People Minded Business Inc. (PMB) is a well-respected, boutique consulting firm located in Ontario that works with purpose-driven health and human service organizations, non-profits, and governments. People Minded Business (PMB) is the creator of WITHology, the art and science of inclusive consultation, collaboration, and co-creation. Organizations reach out to PMB when they have a problem to solve or opportunity to pursue. PMB works with boards, leadership teams, employees, partners, and people who use their services – people with disabilities, mental illness, seniors, and others – to co-design creative solutions that everyone supports. Together, we are revolutionizing who has a seat at ‘the table.’

PMB is growing and looking to hire a full-time energetic, creative, flexible, and engaged individual to join our growing team. The Service Designer wears many hats from designing and facilitating problem framing, ideation, and journey mapping workshops, to conducting research, and creating service and design frameworks, methods, processes, toolkits and measurement tactics.

As a Service Designer you will play an integral role in client assignments from start to finish. You will work closely with everyone on PMB’s team and do plenty of work independently. There will be ample opportunities for the right candidate to grow professionally in this role, and to move your career forward within PMB.

Responsibilities

At PMB, everyone contributes their skills and ideas to the work, in a good-spirited way. Variety is the spice of life at PMB; there are no dull days.

Your day may include:

• Designing, conducting, interpreting, and reporting on design research activities to uncover user needs. This will include quantitative and qualitative research with users, such as ethnographic research, concept testing, usability testing, surveys, focus groups/discovery sessions, and desk research.
• Helping to shape service design towards a sweet spot of stakeholder desirability, operational feasibility, and organization viability.
• Leading the creation and facilitation of workshops designed to support service visioning, ideation and other co-creative activities that bring blended stakeholder teams together to explore problems, prototype solutions and create alignment.
• Empathizing, understanding and articulating end-user pain points and emotions to help with the design process.
• Educating and activating teams in the practices of design thinking, creative problem solving and behavioural science.
• Collaborating with the PMB team to develop professional proposals, research plans, and activities to achieve desired outcomes for complex design strategy engagements
• Synthesizing findings into actionable insights, measurable outcomes, growth opportunities, and new strategies for the organization and its partners.
• Presenting and advocating strategies, methodologies, and recommendations to impacted teams, client leadership, and third parties.
• Communicating research insights, knowledge, and ideas through compelling narratives to inform client teams and key stakeholders of service direction.
• Coordinating logistics and other administrative activities as it relates to design workshops, research, and similar events.
• Contributing to the development of the design thinking practice within our team.

You Are:

• A ‘people person.’ You feel at ease meeting new people, engaging with a wide variety of people, and working with small to very large groups in-person and on-line. People feel at ease around you. Most important, you can form solid, helpful working relationships to achieve success.
• Comfortable and engaged working with marginalized individuals including people with intellectual and physical disabilities, people with mental health challenges,, and seniors. You are committed to helping their voices be part of the solution.
• Mindful about operating from a place of non-judgment and take time to explore the various sides of situations. You are open to differing opinions and changing your mind.
• Always looking for the positives including the strengths in organizations and people and have a natural inclination to build from these.
• Strategic, seeing the big picture, identifying challenges and opportunities, connecting the dots, and spotting pathway(s) to success.
• Naturally Curious. An insatiable curiosity for learning about the world, human behaviour, and hidden motivations to create solutions that fit into people’s lives; a desire to create change and positive impact.
• Analytical. You know how to make objective data your friend. You enjoy searching wide and digging deep to better understand the topic at hand. You leave no stone unturned, but you also know when it’s time to wrap-up it up.
• Flexible. You can work in an agile, fast-paced, often ambiguous conditions requiring rapid transitions between collaborative and individual work. A bit of a miracle worker handling multiple initiatives while keeping energies focused and organized.
• Customer-Focused: You are slightly obsessive when it comes to ‘user experience’ and strive to deliver ‘the exceptional’. This is balanced by a “can-do” attitude with a desire to learn through each iteration (just right is better than perfect after all).
• Driven and Self-Directed: You get excited by new projects. You take the initiative and have the confidence to move projects along. You like responsibility and manage your priorities and time well.

You have:

• A Bachelor’s degree, and one to two years demonstrated experience in human centred design.
• Strong personal core values, resilience and courage to create change.
• Ability to work calmly and effectively under pressure with diverse personalities.
• Excellent storytelling, influencing, rapport building, and feedback skills.
• A passion for working with purpose driven organizations and social enterprises.
• Solid research skills including the ability to identify and compile appropriate information.
• Solid analytical and problem-solving skills combined with a creative mindset.
• Excellent written, editorial, communication, conversation, presentation, and facilitation skills in both face-to-face and virtual environments.
• Knowledge of accessible document and communication standards to support useable documents and communication methods and strategies;
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Fluency in MS Office, and familiarity with or enthusiasm to learn Canva and collaboration tools and platforms. Knowledge of Sharepoint is an asset.
• Proficiency in English; French language skills considered an asset.
• A valid driver’s license and access to a vehicle.
• May be required by some clients to complete a criminal record check.
• May be required to provide proof of COVID vaccination by some clients.

Job Location

PMB employees work remotely from home offices, meet virtually daily, and in-person regularly. While we are not traveling much presently (due to the pandemic) we anticipate in-person work picking-up as restrictions are lifted. Travel of ~1 to 2 days a week (and sometimes more) was common pre-COVID. Client organizations are located across Ontario, primarily in Southern Ontario. There is potential for occasional national and international work. Ideally, you are located between Kingston and the Greater Toronto Area.

Compensation

Salary is commensurate with education and experience. Benefits are provided to full-time employees.

How to Apply

Send your resume, including a short cover letter to info@peopleminded.ca 
by September 19, 2022. We thank all applicants for their interest. Only those applicants who are granted an interview will be contacted.

Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you.