Director of Design, Operations

About NavaNava 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 SummaryThe 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 ChallengesThe 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