Who is IDEO.org?

IDEO.org is a nonprofit design studio on a mission to design a more just & inclusive world. From our offices in the U.S. & Kenya, we partner with organizations working to advance health equity, economic opportunity, & wellbeing in communities around the world, co-creating products, services, campaigns, & programs that improve peoples lives.

From campaigns that helped millions access public health information, to services that catalyzed deep change in communities, these interventions have reached over 69 million people. From our studios in New York, San Francisco, & Nairobi, weve worked with organizations in 45 countries. 

The Role

IDEO.org is searching for a Sr. Business Design Director to join our studio in New York City. In this role, you will serve as a leader to both individual designers & design teams, lending your skills, perspective, & guidance across the organization, both within & beyond your primary craft of Business Design. You will demonstrate design excellence & commitment to impact in all phases of design work, ensuring the conditions are in place for others to do their best work, & to grow & develop their skills under your leadership. 

Sr. Design Directors at IDEO.org allocate their time in a few ways; contributing to the selling & scoping of design projects, serving as a guide to 1-2 concurrent design projects, contributing to the evolution & betterment of our design process, & acting as a coach & mentor to individual designers.

This role might be for you if youre excited to lead people, process, & projects. On any given day, you might spend your time evolving the design process, developing toolkits of methods, strengthening the perspective on the role of design in the social sector, & contributing to theories of change & impact.

In This Role, You Will:

• Manage a team of Designers/Program professionals, providing supervision, coaching, & mentorship to direct reports
• Guide project teams through the design process, serving as a design & functional mentor of designers through hands-on team collaboration
• Lead the Business Design craft collective
• Lead the annual Business Design summer internship program
• Along with the Partnerships team, co-lead the selling & scoping for design consulting projects
• Partner with the COO & the Talent team to shape IDEO.orgs Design talent strategy, including areas such as recruiting, onboarding, teaming, learning & development, performance management, career development, & employee value proposition
• Work closely with the Managing Director of Impact to reflect on equity & impact in our work & identify opportunities to strengthen our processes & methodologies
• Partner with the CEO, other members of the leadership team, & the board to craft & execute IDEO.orgs strategy, priorities, & goals in a way that positions IDEO.org for transformative & sustainable impact
• Create & share content out in the world that demonstrates the value of design to the social sector & the value of the social sector to designers

Were Looking For:

• 24 months of experience as a Business Design Lead at a non-profit design organization
• A Masters of Public Administration
• Demonstrated commitment to IDEO.orgs mission of designing a more just & inclusive world & strong interest in dedicating the next chapter of your career to equity-centered design
• A strong leader of people & builder of creative culture, passionate about inclusive leadership & creative collaboration
• A systems thinker you can navigate complexity & bring tangibility to design solutions
• A seasoned builder & manager of relationships with external partners
• Willing & able to participate in domestic & international travel 20% of the time across the United States, Africa, & Latin America

The Pay

IDEO.org values pay transparency to enable jobseekers to make informed & empowered choices with their time & effort. The annual salary associated with this position is $155,000 - 180,000, with participation in our benefits, including medical, dental, vision, 4% 401k match, technology stipend, caregiver stipend, professional development stipend, 6 weeks a year of paid vacation, & 16 paid holidays a year.

Wondering where you might land within this range? The exact salary for a role will ultimately depend on many factors, including; peer data within our organization, level of specialization required in the role, a candidates level of direct & relevant experience, among others. During your interview process, your Recruiter will discuss level & salary with you, to help you better understand how we make equitable pay & level decisions at IDEO.org.

What You Can Expect from Us

• A diverse & multidisciplinary team that is passionate about advancing our mission to design a more just & inclusive world. Over 85% of IDEO.orgs global staff identify as people of color & over 80% identify as women
• A community of creative thought partners across San Francisco, New York, & Nairobi
• A hybrid remote work environment, with 70% of employees working in studios located in San Francisco, New York City, & Nairobi
• A team of collaborators focused on advancing the practices of co-design & designing for equity
• A talent team committed to supporting the development of our community
• A culture of regular learning & inspiration to collectively develop ourselves & our work

Commitment to Diversity

At IDEO.org, our mission is to design a more just & inclusive world, & that means centering equity, justice, & belonging in everything we do. We strive to bring together diverse perspectives & lived experiences to create a culture where joy, care, & full self-expression can thrive. This means creating conditions for people of every race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic status, physical ability or attribute, religion, national origin, or political belief can thrive. This includes our employees, candidates, & the partners & communities we work with. We hold ourselves accountable to providing equitable access to resources & disrupting systems of oppression both within our organization & among the communities we serve. 

This includes the following commitments:

• Fostering unconditional belonging for all staff
• Evolving processes & practices to shift power 
• Translating our values around equity & justice into structural & operational change
• Engaging in continuous & collective collective reckoning on an ongoing basis