Project Context & Responsibilities
Highland serves clients at every stage in their journey-from early stage, generative research all the way to new product/experience launch. The Lead Design Researcher & Strategist can expect to work across the following realms:
Executing Product/Design Research
- Methods Mastery: Demonstrate mastery over a range of Design Research methods and design original research for unique contexts.
- Research Execution: Lead the definition, planning, and facilitation of research, using Research Plans, Recruitment, Screeners, Discussion Guides, Deliverables, Reports, etc. as needed for projects.
- Synthesis Mastery: Define new methods of synthesizing research to fulfill client goals desirably, feasibly, and viably for design opportunities.
- Product-based Research: Adapt exploratory/generative research methods for fast-cycle, product-based research to drive product design and development.
- Design Action: Connect the dots from research to ideation, taking responsibility for the team's translation of insights into ideas, concepts, and value propositions for user co-creation.
- Enabling Systemic Action: Capture systemic understanding through frameworks, exposing previously unknown dimensions at play, inspiring new ways for implementation across clients' limitations & priorities.
- Project Leadership: Lead project teams throughout the process, managing timelines, deliverables, & budgets.
Contributing to Design/Product Strategy
- Data Analysis: Comfort with data analysis tools like Excel, Google Analytics, Tableau, etc. to analyze and interpret market, user, or product data.
- Market Research: Familiarity with market research tools and methods to understand industry/market trends, assemble competitive analyses, identify threats/opportunities.
- Business Modeling: Ability to construct preliminary business models for emergent product/service/offerings for viability considerations.
- Market Definition: Familiarity with defining initial market size for uncovered opportunities in support of financial modeling and pricing strategies.
- GTM and Roadmap planning: Organizing initial go-to-market planning and prioritization of roadmap alongside design development.
Deepening relationships and mentorship
- Mentorship: Devote time to guide and support the team/client through the value of Design Thinking as well as product-led approaches.
- Strengthening Relationships: Deepen client relationships through an understanding of their organizational context, mission, champions, and barriers.
- Networker: Nurturing a growing network of mentors, peers, mentees, and other analogous creatives.
Evolving, framing, and promoting work
- Framing New Work: Help frame and plan new projects with potential clients, skilfully advocating for Design Research methods and outcomes in environments new to Design Thinking.
- Evolving Methods/Practice: Continuously develop and prototype new research & synthesis methods and processes internally.
- Thought-leadership: Leader in the Design Research / Service Design / Design Strategy sphere, contributing across writing, podcasts, teaching, and other channels/media.
- Presentation and oration: Sharing reflections & experience with wider audiences through mastery in presentation skills across events, networks, and other professional platforms.
Environment
The Lead Design Researcher & Strategist embodies the Highland Values, People First, Be Curious, Be Open, and Give a Damn. In a Lead Design Researcher & Strategist, we'd love to see:
- Self-awareness and knowledge of what you seek in your professional career
- An 'ask for forgiveness rather than permission' mindset, ability to pivot quickly
- Restless desire to learn and ample energy to try new things
- Confident interpersonal skills and an impulse to co-create
- Ability to think visually and a tendency to forget whose idea it was
- Lack of fear to express opinions, question things, and suggest wild ideas
- Self-motivation, constantly finding ways to contribute, able to manage ambiguity
- Disposed to check-in with others frequently, willing to listen and learn from others
- Able to demonstrate genuine concern and thoughtfulness for the well-being of others around you
- Discerning and observant, able to connect the dots between seemingly unrelated domains
- Time-conscious and organized; able to inspire trust and confidence by meaning what you say
- Ability to think big picture, beyond immediate context and issues across work or other work contexts.
Position Requirements:
- Preference for an undergraduate degree in design, architecture, anthropology, or humanities, and an MDes, MA, MSc, or MBA. Other comparable training is acceptable.
- 9+ years of design work experience across diverse contexts/geographies/industries.
- At least 7 years of human-centered, exploratory/generative research experience, with a preference for significant experience in consulting, managing clients, teams, & projects.
- Strong experience in coaching and mentoring on Design Thinking methods.
- Excellent written, visual, and verbal communication skills, with ability to communicate confidently and effectively.
- Must be able to converse fluently in English, with a preference for additional languages.
- Skill in quantitative research construction and analysis is valued but not required.
- Currently have the legal right to work for any employer in the United States.
Hybrid Work Model
The Lead Design Researcher & Strategist role is a high-ranking consulting position with significant client facing responsibilities. Our lead consultants travel, primarily in the US, up to 15% on an annualized basis and attend client and internal events throughout Chicagoland on a regular basis, based on client and internal business needs.
Compensation & Benefits
- Full-time annual salary between $132,000 and $142,000 based on experience and qualifications
- Annual bonus target based on overall company performance of between $5,000 and $8,000
- Health, dental and vision insurance
- 401k retirement savings plan
- Unlimited sick time, 9 paid company holidays, 4 weeks' paid time off
- 40 hours of professional development time and a $1,000 learning stipend each year
- Fully paid parental leave: 12 weeks for birth mothers or 6 weeks for non-birth parents
- Short-term and long-term disability insurance and life insurance (Highland pays 100% of the premiums)
Application Guidelines:
- Please attach a professional resume.
- Please share a PDF or website link of your portfolio giving us a detailed view of your process, team, responsibilities, decisions, and outcomes.
- Instead of a cover letter, please build and share a visual framework describing what would make you successful in this role.
