,721.88 -$ 107,756.75

***The first review of the applications shall occur approximately on 10/28/2024***

Position Overview

Calbright College is seeking a creative and passionate Design Innovation Associate to join the Innovation Lab. The Innovation Lab at Calbright College is a dynamic and collaborative environment where innovative solutions are developed to improve the educational experiences of our students and the operational effectiveness of our college. As part of this team, the Design Innovation Associate will play a pivotal role in designing and developing human-centered approaches that are equitable, accessible, and tailored to meet the diverse needs of our learning community.

This role supports Calbright College’s mission to bridge the gap for students who need flexible and affordable education options. To achieve this, the Design Innovation Associate will collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify opportunities and iteratively develop approaches that drive improvements. This role involves conducting comprehensive design research, facilitating co-design workshops, and creating prototypes to test and refine concepts. The Design Innovation Associate will also be responsible for managing multiple projects and increasing the design capabilities of Calbright staff through training and workshops.

Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities 

The duties below are representative of the role and are not intended to cover all of the duties performed within the scope of work.

Design Initiatives 

• Facilitate, with management support, design initiatives focused on improving educational services and administrative processes by leveraging human- and equity-centered design practices.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to design and implement strategic approaches aligned with Calbright’s priorities.
• Develop and adapt design artifacts such as personas, journey maps, service blueprints to define current- and future-state initiatives.
• Create and test prototype approaches to validate effectiveness and feasibility.
• Iterate on designs based on feedback and evidence to refine and improve services.

Research

• Conduct document and literature reviews to define research purposes and develop research questions aligned with project objectives and equity goals.
• Develop research questions, appropriate methodologies, and protocols to understand the design problem and help ideate potential approaches.
• Conduct qualitative and quantitative research to gather insights into community needs and experiences.
• Proficiency in synthesizing and identifying insights to improve the college’s experience 
• Act as an advocate to support positive outcomes through evidence-based decision making.

Capacity Building

• Foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation within the institution by adding to the institution’s knowledge-sharing capacity via documentation and communication. 
• Create and maintain standards, tools, training and workshops to increase the design and research capabilities of Calbright staff.
• Develop process and tools to increase the institution’s knowledge-sharing capacity
• Perform other related duties as assigned that support the objective of the position

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Comfort with stakeholder engagement through participant recruitment, facilitating co-design workshops and design engagements with students, faculty, and staff, and building and maintaining strong relationships to ensure the sustainability of design outcomes.
• Coordinate multiple design projects, ensure timely and impactful results, maintain clear communication with stakeholders, and address challenges and uncertainties with creative problem-solving strategies.

• Demonstrate understanding of, sensitivity to, and respect for the diverse academic, socio-economic, ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds, disability, and sexual orientation of community college students, staff and faculty.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Design, human-computer interaction, social sciences, psychology, education, media studies, or related field, AND at least one (1)  year of experience working with human-centered design methodologies; 

OR 

• at least five (5) years of prior work experience with human-centered design methods with no formal education.
• Demonstrated experience in conducting research and applying human-centered design methodologies to uncover insights and actionable recommendations 
• Deep commitment to student access and success and sensitivity to the diverse backgrounds of community college students.

Desired Qualifications

• Relevant experience with user experience (UX), service design, applied research settings, and/or product design and development.
• Graduate degree(s) reflecting coursework and/or methodology in design research and evaluation.
• Experience with analysis, data visualization (Tableau) and qualitative analysis tools (Atlas.ti, Qualtrics, etc) 
• Experience working in higher education or with educational institutions.
• Experience working in a remote environment. 
• Familiarity with equity-centered community design, universal design, and/or inclusive design.

Working Conditions and Travel

• Calbright College is a statewide online college where all instruction and support are done via various online technologies both in person and remotely. Calbright College has administrative offices in Sacramento available for use. When working remotely, employees should be able and willing to use digital communication tools as used by the college, and have the ability to work on a computer for extended periods of time.Although this is a primarily remote position, there may be instances in which you will be required to attend meetings or travel to in-person events.
• Regular attendance is considered an essential job function; the inability to meet attendance requirements may preclude the employee from retaining employment.
• The person holding this position is considered a mandated reporter under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in Calbright College policies, procedures, and Title IX.
• Calbright College celebrates all forms of diversity and is deeply committed to fostering an inclusive environment within which students, staff, administrators, and faculty thrive. Individuals interested in advancing Calbright College’s strategic diversity goals are strongly encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodations will be provided for qualified applicants with disabilities who self-disclose.
• Requires the ability to function in a remote online instructional environment performing work of primarily a sedentary nature. Requires the ability to use hearing and speech to make presentations to groups and carry on conversations over the phone and in-person. Requires speaking skills to communicate with staff and students in one-on-one and small group settings, on the phone, and to distinguish sound prompts from various types of equipment. Requires near visual acuity to read printed materials and computer screens. Requires sufficient hand/arm/finger dexterity to retrieve work materials, operate a personal computer keyboard, and operate standard office equipment. Requires the ability to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• Work is performed indoors where minimal safety considerations exist.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Calbright College provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, veteran status, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Calbright College complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment.

Who We Are

Calbright College is one of California’s newest community colleges – the first statewide, online campus designed to bridge the gap between employers with unfilled positions and students who don’t have either the time or money to attend a traditional school. Our mission is to increase economic mobility and close equity gaps for working adults who lack easy access to traditional forms of higher education by offering online, flexible, affordable skills-based programs that provide tangible economic value for both working adults and hiring managers.