Organizational Profile: In November 2018, New York City voters approved a ballot initiative establishing the New York City Civic Engagement Commission. The Commission focuses on promoting civic engagement across all of City government and making New York City decision making accessible to all New Yorkers. Specifically, the Commission is charged with running a citywide participatory budgeting program, providing poll site interpretation services, providing technical assistance to community boards, partnering with community-based organizations and civic leaders to increase awareness of City services, and assisting City agencies in developing civic engagement initiatives. Originally announced in 2018 as a mayoral initiative aimed at increasing voter registration and participation in NYC, and pursuant to Mayoral Executive Order 88 in 2021, Democracy NYC became a program of the CEC, thereby incorporating voter education and voter registration into CEC priorities.

Position Overview:
The NYC Civic Engagement Commission is seeking to hire a Design Strategist to manage projects and integrate a human-centered design approach into the agency's key tech projects ensuring the CEC’s digital tools best engage and deliver high quality user-experience for New Yorkers.

The Design Strategist will leverage principles of social innovation design to improve New Yorker’s engagement in participatory democracy, through a variety of digital, hybrid and in person mediums.

Reporting to the CEC Chief Information Officer, the Design Strategist’ responsibilities will include:
UX/UI Design
- Deliver and integrate user-centered design methodologies throughout the development cycle of any digital tool including identifying user groups, conducting interviews or other types of research to help understand user needs.
- Identify, design and implement UX/UI improvements for the CEC’s online engagement platform: www.participate.nyc.gov.
- Identify opportunities for improvement of the digital, hybrid, and non-digital experience of The People’s Money, the city-wide participatory budgeting program, and other programs with digital engagement components, including by demonstrating user experience through flow diagrams, graphic designs, storyboards, and site maps.
- Work with full-stack developer to manage and guide updates for the www.participate.nyc.gov. site, the commission’s open-source platform that powers the city-wide participatory budgeting program.
- In line with the user centered research findings, develop and design of information architecture, and UX strategies for the redesign of the election center and the cec.gov websites.
- Integrate insights from web analytics, usability testing with targeted user-segments, into agency strategic planning and priorities.
- Work with program leads to implement human centered design principles to in-person and non-digital strategies across CEC Program lanes.

Digital Services Project Management:
- Support CIO in managing tech vendors that serve the CEC digital tools, initiatives include to ballot scanning, SMS voting systems, hosting technologies, and language access services.
- Lead design and research initiatives on key agency tech projects.
- Support other teams on priority tech projects as needed.
- Monitor data on product usability and find ways to improve existing products while using data to infer new product ideas.

Applied Technology Research
- Coordinate digital engagement with non-digital and in person strategies, to ensure residents with various user profiles have multiple pathways to participation, regardless of comfort and exposure to technology.
- Research best practices regarding participatory democracy in the context of both digital services and local government. Research challenges participatory democracy in digital spaces and develop positions and strategies to address them in partnership with CEC teams.
- Build and maintain an understanding of challenges and solutions to using tech tools for community engagement in government.

HOURS/SHIFT
Day - Due to the necessary technical duties of this position in a 24/7 operation, candidate may be required to work various shifts such as weekends and/or nights/evenings.

WORK LOCATION
Brooklyn, NY

TO APPLY
Special Note: Taking and passing civil service exams are necessary to maintain employment with the City of New York. Please check the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) website (http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcas/html/work/exam_monthly.shtml) for important exam filing information. Please ensure that you are either a permanent employee in the civil service title listed on this posting, or, that you file for the examination when there is an open filing period. For more information regarding the civil service process, please visit the DCAS website at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcas/html/work/work.shtml

Interested applicants with other civil service titles who meet the preferred requirements should also submit a resume for consideration.

Please go to www.cityjobs.nyc.gov and search for Job ID # 617758

SUBMISSION OF A RESUME IS NOT A GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL RECEIVE AN INTERVIEW
APPOINTMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO OVERSIGHT APPROVAL

NOTE: This position is open to qualified persons with a disability who are eligible for the 55-a Program.
Please indicate in your cover letter that you would like to be considered for the position under the 55-a program.

OTI participates in E-Verify

1. High school graduation or equivalent and two years of training in an approved technical school in oils, water colors, painting, design, black and white, layout and other art media and seven years full-time paid experience as a commercial artist, four years of which must have been in supervision and planning of art work done by a staff; or

2. Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1". However, all candidates must have the four years of supervisory experience as described above

The successful candidate should possess the following: - Aggregate of 3+ years’ experience in UX design / product field. - Highly resourceful, reliable, organized and detail oriented. - Equal parts strategic, systems level thinker, and advocate for user. - Experience mapping and driving systemic improvements within complex service environments. - Experience in designing, testing, and iterating digital services. - Strong written and oral communications, facilitation, public speaking, and presentation skills. - Keen attention to detail, flexibility, and an enthusiastic work ethic. - Experience communicating with diverse stakeholders and mediating diverse perspectives. - Enthusiasm for and interest in bringing creativity and storytelling to the work of the agency. - Understanding of open-source software and product development for governments. - Knowledge of digital tools for civic engagement and participatory democracy. - Understanding of government-specific best practices for research participant recruitment and compensation. To be submitted through city systems.

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.