Director of Design, Operations

About Nava

Nava is a consultancy and public benefit corporation working to make government services simple, effective, and accessible to all. Since 2013, federal, state, and local government agencies have trusted Nava to build transformative digital services to help people access public benefits. Meeting our mission is an opportunity to restore trust between people and public institutions. We focus on populations that are the least protected because the stakes are higher.

As a client services company, we work with government agencies to improve how people apply for benefits, navigate their health care, and more. We bill for our time, selling our expertise and problem-solving methodology to government clients. Our clients hire us to help improve their products and services so that their users and beneficiaries have a better customer experience.

These end-users—the humans who benefit from our work—are at the core of everything we do. We research beneficiaries’ needs to help our government clients better deliver on their missions, providing everyone at Nava opportunities to do meaningful, impactful work.

Position Summary

The Director of Design, Operations is responsible for ensuring efficiency in how the team works, removing logistical and procedural obstacles that hinder productivity, and leading operations across the Design Org. The Director provides operational leadership across the Design and Delivery Organizations, promoting best practices that encourage fast learning, quality, reuse, and creativity. They ensure that the Design Org is recruiting, hiring, and growing, and that staff are placed on programs quickly and effectively. They collaborate with cross-functional teams and leaders across Nava's Delivery Organization and provide support and information to stakeholders.

Opportunities and Challenges

The government contracting ecosystem is a compliance-driven multi-stakeholder environment – particularly when compared to the operating environments for companies of our size in the private sector. Successful members of our team understand how to be innovative within this environment. Finding and recommending ways to improve how government digital services are procured and built is one of the highest-leverage ways we fulfill our mission.

What you'll do

• Provide operational leadership and people management with the right balance of compassion and candor
• Develop and refine equitable practices and cultivate a diverse and effective Design team, helping them realize their potential and honoring each team member's unique experiences
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including product management, engineering, and business development, to ensure seamless integration of design throughout the product life cycle
• Seek support from champions within Nava or amongst clients, especially in the digital services and digital transformation space, where there is anticipated resistance to new practices or decisions
• Promote reuse and enable new Nava Designers to access Nava’s institutional knowledge and best practices to encourage fast learning, quality, reuse, and creativity
• Ensures the team understands their role in effective operations




Hiring & Staffing

• Oversee hiring and staffing for the Design Org, and collaborate with Design leadership to recruit, hire, and grow according to company goals and objectives
• Ensure staff are placed on programs quickly and effectively
• Collaborate with teaming partners to staff programs in a way that meets our contractual obligations
• Establish best processes and practices for hiring and staffing, and share those across Nava
• Develop, roll out, and manage hiring and staffing initiatives and training




Leadership

• Manage a team of up to eight direct reports across multiple projects
• Act as a sounding board for design team members at Nava, coaching them through challenges, helping to review and structure their work, and providing coverage when necessary
• Serve as an escalation point for direct reports and their teams
• Meet regularly with senior/principal designers and Design Managers, using that time for identifying coaching and training opportunities, removing blockers, and managing team operations
• Identify opportunities for collaboration or escalation with other organizations/departments at Nava
• Ensure staff consistently hit billable hours targets
• Other duties as required




Growth

• Serve as a strategic partner by influencing and shaping Nava’s approach to growth
• Actively contribute to Nava’s revenue growth by supporting and contributing to business development activities
• Provide input on bid opportunity assessments to help Nava decide which bids to pursue
• Assign subject matter experts from Design to help Nava submit strong proposals
• Identify key personnel for business development proposals
• Contribute directly to business development by writing proposals, coaching, participating in market studies, and reviewing proposals

Required skills

• A skilled practitioner with deep experience in creative, strategic, technical, managerial, and operational aspects of human-centered design at scale
• A proven leader who has experience managing complexity, developing strategy, and conducting long-term planning
• In-depth experience cultivating strong relationships with external stakeholders and partners
• 10+ years of experience as a human-centered design practitioner 
• 5+ years of direct people management experience and team leadership
• Experience with fast-growing companies, with a bonus for experience within government contracting or professional service firms 
• An adaptive, empathetic, collaborative leadership mindset 
• Excellent organizational skills and effective presentation skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication




Desired skills and experience

• Experience managing the business dynamics in a professional services firm (billable hours, contract portfolios, client services skills)
• Experience and bias toward a “company-builder” frame of mind
• Track record of introducing and expanding agile transformation and pursuing best practices in design management with clients and stakeholders

Other requirements

All roles at Nava require the following:

● Must be legally authorized to work in the United States and meet any other requirements for government contracts for which they are hired.

● Candidates who are offered a job with Nava must possess work authorization that does not require sponsorship by their employer for a visa now or in the future.

● May be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information or applicants who are eligible for security clearances.

Perks working with Nava

● Competitive benefits: We prioritize your well-being, offering highly competitive medical, dental, and vision benefits.

● Generous time off: Enjoy 20 days of accrued PTO, 12 paid federal holidays, 5 prorated floating holidays, and unlimited sick leave.

● Annual discretionary bonus: Paid annually to eligible employees. When Nava does well, you do well.

● Parental leave: Receive 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave and weekly meal deliveries during your leave.

● Employee wellness program: Access our comprehensive Employee Wellness Program.

● Virtual doctor visits: Enjoy zero copay virtual doctor visits through UHC.

● Fertility support: Benefit from fertility support and treatment options.

● Sabbatical leave: We offer a sabbatical leave program.

● 401k contributions: We match 4% of your salary in 401k contributions.

● Flexible work arrangements: We offer flexible work arrangements to suit your needs.

● Home office setup: Receive assistance with your home office setup and a monthly phone allowance.

● Utilities reimbursement: Get a monthly partial reimbursement for utilities (where applicable).

● Learning and development: Access our comprehensive learning and development program.

● Tuition and Professional development budget: Receive a prorated annual tuition and professional development budget and a LinkedIn Learning license.

● Equity stock options: Benefit from equity stock options.

● Employee referral program: Participate in our employee referral program.

● Commuter benefits: Enjoy commuter benefits.

● Insurance coverage: Receive short and long-term disability insurance, as well as life and accidental death insurance.

● Inclusive culture: Join our diverse, inclusive, highly collaborative, and vibrant culture that supports remote work.

Location

You can work in a hybrid work arrangement from one of Nava’s offices in NYC, DC, or San Francisco. We also have fully remote options if you reside in one of the following states:

Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, DC, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin.

*If you are not living in one of the states listed above, unfortunately, you will not be considered for a position at this time. 

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Nava PBC equal opportunity employer that is deeply committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, age, gender, religious or political beliefs, national origin or heritage, marital status, disability, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, genetic information, pregnancy, status as a protected veteran or any characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion not only reflects our values as a public benefit corporation but also enriches our ability to do our work. Learn more about where we are today and hope to be by 2025.

Please contact the recruiting team at [email protected] if you would like to request reasonable accommodation during the application or interviewing process.

We participate in E-Verify. Upon hire, we will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. This role requires you to work from the contiguous United States.