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Summary

Requisition ID:  112579
i-team Civic Designer, Akron, OH
The Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University (the Center)
seeks a i-team Civic Designer, Akron, OH to support a new Akron Innovation Team.
 
Innovation Teams unlock creativity from within city governments and the communities
they serve. These teams take partners and stakeholders through an evidence-based
process to tackle the big problems in their cities no one has yet been able to solve,
generate more ambitious responses, and test and adapt interventions until they produce
impact. They also work closely with the Mayor, the City's leadership team, and City
departments to change the culture of city government.
 
Akron is one of 25 U.S. cities joining Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities.
Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities is a three-year initiative designed to leverage
historic levels of federal funding to incubate and implement transformative local
solutions to build low-carbon, resilient, and economically thriving communities. Building
on the longtime leadership of U.S. cities to confront the overlapping crises of climate
change and racial wealth inequity, the new initiative will provide deep support to
selected cities to pursue transformative solutions.
 
The Civic Designer will play a central role in deploying design-based innovation
approaches to support the Akron i-team’s work on the Bloomberg American Sustainable
Cities initiative.
 
 
The ideal candidate will have a strong background in design methodology and the ability
to use and apply intentional design processes that includes research, ideation, and
delivery with key stakeholders, including community members, centered in the process.
Ideally, they will also have experience in designing and delivering impactful public
sector programs or services. The Civic Designer is an employee of Johns Hopkins
University and based in Akron City Hall. The Civic Designer will report to the i-team
Director.
 

The first of its kind in the world, the Center aims to advance the field of public sector
innovation by marrying cutting-edge practice with world-class research to transform the
culture of government, deliver exceptional results for residents, and inspire trust in
public service. The Center is committed to working with communities focused on ending
legacies of structural, entrenched racism and oppression. The Civic Designer must be
willing to think about reimagined government, knowledge, and engagement models
through the lens of dismantling these legacies.

Job Description

Specific Duties & Responsibilities

 In support of the i-team’s bold, innovative strategy to jointly drive climate action
and advance racial wealth equity, including greenhouse gas reduction strategies.
 Guide i-team colleagues, together with collaborators in government and in the
community, through a rigorous innovation process, including research, synthesis
and framework.
 development, idea generation, prototyping, and testing.
 Design, plan, and deliver qualitative “design” research.
 Make research findings relevant and impactful through a variety of formats such
as slide decks, stories, videos, experiences, exhibits, and design artifacts like
journey maps, service blueprints, and personas.
 Employ user research best practices to create a seamless experience for city
leaders, and collaborators in government and in the community.
 Develop templates, tools, and methods that government can use to improve
service and program delivery.
 Create visual frameworks – like journey maps, service blueprints, and ecosystem
maps – that help clarify complex challenges in human behaviors, relationships,
workflow, and processes.
 Engage and collaborate deeply with local community organizations dedicated to
promoting climate equity strategies that promote racial equity and economic
inclusion.
 Plan and execute co-creation workshops with stakeholders to propose the most
viable solution for the given problem.
 Stay up to date with trends in civic design and public innovation and develop
materials spreading best practices and cutting-edge research 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 to city leaders, community members, BCPI staff, and
other partners.
 Support the i-team and other city government colleagues in agile ways of
working, including a high proficiency in using tools like Slack, Figma, Miro,
Google Workspace, and work management software like Asana.
 

Job Requirements

Special Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

 Ability to use and apply and intentional civic design process that includes
research, ideation, and delivery with key stakeholders and community members
centered in the process.
 Knowledge of design-based innovation methodologies, including expertise in
determining when and how to use specific approaches, frameworks, deliverables,
and facilitation methods.
 Superior organizational skills and ability to set priorities and respond quickly as
priorities change.
 Strong interpersonal skills with an ability to build good relationships with peers
and to interact with diverse stakeholders.
 Passion for and commitment to equitably reducing climate pollution and
addressing the impacts of climate change and improving economic conditions for
historically disadvantaged Black communities and other communities of color.
 Excellent verbal and written communication skills and ability to collect and
synthesize information and provide summary report.
 Excellent content creation and writing skills.
 Experience in solving challenges related to race-based inequities in economics
and climate is a plus.
 Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet tight deadlines.
 Ability to work both cooperatively within a team and independently.

Minimum Qualifications

 Bachelor’s Degree in 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, 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 related field.
 Experience conducting user research and translating results into actionable
insights.

 A clear understanding of the types of challenges municipal governments typically
faces, either through direct experience working in government or in organizations
that collaborate closely with governments.
 Experience working with community, government, non-profit, or private sector
leaders.
 A customer service orientation and interest in and commitment to building solid
relationships with colleagues and partners within government and in the
community.
 Demonstrated experience in working with people from diverse backgrounds and
a commitment to engaging with a wide range of residents, subject-matter
experts, and partners.
 Demonstrated experience applying equity-centered design frameworks to past
projects.
 A history of using service design and/or product design to scale initiatives or
strategies, particularly in large organizations.
 

Special Instructions

Please mention you found this employment opportunity on the CareersInGovernment.com job board.

Additional Information

Classified Title: i-Team Civic Designer 
Job Posting Title (Working Title): i-team Civic Designer, Akron, OH   
Role/Level/Range: ATP/04/PD  
Starting Salary Range: Min $62,300 - Max $109,000 Annually ($109,000 yargeted;
Commensurate with experience) 
Employee group: Full Time 
Schedule: Monday-Friday 8-4:30pm 
Exempt Status: Exempt 
Location: Ohio 
Department name: Ctrs for Govt Excellence & Public Innova  
Personnel area: Academic and Business Centers 

Total Rewards
The referenced base salary range represents the low and high end of Johns Hopkins
University’s salary range for this position. Not all candidates will be eligible for the upper
end of the salary range. Exact salary will ultimately depend on multiple factors, which
may include the successful candidate's geographic location, skills, work experience,
market conditions, education/training and other qualifications. Johns Hopkins offers a
total rewards package that supports our employees' health, life, career and retirement.
More information can be found here: https://hr.jhu.edu/benefits-worklife/.

Education and Experience Equivalency
Please refer to the job description above to see which forms of equivalency are
permitted for this position. If permitted, equivalencies will follow these guidelines: JHU
Equivalency Formula: 30 undergraduate degree credits (semester hours) or 18
graduate degree credits may substitute for one year of experience. Additional related
experience may substitute for required education on the same basis. For jobs where
equivalency is permitted, up to two years of non-related college course work may be
applied towards the total minimum education/experience required for the respective job.
Applicants Completing Studies
Applicants who do not meet the posted requirements but are completing their final
academic semester/quarter will be considered eligible for employment and may be
asked to provide additional information confirming their academic completion date.
Background Checks
The successful candidate(s) for this position will be subject to a pre-employment
background check. Johns Hopkins is committed to hiring individuals with a justice-
involved background, consistent with applicable policies and current practice. A prior
criminal history does not automatically preclude candidates from employment at Johns
Hopkins University. In accordance with applicable law, the university will review, on an
individual basis, the date of a candidate's conviction, the nature of the conviction and
how the conviction relates to an essential job-related qualification or function.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Johns Hopkins University values diversity, equity and inclusion and advances these
through our key strategic framework, the JHU Roadmap on Diversity and Inclusion.
Equal Opportunity Employer
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.
EEO is the Law
https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-
088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12ScreenRdr.pdf

Accommodation Information

If you are interested in applying for employment with The Johns Hopkins University and
require special assistance or accommodation during any part of the pre-employment
process, please contact the Talent Acquisition Office at jhurecruitment@jhu.edu. For
TTY users, call via Maryland Relay or dial 711. For more information about workplace
accommodations or accessibility at Johns Hopkins University, please
visit https://accessibility.jhu.edu/.

Vaccine Requirements

Johns Hopkins University strongly encourages, but no longer requires, at least one dose

of the COVID-19 vaccine. The COVID-19 vaccine does not apply to positions located in
the State of Florida. We still require all faculty, staff, and students to receive
the seasonal flu vaccine. Exceptions to the COVID and flu vaccine requirements may be
provided to individuals for religious beliefs or medical reasons. Requests for an
exception must be submitted to the JHU vaccination registry. This change does not
apply to the School of Medicine (SOM). SOM hires must be fully vaccinated with
an FDA COVID-19 vaccination and provide proof of vaccination status. For
additional information, applicants for SOM positions should
visit https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine/ and all other JHU
applicants should visit https://covidinfo.jhu.edu/health-safety/covid-vaccination-
information/.

The following additional provisions may apply, depending upon campus. Your recruiter
will advise accordingly.

The pre-employment physical for positions in clinical areas, laboratories, working with
research subjects, or involving community contact requires documentation of immune
status against Rubella (German measles), Rubeola (Measles), Mumps, Varicella
(chickenpox), Hepatitis B and documentation of having received the Tdap (Tetanus,
diphtheria, pertussis) vaccination. This may include documentation of having two (2)
MMR vaccines; two (2) Varicella vaccines; or antibody status to these diseases from
laboratory testing. Blood tests for immunities to these diseases are ordinarily included in
the pre-employment physical exam except for those employees who provide results of
blood tests or immunization documentation from their own health care providers. Any
vaccinations required for these diseases will be given at no cost in our Occupational
Health office.

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