MO helps government leaders achieve their mission by designing intuitive and sustainable customer experiences that build trust and improve satisfaction. We use human-centered design (HCD) to modernize and transform user and employee experiences. We’re a small team of interdisciplinary creatives with mission, impact, and service to others deeply rooted in our DNA. We’re naive enough to believe we can change the world and bold enough to take the chance to do it.
We combine design thinking with continuous discovery and delivery methods to drive visionary, human-centered products to market. Our custom solutions range in size from completely revamping an entire application to refreshing small pieces of a larger product. Everyone at MO directly impacts the direction and success of the company, and we own our roles. We value integrity, curiosity, and courage, and we operate collaboratively and with accountability while consistently challenging each other in the pursuit of excellence. At MO, we delight in creating one-of-a-kind products and experiences. Your imagination is the only limit on what you can do here!
Overview
Are you looking to make an impact? We are looking for a Senior (Sr.) Data Storyteller, who brings a systems mindset and experience design mindset to service and product design, to support our client in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In your work and through your design and technical expertise you will improve the lives for Veterans, Caregivers, Survivors and Family Members by reducing barriers to accessing care and benefits within the VA.
We are looking for a Sr. Data Storyteller with a strong emphasis on information design to make complex data intuitive and visually impactful. This role is perfect for individuals who are adept at using visual design to simplify complex information, enabling decision-makers to grasp insightful narratives quickly. If your strengths lie in design thinking and information architecture, and you have a foundational understanding of data science, we encourage you to apply.
In this position, you will be working in a small, cross-functional team of Researchers, Designers and Product Managers to understand and synthesize customer needs, strategize improved service delivery, and to help inform the design of innovative solutions inside various services within the VA.
How will you spend your time? 85% of your time will be spent on billable work, and roughly 15% of your time will be spent maturing our Human-Centered Design (HCD) practice at MO and contributing to MO's culture, as well as business development.
Successful candidates will have a track-record of being present as a capability leader in high-performing design teams at scale. The willingness to dive into ambiguity and build new systems and processes, sometimes from scratch, is essential, as is leading through influence within a matrixed environment. Previous experience working in a client services organization (i.e., consulting or a digital agency) is helpful but not required. A passion for our mission and civic design is a must-have.
\n- Engagement Leadership Contribution: Identify, integrate and streamline data sources with visual tools to ensure coherent and effective presentations of real-time data. Employ advanced information design techniques to enhance data comprehension for various audience segments, from technical experts to business stakeholders.
- Stakeholder and Client Management: Work closely with cross-functional teams to understand their knowledge needs and design bespoke visualization solutions to enable insight development, pain point identification, and translation of context understanding into opportunities to advance customers' and stakeholders' experiences.
- Discovery and Iterative Design: Based on service blueprint documentations, design innovative data visualizations and interactive dashboards that simplify complex data sets into clear, intuitive visual stories. Test and continually refine and enhance the aesthetic and functional aspects of visualization tools and interfaces.
- Professional Curiosity: Keep abreast of the latest developments in evidence-based information design and storytelling; bring good practices into a constrained technical and policy environment – with a strong commitment to accessibility.
- Mentorship and Design Leadership: Work with the MO capability teams to advance how human-centered design (HCD) integrates data in strategic storytelling. Provide mentorship to more junior designers to foster their growth and development. Collaborate with clients and stakeholders to embed new ways of leveraging evidence-based
- Data Storytelling Mastery and Passion for Design for Change: Demonstrated expertise in utilizing exceptional communication skills to craft complex data stories into engaging visual and verbal narratives, making them accessible and informative for diverse audiences. This role is critical in advancing complex digital service projects and effectively managing stakeholder relationships to do so.
- People-centric Advocacy: Demonstrated commitment to social impact design. Experience as a people (customer/user) advocate, with a strong command of accessibility, Section 508 compliance, and a nuanced understanding of the challenges posed in the public sector.
- Data Management Skills: Proficiency in querying databases and other data structures; cleaning data; analyzing data for meaningful results. Experience integrating visualization tools with databases to enable dynamic data visualizations desired.
- Versatile Visualization Skill Set: Experience with data visualization tools (e.g., DOMO, Tableau or Power BI) and at least one programming language and/or web technology for publishing open-source data visualizations (e.g. Python/R/SQL, HTML/CSS, D3/Observable).
- Consultative Mindset: Skilled in understanding client expectations, working as an agile team, managing and prioritizing multiple high-profile, medium-to-high complexity projects, and ensuring accountability in delivering against customer needs.
- Cross-Disciplinary System Implementation: Experience working with cross-functional teams of product managers, developers, service designers, researchers, and UX designers to ensure the successful adoption of deliverables, maintaining consistency and accessibility across civic tech products.
- A fun, dynamic working environment with an energetic and diverse team
- A REMOTE first work environment
- An inclusive culture where everyone is welcome
- Competitive compensation commensurate with experience
- Opportunities for career growth
- Full health benefits (85% medical premiums for employees and dependents, dental, vision)
- 401K plan
- Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO)
- Short- and Long-Term Disability in addition to Life Insurance (company sponsored)
All MO team members are expected to collaborate with humility, embody our core values in their leadership, and to hold their team accountable to the same. MO leaders are expected to ensure we are always growing by tackling hard problems, being strategic, and learning from others.
MO is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.
We value diversity and inclusion and encourage all interested candidates to apply. If you have more experience beyond what is detailed here, we’d be happy to take a look. If you meet most but not all of the requirements, we still want to hear from you.
This application will remain open until filled.