Inside Higher Ed
i-team Civic Designer, Cincinnati, OH (Innovation Team, Cincinnati)
Inside Higher Ed, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, 45208
i-team Civic Designer, Cincinnati, OH (Innovation Team, Cincinnati)
Join to apply for the i-team Civic Designer, Cincinnati, OH (Innovation Team, Cincinnati) role at Inside Higher Ed. The Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University seeks a Civic Designer to support a new Cincinnati Innovation Team. Innovation Teams use evidence‑based, design‑based processes to tackle complex city challenges, work closely with the Mayor, the City’s leadership, and city departments, and change the culture of government.
The Civic Designer will play a central role in deploying design‑based innovation approaches to support the Cincinnati i‑team’s work. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in design methodology, be able to use intentional design processes—including research, ideation, and delivery—with key stakeholders such as community members. Experience designing and delivering impactful public sector programs or services is preferred. The Civic Designer is an employee of Johns Hopkins University and is based in Cincinnati City Hall, reporting to the i‑team Director.
Specific Duties & Responsibilities
Guide i‑team colleagues and collaborators in government and the community through a rigorous innovation process, including research, synthesis, framework development, idea generation, prototyping, and testing.
Design, plan, and deliver qualitative research.
Translate research findings into impactful formats such as slide decks, stories, videos, experiences, exhibits, and design artifacts like journey maps, service blueprints, and personas.
Apply user‑research best practices to create seamless experiences for city leaders and community stakeholders.
Develop templates, tools, and methods that government can use to improve service and program delivery.
Create visual frameworks—journey maps, service blueprints, ecosystem maps—to clarify complex challenges in human behaviors, relationships, workflows, and processes.
Plan and execute co‑creation workshops with stakeholders to propose the most viable solutions for given problems.
Stay up to date with trends in civic design and public innovation, develop best‑practice materials, and participate in a community of practice with i‑teams in other cities.
Prepare reports, summaries, presentations, visuals, recommendations, and other work products, and present them to city leaders, community members, BCPI staff, and partners.
Support the i‑team and other city government colleagues in agile ways of working using tools such as Slack, Figma, Miro, Google Workspace, and Asana.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline.
Five years of design experience, including instructional, strategic, business, and product design, or related experience.
Additional education may substitute for required experience and additional related experience may substitute for required education beyond HS Diploma or Graduation Equivalent, to the extent permitted by the JHU equivalency formula.
Preferred Qualifications
Graduate degree in Instructional Design, Instructional Technology, Education, Applied Anthropology, Demography, Ethnography, User Experience Design or Research, Program Design, or a related field.
Experience conducting user research and translating results into actionable insights.
Clear understanding of the types of challenges municipal governments typically face, either through direct government work or collaboration with government organizations.
Experience working with community, government, non‑profit, or private sector leaders.
Customer service orientation and commitment to building solid relationships with government and community partners.
Demonstrated experience working with diverse populations and engaging a wide range of residents, subject‑matter experts, and partners.
Demonstrated experience applying equity‑centered design frameworks to past projects.
History of using service design and/or product design to scale initiatives or strategies, particularly in large organizations.
Job Details Classified Title: i-Team Civic Designer
Job Posting Title: i-team Civic Designer, Cincinnati, OH (Innovation Team, Cincinnati)
Role/Level/Range: ATP/04/PD
Starting Salary Range: $62,900 – $110,100 (Annual; $109,000 targeted)
Employee Group: Full Time
Schedule: Monday – Friday 8:30 am – 5 pm
FLSA Status: Exempt
Location: Ohio; County for Government Excellence & Public Innovation
Equal Opportunity Employer Statement All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.
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The Civic Designer will play a central role in deploying design‑based innovation approaches to support the Cincinnati i‑team’s work. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in design methodology, be able to use intentional design processes—including research, ideation, and delivery—with key stakeholders such as community members. Experience designing and delivering impactful public sector programs or services is preferred. The Civic Designer is an employee of Johns Hopkins University and is based in Cincinnati City Hall, reporting to the i‑team Director.
Specific Duties & Responsibilities
Guide i‑team colleagues and collaborators in government and the community through a rigorous innovation process, including research, synthesis, framework development, idea generation, prototyping, and testing.
Design, plan, and deliver qualitative research.
Translate research findings into impactful formats such as slide decks, stories, videos, experiences, exhibits, and design artifacts like journey maps, service blueprints, and personas.
Apply user‑research best practices to create seamless experiences for city leaders and community stakeholders.
Develop templates, tools, and methods that government can use to improve service and program delivery.
Create visual frameworks—journey maps, service blueprints, ecosystem maps—to clarify complex challenges in human behaviors, relationships, workflows, and processes.
Plan and execute co‑creation workshops with stakeholders to propose the most viable solutions for given problems.
Stay up to date with trends in civic design and public innovation, develop best‑practice materials, and participate in a community of practice with i‑teams in other cities.
Prepare reports, summaries, presentations, visuals, recommendations, and other work products, and present them to city leaders, community members, BCPI staff, and partners.
Support the i‑team and other city government colleagues in agile ways of working using tools such as Slack, Figma, Miro, Google Workspace, and Asana.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline.
Five years of design experience, including instructional, strategic, business, and product design, or related experience.
Additional education may substitute for required experience and additional related experience may substitute for required education beyond HS Diploma or Graduation Equivalent, to the extent permitted by the JHU equivalency formula.
Preferred Qualifications
Graduate degree in Instructional Design, Instructional Technology, Education, Applied Anthropology, Demography, Ethnography, User Experience Design or Research, Program Design, or a related field.
Experience conducting user research and translating results into actionable insights.
Clear understanding of the types of challenges municipal governments typically face, either through direct government work or collaboration with government organizations.
Experience working with community, government, non‑profit, or private sector leaders.
Customer service orientation and commitment to building solid relationships with government and community partners.
Demonstrated experience working with diverse populations and engaging a wide range of residents, subject‑matter experts, and partners.
Demonstrated experience applying equity‑centered design frameworks to past projects.
History of using service design and/or product design to scale initiatives or strategies, particularly in large organizations.
Job Details Classified Title: i-Team Civic Designer
Job Posting Title: i-team Civic Designer, Cincinnati, OH (Innovation Team, Cincinnati)
Role/Level/Range: ATP/04/PD
Starting Salary Range: $62,900 – $110,100 (Annual; $109,000 targeted)
Employee Group: Full Time
Schedule: Monday – Friday 8:30 am – 5 pm
FLSA Status: Exempt
Location: Ohio; County for Government Excellence & Public Innovation
Equal Opportunity Employer Statement All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.
#J-18808-Ljbffr