A best-in-class city that attracts best-in-class talent, Philadelphia is an incredible place to build a career. From our thriving arts scene and rich history to our culture of passion and grit, there are countless reasons to love living and working here. With a workforce of over 30,000 people, and more than 1,000 different job categories, the City of Philadelphia offers boundless opportunities to make an impact.

As an employer, the City of Philadelphia values inclusion, integrity, innovation, empowerment, and hard work above all else. We offer a vibrant work environment, comprehensive health care and benefits, and the experience you need to grow and excel. If you’re interested in working with a passionate team of people who care about the future of Philadelphia, start here.

What we offer

• Impact - The work you do here matters to millions. 
• Growth - Philadelphia is growing, why not grow with it? 
• Diversity & Inclusion - Find a career in a place where everyone belongs.
• Benefits - We care about your well-being.

Agency Description

The PHL Service Design Studio (SDS) is an office within the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and leads service improvement initiatives at the City of Philadelphia.

We, SDS, believe we’re closer to creating a more just city when residents and colleagues—who have and continue to be marginalized by government actions—can access and deliver government services with ease and agency. To support this belief, we collaborate with community members and staff at all levels of government to design accessible, equitable, and trauma-responsive services that honor the diverse needs of Philadelphians. 

We lead service improvement projects by providing design research and evaluation, strategic service design, participatory and collaborative design, implementation and change management support, strategic planning, and project management.  
 
We help our partners and collaborators: 

• • Build a shared understanding of service challenges and outcomes. 
  • Define strategic approaches for improvements—particularly those that reimagine City services and programs to be more equitable, accessible, and trauma responsive. 
  • Define project scopes to drive improvements forward in the short and long term. 
  • Create and test prototypes of service concepts to ensure effective delivery. 
  • Plan and support the implementation of service improvements at scale. 
  • Coach and consult on applying participatory service design approaches and building deeper relationships with communities. 

As a team, we value:

• • Lived experience and dignity: We center the needs and voices of the people who stand to be the most impacted by our work.
  • Interdependence and solidarity: We center practices and outcomes that are mutually beneficial, use research to understand historical and cultural contexts, and build on existing efforts. 
  • Collaboration and accountability: We build and nourish relationships based on care, honesty, and reciprocity, and take responsibility for the intended and unintended consequences of our actions.  
  • Transformation and impact: We assess root causes of inequity and dysfunction and develop plans, strategies, and tools that help people move through change. 

For more information,

• • Visit our website at phila.gov/service-design-studio and Twitter @DesignStudioPHL.
  • Read our yearly reports.

As a Lead Service Designer, you’ll:

• Report to the Service Design and Delivery Practice Lead.
• Contribute to service improvement projects—from beginning to end.
• Lead projects with the support of Practice Leads and Strategists.
• Collaborate with colleagues to build and grow SDS Practice Areas for long-term sustainability.
• Lead skill-share sessions with colleagues to help them apply service design methods to their work.
• Contribute to the field of service design.

Essential functions

Below are the primary duties of this position:

Researching

• Contribute to the design and facilitation of thoughtful and ethical qualitative research to understand the service-related needs of community members, staff, leaders, and other stakeholders.
• Work with team members to synthesize research into insights and well-defined opportunity areas for service design intervention.
• Closely collaborate with team members to develop feasible, person-centered, and comprehensive cross-channel recommendations that improve resident and staff interactions with government.

Designing

• Transform evidence-based recommendations into project deliverables, like service blueprints, process flows, stakeholder maps, and project reports.
• Visually communicate research insights and prototyped-ideas in clear ways, so stakeholders can align on concepts.
• Develop compelling narratives that communicate the human experience to decision-makers, so they can make clear decisions that align with evidence and human need.

Implementing

• Work with UX designers, content strategists, technologists, and other subject matter experts to develop and build tools and resources (e.g., websites, one-pagers, applications, etc.) that support service improvement strategies.
• Participate in the evaluation of pilot projects to understand efficacy.

Collaborating with colleagues

• Communicate work without jargon or pretense.
• Offer and take constructive feedback.
• Communicate with clarity and honesty around the status of work.
• Cultivate and maintain respectful relationships with colleagues.

Project managing

• Break down project tasks into reasonable project plans with key milestones and deadlines.
• Clearly communicate the status of work to leadership, team members, and other stakeholders.
• Effectively navigate through ambiguity and project challenges.

Mentoring

• Expand team members’ skill sets through regular feedback and learning sessions.
• Participate in the design and facilitation of skill-shares with City colleagues, so they can apply service design methods to their work.

Advocating

• Work with team members to disseminate lessons learned, tools, and best practices of the Studio to the public.

• Actively contribute to the field of service design through journal submissions, conference participation, and community skill-shares.

Competencies, knowledge, skills, and abilities

• Values-based practice: Demonstrate commitment to equitable process and outcomes, prioritize the voices most impacted by change and service challenges, and practice emotional intelligence and cultural humility. 
• Systems thinking: Understand and work across the complexity and interconnectedness of systems, issues, organizational structures, and ways of working. 
• Inclusive facilitation: Facilitate meetings, workshops, and conversations that encourage active participation, rebalance power asymmetries, practice cultural humility, and help groups build consensus or make decisions collectively.  
• Communication: Practice clear, accessible, and honest articulation of complex ideas and approaches through spoken, written, and visual formats. 
• Collaboration: Manage conflicts with sensitivity, give and request thoughtful feedback, and practice emergence towards shared goals and agreements. 
• Relationship building: Build a culture of mutual care, deep listening, reflection, and celebration. 
• Continuous learning: Engage in ongoing reflection and learning as well as be aware of and adapt to current trends and practices in design, government, and analogous fields of practice. 

• A design-related degree or relevant industry experience. 
• At least three years of professional experience practicing service design.
• At least three years managing projects and project relationships with colleagues, clients, and other stakeholders. 
• Strong knowledge of qualitative research methods, including interviews, surveys, workshop development, and data analysis.
• Ability to create service blueprints, journey maps, and other service design deliverables. 
• Strong data visualization and visual design skills. 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong collaboration skills to work effectively with diverse stakeholders.
• A strong portfolio showcasing a range of service design projects.

TO APPLY: Complete applications are due on July 29 by midnight ET. 

A complete application includes:

• A cover letter highlighting the values that underpin your work and your experience with service design. (No more than 300 words.) 
• Your resume or curriculum vitae. 
• At least three work samples that demonstrate your expertise in service design. Samples could include research protocol and workshop plans, findings and recommendations reports, service journeys and other design outputs. 

Please submit all the above application materials only through Smart Recruiters.

Our hiring process is as follows: 

• A hiring committee will review complete applications.  
• Top candidates will participate in a 1.5-hour virtual interview and portfolio review with the PHL Service Design Studio (SDS) team.  
• Final candidates will participate in a 45-minute virtual conversation with SDS leadership. 
• We'd like the new employee to start in early September 2024. 

NOTE: To ensure our hiring process is unbiased, we will not be facilitating one-on-one informational sessions with professional peers while we’re actively hiring.  

Additional information
Salary 
The maximum salary for this role is $85,000. 
 
Start date 
We'd like the new employee to start in early September 2024. 

Work schedule 
The team works 37.5 hours a week. Starting on July 15, 2024, the team will work in-person, in the office full-time. However, there are flexibilities with your schedule.

Residency 
A successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire. 

Discover the Perks of Being a City of Philadelphia Employee:

• Transportation: City employees get unlimited FREE public transportation all year long through SEPTA’s Key Advantage program. Employees can ride on SEPTA buses, subways, trolleys, and regional rail for their daily commute and more.
• Parental Benefits: The City offers its employees 6 weeks of paid parental leave.
• We offer Comprehensive health coverage for employees and their eligible dependents.
• Our wellness program offers eligibility into the discounted medical plan
• Employees receive paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• Generous retirement savings options are available
• Pay off your student loans faster - As a qualifying employer, City of Philadelphia employees are eligible to participate in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Join the ranks of hundreds of employees who have already benefited from this program and achieved student loan forgiveness.
• Unlock Tuition Discounts and Scholarships - The City of Philadelphia has forged partnerships with over a dozen esteemed colleges and universities in the area, ensuring that our employees have access to a wide range of tuition discounts and scholarships. Experience savings of 10% to 40% on your educational expenses, extending not only to City employees but in some cases, spouse and dependents too!

Join the City of Philadelphia team today and seize these incredible benefits designed to enhance your financial well-being and personal growth!

*The successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire

Effective May 22, 2023, vaccinations are no longer required for new employees that work in non-medical, non-emergency or patient facing positions with the City of Philadelphia. As a result, only employees in positions providing services that  are patient-facing medical care (ex: Nurses, doctors, emergency medical personnel), must be fully vaccinated.

The City of Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not permit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status. If you believe you were discriminated against, call the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations at 215-686-4670 or send an email to [email protected].

For more information, go to: Human Relations Website: http://www.phila.gov/humanrelations/Pages/default.aspx