As an organization, we’re focused on centering our work on supporting creative learning for youth from communities impacted by systemic inequities, investing in our online community, developing our team, scaling our infrastructure, and improving data privacy, interoperability, and in-school experience. We’re looking for a diverse pool of applicants to join our team of 70 educators, designers, and engineers, and help us steward our community through this work.

Position Overview

As Design Director, you’ll be responsible for interpreting Scratch’s operational design needs and growing the design team’s capacity to meet these priorities. Reporting to the Chief Product Officer, you’ll own the design calendar, design processes for Scratch’s visual identity and collateral, and software products including; an online community, creative programming tools, and school offerings. You will also play a key role in fostering and maintaining the creative and innovative culture of the Scratch Foundation.

Design Strategy Development: 

• Direct strategy for interoperable and accessible user journeys, interfaces, interaction models, experiences, and look and feel across the Scratch ecosystem.

• Collaborate with and advise partners, including funders, researchers, Lifelong Kindergarten (MIT Media Lab), and others, on adopting Scratch design philosophies into their products and experiences.

• Ensure that product design and visual identity priorities are set with inclusive and culturally sustaining strategies, with a special focus on communities impacted by systemic inequities and historic marginalization, engaging youth who are traditionally underrepresented in creative computing

• Collaborate on developing and maintaining product strategy — aligning design processes and practices with strategic needs, while identifying opportunities within the products for adding new experiences or iterating on current experiences

User Experience / Product Design Implementation:

• Oversee the design process for maintaining and evolving the user experience and user interface across Scratch products 

• Advocate for user needs and cultivate channels for diverse feedback to influence design decisions and direction on user experience and product

• Direct design of new/evolving features that provide new creative tools and learning opportunities and new pathways and access points into Scratch 

Brand Experience:

• Oversee the Scratch brand, including art direction, the process for updating the brand, and internal and external guidelines for applying the brand.

• Oversee new applications of the Scratch brand, and update brand application guidelines and brand usage policy accordingly.

Management and Communications:

• Hire, mentor, and develop individuals that report to you(currently two direct reports), and grow capacity on your team in alignment with Scratch’s goals.

• Collaborate with HR to manage the design recruiting funnel, source and manage additional contractors and vendors, and manage team performance.

• Collaborate cross-functionally to develop and lead an inclusive co-design process that encourages gathering diverse feedback from all Scratch audiences

• Manage internal design research and synthesis service for functional teams and team members.

• Manage design resourcing and staffing needs across the functional areas of the organization including engineering and product, community, educator outreach, professional development, fundraising, marketing, and operations.

Skills and Expectations:

• 8+ years of increasing responsibility and experience in user experience design, with 5+ years of management experience of teams of three or more preferred.

• Commitment to the values of diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice. 

• Inclusive leadership skills, including the ability to make space for many communication styles, influence and motivate, build consensus, resolve conflict, and give and receive feedback.

• Kind and compassionate communication style with Scratch staff, partners, scratch users, and playtesters.

• Experience with the concepts of design thinking

• Demonstrated success facilitating design workshops and conducting interviews to understand user needs

• Ability to operate in ambiguity and make strategic decisions, design and implement processes, manage projects, and facilitate decision-making.

• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information and issues on a daily basis.

• Ability to manage a brand.

• Ability to lead user experience research, synthesize output, and create interfaces for desktop, mobile, and assistive technologies, and collateral for print and video.

  If outside Boston, must be able to travel to Boston 4-6 times per year for meetings and team retreats.

  
  

Reporting and Team Structure

This role reports to the Chief Product Officer, oversees a team of designers, and is a member of the Management Team.

Compensation

Compensation for this role starts at $179,300 and may be higher for candidates with exceptional qualifications or experience.