Shape the future of Service Design at Stanford University IT (I’m hiring!)

Two years ago, I started out on a transformation of my career from UX to service design. Today, I’m building a team — not just any team, but a Service Design team, and the first (ever) design team in my organization. (And I’m hiring! Did I mention that?)

Stanford University IT is the central IT organization at the university. We support over 30,000 faculty, students, and staff, providing 350+ Information Technology services to the campus community (a service design playground!). We’re a ~500-person organization, and up until this past year, I was one of two people in the org with the word “designer” in my job title. Over the past year I’ve been working to change that.

One year ago, I was able to formalize the Service Design team in the heart of our business, and my focus has been on championing the need for design and helping to create space where a new practice can form. Today I’m seeking out a passionate, human-centered designer to join our team and help shape the future of this design practice.

So here are some reasons why I’m so excited about this job, and why you should consider applying:

A service design playground

With over 350 technology services, we have our work cut out for us, and our pick of some incredible project opportunities. Because of this, our team has to not only dig into specific projects but also scale service design practices and mindset to the rest of the organization. This means we not only get to sink our teeth into doing service design, but also teaching, evangelizing, and mentoring others.

Opportunity to make an impact

Because we are in the central IT organization, we have a huge opportunity to impact all of campus. For me, it’s this opportunity to make someone’s day better, whether they are a bright-eyed bushy-tailed freshmen, a Nobel-prize-winning researcher, or an administrative staff who works tirelessly to support their department. By helping improve the core technology infrastructure and services that support our diverse campus, we get to directly impact the mission of teaching and learning at the university.

We also have an opportunity to influence the future of IT in higher ed (and beyond!), leading best practices and introducing design principles and methods into an industry that is hungry for ways to become more user-centered.

Awesome projects

Here are some of the projects we have lined up right now that get me out of bed in the morning:

• User research into virtual collaboration, “mobile workforce,” and how IT can help with the move of ~3K administrative staff to a new Redwood City campus in 2019
• Research, design, and prototyping around a new “Research Information Ecosystem” to better support faculty research across campus
• Research and design around the future of group infrastructure, and how it can be better designed to support collaboration across campus
• Trainings and workshops for service teams around “Quality Service Engagements,” touchpoint mapping and strategy, user interviewing, service blueprinting, problem reframing, and more!

Positioned for success

Our team is situated in the Office of Service Management, within the Shared Services division. This is the perfect place for this team to operate out of, and positions us to partner across all divisions in the organization, and prioritize work in a way that builds our service portfolio and looks holistically across the client experience.

A chance to get in on the ground floor

We are a new team, and this position gives you a chance to really help shape our service design practice, and how the team makes an impact. We are introducing design to a large, diverse IT organization, and we are learning and evolving as we go in order to integrate design into the culture of the organization. We want your expertise, ideas, and enthusiasm!

Stanford is amazing

Stanford University is an incredible employer. I’ve worked here on campus for 10 years now, and every day I am grateful for the amazing benefits, the emphasis on professional development, the value placed on work-life balance, and the culture of learning and innovation amongst my peers.

If this role excites you, please get in touch, and check out the details of the job below.

* * * * * * * * JOB DESCRIPTION * * * * * * * *

Service Designer

The mission of the University IT Service Design team is to design and facilitate quality service experiences across the entire University IT service catalog. We partner with teams across the organization to improve client experiences, incubate new services, and cultivate a human-centered design culture and capability across University IT.

As a Service Designer, you will work collaboratively on a wide range of projects, and use human-centered and participatory design methods to facilitate service improvement and new service design efforts. As part of the Service Design team, you will also play a key role in developing tools and resources for building design capability across the organization, and educating and empowering service teams to adopt new methods and mindsets.

University IT is home to a diverse and rich landscape of information technology services, serving the greater mission of teaching and learning at our world-class institution. As a Service Designer, you’ll be part of a growing design team that seeks to shape the future of IT at Stanford and beyond.

As a Service Designer, you will:

• Collaborate with colleagues to identify service design project opportunities
• Create, lead, and implement design project plans
• Conduct qualitative design research using ethnographic and participatory methods
• Conduct comparative and evaluative research into technical solutions and industry trends to inform service design and development
• Analyze service metrics data to inform design solutions
• Lead co-design working sessions with cross-functional teams
• Create design concepts and prototypes, and design testing plans for validation
• Perform testing of service concepts, prototypes, and systems
• Communicate and present research and design insights to stakeholders
• Conduct functional analysis and design, working with developers and analysts to recommend solutions and resolve service issues
• Assist service managers in developing technical requirements and system solutions
• Advise service teams in solving complex problems or issues regarding management, processes, and business systems
• Promote service design efforts, mindset, and methods through presentation and communication
• Design and facilitate workshops and capability-building activities, including instructional materials, trainings, and toolkits
• Create and iterate on tools and resources that promote human-centered design practice and mindset
• Partner with colleagues in Service Management to promote best practices for service development and delivery
• Develop and cultivate relationships within a diverse IT community
• Dive into the complex technology landscape that makes up University IT services

You have:

• Experience in core service design methods and processes
• Depth of experience in at least one practice area (user experience, design research, service design, design strategy)
• Ability and desire to work in all phases of the design process (thinking and making)
• A passion for creating new methods and practices
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Creative problem solving skills, a curious mind, and an enthusiastic work ethic
• An intrinsic passion for making things better
• Enthusiasm, patience and a positive attitude
• Comfort with ambiguity and complex problems

Basic qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent
• 3+ years in Experience Design or related discipline

Preferred qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in Design or Human-Computer Interaction
• Experience working with Information Technology services

We offer:

• A chance to shape the design culture and practice of our growing team
• An opportunity to greatly impact the IT world at Stanford and beyond
• A supportive, collaborative environment that values professional development
• Fantastic benefits, all that Stanford University offers in support of both work and life

Please note, this position is on-site at the Stanford University campus.

* * * * * * * * HOW TO APPLY * * * * * * * *

Please send a cover letter, link to a portfolio (include ~3 quality case studies of your work), and resume through Stanford’s jobs website (click “Apply Online” at the bottom of this page):

https://stanfordcareers.stanford.edu/job-search?jobId=72743

Stanford is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.