REMOTE

ABOUT YLABS

YLabs is a leading global design and research organization working to improve health and economic opportunity for young people 10–24 years old. Founded in 2016 at the Harvard Innovation Lab, YLabs has worked in Sub Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Central America in partnership with young people to design products and services that address key challenges in sexual reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, mental health, financial inclusion, and climate resilience. Find out more about our projects here: https://www.ylabsglobal.org/work

Our team of physicians, designers, economists, developers, researchers, public health professionals, and educators bring a unique mix of human-centered design, adolescent health, economic and health outcome evaluation, behavioral science, and implementation know-how to the global problems facing youth. 

We have offices in the US and Rwanda, but are currently supporting our teams to work in a remote and hybrid manner. Candidates must be in the GMT+0 to GMT+4 time zone.

JOB SUMMARY

YLabs is seeking a Design Strategy Specialist Lead (Contractor) to take a leading role on complex, high-impact service design and design strategy projects that serve our organization, partners, and youth across multiple regions. These projects are multifaceted, involving collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders, and focus on developing innovative solutions for adoption and scaling. 

The ideal candidate is excited to work on complex projects that require strategic thinking and detailed execution. You are comfortable navigating ambiguity, managing multiple stakeholders, and driving initiatives that have broad organizational impact. A quick-thinking, curious, and empathetic designer with experience in Design Strategy,  end-to-end design, team management, and design facilitation will thrive in this role.

JOB TYPE

This is an independent contractor (Consultancy) position, ideally based in Kigali, Rwanda, though candidates from elsewhere in East Africa or the surrounding region may also apply. This role is scoped for 40 hours per week. Non-Kigali candidates must be willing to travel 50% of the time.

This is a 10-month contract position, with the possibility of extension based on performance and project need. The ideal start date for this role is November 2024.

YOU WILL LEAD:

 Design Strategy

• As our lead design strategist, you will be crucial in defining our design strategy and ensuring that design efforts align with business objectives. 

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop innovative solutions that drive growth, enhance project sustainability, and reach.

• Use your analytical and critical thinking skills to identify operational issues or challenges and develop targeted solutions to correct these aspects or reduce their influence on the project.

• Identify and clearly communicate trade-offs among various design options, balancing value and effort; prioritize design efforts based on project lifecycle stages and organizational impact. Apply holistic systems thinking to map out complex ideas or problems, understanding how various components affect each other within large-scale initiatives.

Service Design

• Design offerings across multiple service touchpoints required to deliver solutions to end-users, including user-facing communications, internal workflows, and technology interactions.

• Translate complex service flows and insights into clear, concise artifacts that facilitate understanding and adoption.

Stakeholder Relationships & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with designers, technical experts, developers, and external stakeholders to achieve project priorities within complex, multi-stakeholder environments.

• Translate and communicate design insights across departments and stakeholders; simplify complex ideas into actionable recommendations that align with organizational goals.

• Work closely with project managers to align project goals with client needs and strategic objectives.

Facilitation of Design & Innovation Processes

• Facilitate design thinking workshops and brainstorming sessions to generate innovative ideas. Lead multidisciplinary teams through the human-centered design process of product and service exploration, ideation, prototyping, and refinement on complex projects with multiple stakeholders.

• Facilitate HCD-driven innovation processes, design sprints, and workshops with stakeholders who may be inexperienced with HCD, ensuring clarity and engagement.

YOU HAVE:

• At least 7 years of experience in design strategy, and/or service design, particularly on complex projects with multiple stakeholders.

• At least 2 years of experience leading teams through design research, design strategy and service development processes for complex design problems.

• Significant experience in developing training materials and facilitating HCD-driven innovation processes with stakeholders unfamiliar with HCD.

• Experience running innovation incubators or accelerators for private, public, or NGO participants is highly desirable.

• Proven ability to manage complex projects with multiple stakeholders and deliver high-impact solutions.

• Experience and confidence in all stages of a design project, including user research and testing, prototyping, service design blueprints, and developing user-centered deliverables.

• Experience with work planning, project management, and managing team workstreams.

• Strong verbal and written communication skills.

• A portfolio demonstrating your proficiency in crafting innovative, user-driven design solutions within complex service systems.

• Ability to legally work in the region, with a preference for applicants based in Rwanda. Regional applicants will be considered with an expectation of 50% travel.

• Candidates must be in the GMT+0 to GMT+4 time zone.

Desirable:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Service Design, User Experience Design, Design Strategy, or a related design discipline.

• Experience working with and/or teaching young people.

• Experience living and working in East Africa.

• Eligibility to work in Rwanda is a plus.

ABOUT YLABS’ COMPENSATION

YLabs adheres to Project Fair’s principles and standards to establish equity in pay with the overriding principle of “equal pay for work of equal value” outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals. All salary ranges are based on level within the organization and are competitive to regional and national salary benchmarks based on the respective office location.

PAY RATE

The pay range for this position is RWF 50,400,000 to RWF 58,200,000 per year, commensurate with experience. This range is regionally benchmarked for a lead-level position in the East African region.

Additional Information

This posting will be open until filled. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis with an expected start date as soon as possible; all applications submitted within the posting period will be reviewed by our Hiring Committee. YLabs recognizes the effort that goes into submitting an application; all candidates will be notified of their application status once the hiring process begins.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines. All YLabs offers of employment are conditional on satisfactory background check and criminal record clearances.