IDEO.org improves the lives of poor and vulnerable communities through design. To affect 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.

IDEO.org is seeking a Senior Design Lead to join our soon-to-be-launched studio in New York City. 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 India, Africa and the Middle East, you’ll lead a team of designers focused on turning human insights into tangible products, services, and consumer experiences, and helping our partner organizations carry those designs forward. You may have started your career as an Interaction or Communications Designer, but by now, you’re fluent in the full design process—from research to strategy to implementation.

Craft is a given. Leadership experience is a must. Passion for solving challenges facing the world’s most impoverished communities is absolutely critical.

This is you:

• You’re great at turning human insights into concrete design concepts. 
• You’re obsessed with what design and technology can do for people. 
• You’re solution-focused and medium-agnostic, willing to step out of your core skill set or discipline to find the correct solution to a challenge. 
• You’re a systems thinker, and can logically visualize complex systems.
• You can distinguish between “good” and “great” work, and clearly articulate the difference.
• You are passionate about building, prototyping, and continually evolving products (physical & digital), systems, services, and businesses throughout their life cycle. 
• You can articulate the value of human-centered design through verbal and visual presentation. 
• You love collaborating with others. 
• You’re cool with trial and error, and have experience prototyping at different levels of fidelity.
• You’re a designer at your core, and see bringing products and services to market as an important part of your process. 
• You are willing and able to travel internationally ~30% of the time.

You have:

• A background in one or more traditional design disciplines (interaction, visual communications, or service design preferred), with 8+ years of work experience.
• Fluency in the human-centered design process from qualitative research and synthesis to ideation, prototyping, and implementation.
• Experience leading a multi-disciplinary design team.
• 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 Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator.
• Experience or demonstrated interest in tackling poverty-related challenges.
• Cultural sensitivity, and an ability to connect easily with new people.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.