UX Designer Consultancy

Job Description

UX Designer with Expertise in Workshop Facilitation and Digital Transformation

Start Date: ASAP

Deadline for applications: 28 February 2025

Reports to:  Digital and Data Product Director

Contract duration: Up to 6 months

Requirements

Background

The Digital and Data team is seeking a highly motivated UX Designer to support its mission of driving digital transformation and delivering impactful digital products and solutions for business units at System Organization (SO) and support the Digital Transformation Accelerator (DTA) at the next CGIAR Portfolio. The successful candidate will play a critical role in facilitating user-centered innovation sprints, ensuring digital products are user-centric, market-driven and align with CGIAR business goals.

Key Responsibilities

1.      Workshop Facilitation and Co-Creation

·       Design and facilitate participatory workshops, including co-creation sessions, design sprints, and user story mapping, to align stakeholders and develop actionable insights.

·       Lead product discovery sprints, ensuring stakeholder input is effectively incorporated into the ideation and solution development phases.

·       Guide cross-functional teams through structured design thinking processes to foster collaboration and creativity.

2.      User Research and Insight Generation

·       Plan and execute comprehensive user research activities, including interviews, focus groups, and usability testing, to understand user needs, motivations, and challenges.

·       Develop and refine user personas and user journeys based on qualitative and quantitative insights.

·       Collaborate with data analysts to integrate user research with data-driven insights for more informed decision-making.

3.      Prototyping and Product Development

·       Create and test low-fidelity digital prototypes using tools like Figma, Adobe XD, or similar platforms to validate concepts quickly.

·       Collaborate closely with developers, designers, and other stakeholders to iterate on product roadmaps and designs based on user feedback and usability testing results.

·       Conduct heuristic evaluations and provide recommendations for improving the user experience of existing solutions.

4.      Strategic Contribution to Digital Transformation

·       Work with business units to translate their digital transformation goals into actionable product designs.

·       Support the creation of scalable UX/HCD (Human-Centered Design) frameworks and methodologies for organization-wide adoption.

·       Promote a culture of design thinking and user-centricity through training, mentorship, and advocacy.

5.      Collaboration and Communication

·       Present research findings, prototypes, and design solutions to stakeholders in a clear and compelling manner.

·       Act as a bridge between technical teams, business units, and end-users, ensuring alignment across diverse priorities and goals.

·       Contribute to internal and external publications to showcase success stories and methodologies.

Essential Qualifications

·       Proven expertise in UX Design, Design thinking, HCD, or UI Design with a strong portfolio showcasing relevant projects.

·       Demonstrated ability to facilitate participatory workshops and co-creation sessions.

·       Experience leading product discovery sprints and conducting rapid prototyping.

·       Proficiency in user research methodologies and tools, including usability testing and heuristic evaluations.

·       Strong communication and collaboration skills in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams.

·       Proven experience in working in an international, multicultural setting, with work experience in the global south

Preferred Qualifications

1.      Familiarity with the challenges and opportunities of digital transformation in not-for-profit and research organizations.

2.      Experience working in agriculture, digital inclusion, or the global south.

3.      Affinity for integrating gender and inclusion principles into the design process.

Benefits

All applications must be submitted online by clicking the 'Apply' button below. If you require assistance or face challenges in submitting your application, please email smo-bidding@cgiar.org with the position title in the subject line. Please note we will not accept applications through this email. 

Please ensure that your resume and cover letter are in English and do not contain your marital status, age, or photograph. Documents provided in a language other than English will not be considered.

CGIAR is committed to fair, safe, and inclusive workplaces. We believe that diversity powers our innovation, contributes to our excellence, and is critical for our mission. We offer a multi-cultural, multi-color, multi-generational, and multi-disciplinary, collegial working environment. We consciously create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character and commitment to gender equity. We, therefore, encourage applicants from all cultures, races, ethnicities, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientations, and gender identities.

All received applications will be acknowledged; however, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. 

We look forward to hearing from you!