Designer/Researcher

About Nava Nava is a consultancy and public benefit corporation working to make government services simple and effective. Since 2015, federal, state, and local agencies have trusted Nava to help solve highly scrutinized technology modernization challenges. As a client services company, we guide agencies constrained by legacy systems to a future with sharp user experiences built on secure, reliable, fault-tolerant cloud infrastructure. We bill for our time, offering our expertise and problem-solving approach to help our government partners enhance their digital products and services. People are at the heart of our work, from members of the public who rely on benefit programs to government agency staff. Through human-centered design and modern engineering best practices, we help our government partners understand user needs and deliver on their missions more effectively. This focus gives everyone at Nava the opportunity to do work that is meaningful, impactful, and deeply connected to public good. Position Summary Nava is at the forefront of reimagining how our government serves its people, and we’re looking for a Designer/Researcher to help drive this mission forward. As a Designer/Researcher at Nava, you’ll collaborate on the design and research efforts of our work with the government, for programs that affect millions of Americans. You’ll work on cross-functional teams, moving from concept to implementation and championing user needs with everything from user research to prototyping to designing systems. You’ll bring us closer to the people we ultimately serve, helping deliver high-quality work that is simple, empathetic, and accessible. You will be working within the government ecosystem, collaborating dynamically with other government contractors and civil servants. This means you'll likely encounter different working styles, and cultural norms, and be responsible for maintaining order and focus in complex stakeholder ecosystems. What you'll do • Apply a service design mindset to challenges with a relentless focus on user needs • Propel understanding of users, by running quantitative and qualitative user research initiatives and sharing findings with internal and external collaborators • Drive research ideas from concept to production, from diagramming to drafting research plans to conducting user interviews • Collaborate with multidisciplinary Nava product teams and government staff to drive service-level changes to product direction Required skills • Years of experience: At least two years of experience working as a service designer or researcher working with product teams within a professional working environment • Experience mapping and driving systemic improvements within complex service environments • Depth of experience in conducting, synthesizing, and communicating qualitative research • Understanding of web and mobile user interface design best practices • Relentlessly curious mindset, never satisfied with easy answers • Equal parts systems thinker and advocate for users • Highly resourceful, reliable, and detail-oriented • Ability to think strategically around trade-offs and short term vs. long term benefits • Ability to build and form strong relationships with the internal team and external partners • An adaptive, empathetic, collaborative and positive mindsetExcellent written and verbal communication skills, technical and otherwise Other requirements • Must be legally authorized to work in the United States and meet any other requirements for government contracts for which they are hired. • Candidates who are offered a job with Nava must possess work authorization that does not require sponsorship by their employer for a visa now or in the future. • May be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information or applicants who are eligible for security clearances. Apply tot his job Apply To this Job