Innovation Manager (Project/Temporary)

University of Washington

Details

Posted:

February 13, 2021

Location:

Seattle, Washington

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Salary:

Open

Type:

Full Time

The University of Washington (UW) is proud to be one of the nation’s premier educational and research institutions. Our people are the most important asset in our pursuit of achieving excellence in education, research, and community service. Our staff not only enjoys outstanding benefits and professional growth opportunities, but also an environment noted for diversity, community involvement, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits, and natural beauty.

At the University of Washington, diversity is integral to excellence. We value and honor diverse experiences and perspectives, strive to create welcoming and respectful learning environments, and promote access, opportunity and justice for all.

The UW Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance are seeking a temporary Innovation Manager with a strong interest in systems change to design and spark implementation of emerging and signature programs to respond to public governance challenges, including institutionalized racism. This position works closely with the Dean and senior leadership team and is particularly important as the Evans School is being called into deeper engagement in state-wide and community conversations around the future of Washington, the Pacific Northwest region, and the nation.

This person engages students, faculty, staff, alumni, the Dean’s Advisory Council, and those across the University of Washington campus, to design and implement special initiatives. Most immediately, they will focus on three strategic efforts: 1) a university-wide public service academy for undergrads (local site of the Volcker Alliance’s NextGen initiative); 2) a summer Institute for historically under-represented rising college seniors interested in public policy (local site of the Public Policy & International Affairs program (PPIA)); and 3) the Evans Innovation Lab to support public engagement on persistent problems. Throughout, there is a focus on applying participatory processes and assuring organizational learning from these initiatives. In this way and others, this person plays a central role in helping assure the Evans School is actively living out its commitment to acting as an anti-racist organization.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Across the particular initiatives listed below, this person:

•Partners with diverse stakeholders to apply human-centered design principles.
•Develops physical and virtual spaces and materials to support authentic engagement – such as facilitation guides, asynchronous technologies, presentations, participant materials– that align with the purpose, objectives, and outcomes.
•Supports organizational learning about innovation and effectiveness in complex systems.
•Works with administrative colleagues to oversee meeting logistics, catering, and facilities.
•Invites a diversity of perspectives into critical conversations, fosters creativity and innovation, and energizes motivated individuals and groups to experiment with new ways of working and leading.

1. Next Gen Initiative Design & Assessment

•Work within the Evans School and with the UW’s Undergraduate Academic Affairs unit to design the Next Gen initiative that will engage a broad cross section of incoming and continuing UW undergraduate students in curricular and co-curricular experiences across their four undergraduate years.
oEngage high school students, early college students, and other national Next Gen sites to develop potential programmatic ideas.
oWorking with the Dean, build close and trustworthy relationships with partners across campus.
•Align this effort with existing and nascent University programs that address the systemic biases in college admissions and support.
•Provide regular status reports to colleagues and funders.
•Draft initial plan for formative evaluation of the program after stakeholder engagement.

2. PPIA Local Program Design

•Work with an internal team to design a Junior Summer Institute to launch in 2022.
•Work with team to develop a public service weekend program for late Fall 2021.
•Support national marketing and selection efforts.
•Draft reports for national office and support national evaluation activities.
•Identify and scope out anticipated staffing needs for supporting the PPIA programs at the Evans School.

3. Evans Innovation Lab

•Work with the Dean and other senior leaders, such as the Assistant Dean for Advancement & Engagement and Associate Dean for Research & Engagement, to develop project parameters.
•Engage with Core Team of diverse stakeholders to articulate and execute on the collective vision and to operationalize ideas.
oMake learning and insights visible with graphic facilitation, documentation, and disseminating summaries that capture the essence of engagements, evoke memories of a shared experience, and spark on-going discussion and action.
•Work with the Director of Marketing & Communications to create an initial brand that creates excitement about these new activities at the Evans School.
•Estimate a range of costs/staffing models needed to launch and support the growth of the lab over the next four years. Develop evaluation/assessment criteria.
•Co-host lab activities and document results.
•Create development evaluation plan.

4. Other special projects as assigned by the Dean.

SUPERVISION
RECEIVED

This position reports jointly to the Dean and Assistant Dean for Mission Advancement & Engagement.

EXERCISED

This position does not currently supervise anyone but may well supervise graduate/undergraduate assistants.

REQUIREMENTS

•Bachelor's degree and at least four years professional experience.
•Knowledge and experience in design processes that moves through assessing current conditions, to generate ideas, and prototype potential solutions
•Strong interpersonal skills, including demonstrated ability to work effectively as a team member, build strong working relationships, and adapt communication styles
•Experience working with a range of documentation methods (for example: video, graphic harvesting, photography, newsletters, podcasts).
•Comfortable in an academic setting and interacting with a diverse group of individuals and organizations
•Ability to work evenings and weekends (infrequently)

KEY COMPETENCIES

Core

•Knowledge and experience in human-centered design processes;
•Experience in facilitation of diverse groups of people working on a common issue.
•Ability to plan engagements with intentional thinking about the content, participatory processes, and the tangible and intangible takeaways
•Project management
•Ability to build and maintain positive relationships and actively contribute as a member of working teams to achieve results
•Obtain, analyze, and evaluate information effectively in the face of ambiguity
•Understand public, nonprofit and philanthropic roles in change making
•Act consistently with the Evans School’s core values and beliefs
•Respect, value, and contribute to the UW’s commitment to racial equity and inclusion.

Strategic

•Knowledge of models and tools to support complex, adaptive change in organizations and systems
•Creative energy aligned with the organization’s mission, vision, and values, particularly around addressing the legacy of white supremacy

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

•Training in Art of Hosting and Harvesting Conversations that Matter, or related inclusive facilitation training.
•Experience in program development within higher education.
•Graphic and multi-media documentation of processes and results, including for example graphic harvesting, photography, or podcast development.
•Master’s in organizational development or related fields.

Application Process:

The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter, and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.

The University of Washington is following physical distancing directives from state and local governments as part of the collective effort to combat the spread of COVID-19. Click here for updates

“Onsite work” in the interim will vary for units and for specific positions and will be discussed with candidates during the interview process.

Internal Number: 187130

About University of Washington

Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest public institutions in the west coast and one of the preeminent research universities in the world. The University of Washington is a multi-campus university comprised of three different campuses: Seattle, Tacoma, and Bothell. The Seattle campus is made up of sixteen schools and colleges that serve students ranging from an undergraduate level to a doctoral level. The university is home to world-class libraries, arts, music, drama, and sports, as well as the highest quality medical care in Washington State and a world-class academic medical center. The teaching and research of the University’s many professional schools provide undergraduate and graduate students the education necessary toward achieving an excellence that will serve the state, the region, and the nation. As part of a large and diverse community, the University of Washington serves more students than any other institution in the Northwest.