Consultancy - Interaction Designer, Office of Innovation

We seek a strong self-motivated top-level Interaction Designer who can maintain strong design sensibilities even under tight time constraints, who can work with a diverse interdisciplinary team to create a plan of action to best communicate ideas visually and who can maintain clarity in their work while juggling and prioritizing several projects at once. This position will range from project support to owning projects and seeing them through to completion. We seek someone who can work closely with our Design & Interaction team, but who also can prove they can task manage and follow-through on projects independently. Due to the diversity of the role, the team is looking for a hybrid designer, who can ideally work across various devices and platforms. The candidate should exemplify a strong expertise in user experience and user interaction design, research and consultation for web-based designs, apps and data information systems, information architecture and systems mapping design. He/she must also be comfortable with coding programmes such as CSS, HTML and have a good understanding of content management systems (CMS). The candidate should also understand other more complex coding systems in order to communicate ideas with the engineers and scientists on the team. The ideal candidate will be an interaction designer who has experience with complex systems and who is able to toggle between a number of projects at the same time. The ideal candidate must have a strong sense of UNICEF’s programmes and goals, who expresses a passion for designing for social impact through their portfolio, who has experience communicating easily with a diverse range of staff - designers and non-designers alike - and who has a knack for extrapolating information from team members that can be translated into simplified and articulate way.

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you.

For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

 

Interaction Designer

Office of Innovation

Duration: 11.5 months

Duty Station: New York Headquarters

 

BACKGROUND

UNICEF has been innovating for children for 70 years. Innovations support the organization's 135+ country offices in finding solutions for the world's most vulnerable children. The UNICEF innovation work includes both policy and practice of innovation in UNICEF, and the larger UN. Innovation in UNICEF is defined as "doing something new or different that adds value." Innovation is a cross-sectoral function that enhances programme and development effectiveness as well as management and is guided in all contexts by UNICEF's Innovation Principles (http://www.unicefstories.org/principles/). UNICEF is engaged in testing and scaling up new partnerships, technologies, and collaborations in some of the world's most difficult operating environments.

In January 2016, the UNICEF established the Office of Innovation in order to strengthen its innovation functions and leverage the increasing opportunities across the organization. The Office of Innovation unites:

• The Global Innovation Centre (GIC): established in 2014, and focusing on Scale Up which looks at expanding the application of proven solutions from one to several countries and regions by UNICEF and partners
• Ventures: looks at investing in new solutions with a 0-2 year horizon
• Futures: focusing on what is coming in the 2-5 year horizon and works with big tech partners

 

PURPOSE OF THE APPOINTMENT

We seek a strong self-motivated top-level Interaction Designer who can maintain strong design sensibilities even under tight time constraints, who can work with a diverse interdisciplinary team to create a plan of action to best communicate ideas visually and who can maintain clarity in their work while juggling and prioritizing several projects at once. This position will range from project support to owning projects and seeing them through to completion. We seek someone who can work closely with our Design & Interaction team, but who also can prove they can task manage and follow-through on projects independently. Due to the diversity of the role, the team is looking for a hybrid designer, who can ideally work across various devices and platforms. The candidate should exemplify a strong expertise in user experience and user interaction design, research and consultation for web-based designs, apps and data information systems, information architecture and systems mapping design. He/she must also be comfortable with coding programmes such as CSS, HTML and have a good understanding of content management systems (CMS). The candidate should also understand other more complex coding systems in order to communicate ideas with the engineers and scientists on the team.

The ideal candidate will be an interaction designer who has experience with complex systems and who is able to toggle between a number of projects at the same time. The ideal candidate must have a strong sense of UNICEF's programmes and goals, who expresses a passion for designing for social impact through their portfolio, who has experience communicating easily with a diverse range of staff - designers and non-designers alike - and who has a knack for extrapolating information from team members that can be translated into simplified and articulate way.

 

PAYMENT PLAN

• Monthly payment, based on monthly tasks and progress reports, approved upon monthly review with supervisor.
• Consultant is responsible for his own health insurance
• Consultant is eligible for standard DSA for all work-related travel
• Consultants are responsible for assuming costs for obtaining visas and travel insurance

 

 QUALIFICATIONS AND EDUCATION

• Advanced degree in a relevant field or equivalent professional work experience.
• At least 8 years of professional experience in interaction design, human-computer interaction, information design and information architecture, visual communication, media design, system design or related – and proven experience in translating complex ideas into unified storytelling visuals.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED FOR THE ASSIGNMENT

• Strong design skills particularly in user experience, user interface design and visualization of systems and complex information and structures. Strong knowledge of design platforms like Adobe Creative Suite, design techniques, software, data visualization.
• A portfolio which shows strong design work for web and mobile.
• Experience with prototyping tools like Invision, Marble, Axure, etc. This includes the ability to create quick prototypes based on ideas and be able to test it out with various stakeholders in order to create a better user experience.
• Familiarity with coding programs (ex. D3) and at least basic understanding of CMS, CSS, HTML. This also includes strong communication skills especially when working with developers.
• Knowledge of capabilities and limitations of web and mobile technologies and ideally some experience that extends beyond-screen based designs.
• Proven capability of working on a project from the concept to the final design package.
• An ability to communicate complex, abstract concepts using both visual, verbal and written language.

• Ability to work with a diverse team in a rapidly-changing work environment: Proven experience working with a diverse team and being able to parse through large amounts of information in order to create synthesized and clear designs.

 

Additional Experience and Knowledge:

• Familiarity with open-source technology
• Familiarity with development/programming language
• Self-starter and able to time-manage oneself.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Design preparation and production skills
• Ability to work in a team and in a diverse and rapidly-changing work environment
• Experience working within the social impact space
• Knowledge of SMS technology and mobile usage in developing countries and a familiarity with UNICEF Innovation Labs and products is a plus

 

LANGUAGES

Fluency in English. Competence in another UN language preferred (where applicable).

 

Applications must include:

• Cover letter,
• CV
• Portfolio/Work samples (send us a portfolio link or PDF no larger than 5MB)

To view our competency framework, please click here. 

Please indicate your ability, availability and monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above  Applications submitted without a monthly rate will not be considered.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organisation.