[Apprenticeship, San Fracisco, CA] UX Design Apprentice at Code for America
Julie Sutherland
<julie@codeforamerica.org>Code for America believes government can work for the people, by the people, in the 21st century. We design products and services, build open source technology, and organize a network of people dedicated to making government services simple, effective, and easy to use. Our employees build and transform government services, making them so good they inspire change. We merge the best parts of technology, non-profit, and government to help support the people who need it most. With a focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and deep empathy for both the government and the people the government serves, we’re building a movement of motivated change agents driven by meaningful results and lasting impact. At Code for America you will contribute to meaningful work while learning and developing in a supportive and flexible environment. Our compensation and benefits are holistic and thoughtfully curated to represent our employees and our mission. Come help us drive real generational change that lasts.
We’re excited to launch the 4th year of our apprenticeship program in 2021 to provide a pathway for people early in their ux careers to get on the job training. We’re looking for passionate, mission driven folks who are looking for opportunities to grow their skills. The program is eight months, full-time, and paid, based in San Francisco, beginning in August 2021.
The application period for this apprenticeship program will be April 26th - May 3rd.
You may be a fit for this program if:- You’ve recently graduated from a training, degree, or bootcamp program
- You’re changing careers and looking to transition into a user experience design role.
- You’re very early in your career and looking to gain more experience
- You’re excited to learn and practice user experience design, product design, or service design to make government services better, more inclusive, and equitable.
We are especially looking for candidates who have a connection to our mission through lived experience with the government programs we work on. With more people on our team who have direct personal experience with these services and systems, we will be able to achieve our mission more effectively. You may be an especially good fit for the program if you or your family has, for example:
- relied on social safety net programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, TANF, or WIC
- accessed federally-funded workforce training programs
- filed for the Earned Income Tax Credit or obtained tax help through a VITA volunteer tax clinic
- been engaged with the criminal justice system, been incarcerated, or lost out on opportunities because of a criminal record
- You are excited to grow into a Junior UX Designer and have either experience...
- Recently graduated from a design/UX program, community college, training or certificate program.
- You are a self-taught designer, or have some education or training that provided you with knowledge of design fundamentals like typography and hierarchy.
- You have some experience designing a website or other digital experience.
- You are curious about or have experience with the full human centered design process including ux or design research, prototyping, and evaluative research like heuristic evaluations or usability testing.
- You have the ability to communicate complex ideas through diagrams, visualizations, concise writing, and/or presentations
- You know how to use a common digital design tool (Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, etc)
- You are fundamentally curious and empathetic and enjoy learning from people’s experiences (like community advocates, potential users, etc.)
- You’re excited by ethical and equitable service and product design and want to work on important issues facing underserved communities across the country.
- You are excited to learn, take constructive feedback well, and want to continuously improve.
- You are interested in the challenge of working around the constraints of government policies and services
- Understanding and experience using various human centered design methods to identify, frame, and present design opportunities
- Understanding best practices in collaborative design and workshop facilitation, both in person and remote
- Proficiency in creating various types of prototypes to generate quick feedback and further iterations
- The ability to conduct some generative and evaluative design research with potential users of products and services to better understand their problems, context, and experiences, synthesizing findings into design recommendations.
- Confidently communicate, present, and explain design solutions to project team, stakeholders, and partners
- Experience partnering with Product Managers, Engineers, Data Scientists, and Qualitative Researchers to implement finalized design solutions including exposure to our design system when relevant.
- An understanding of the crucial element that human centered design plays in developing, better and more equitable government products and services
- Full benefits package with 100% coverage towards select medical, dental and vision plans and contributes 80% of the cost towards dependent and family coverage
- 401k plan with matching funds
- A collaborative, hardworking and fun environment
- Leadership and teammates who value Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity
- An apprentice training budget of up to $2500 and 144 hours of time to spend on training to support your learning and professional growth
- A manager and org-wide structure that supports and enables professional development
- Relocation stipend of $2000 if you are moving from outside the Bay Area
- Compensation: Code for America’s salary bands are transparent internally as a part of our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We extend this to our hiring process. The compensation for this role at a level equivalent to $70,000 in yearly salary
Please fill out the application, including:
- A resume that lists your work experience, formal or informal design training, volunteer activities, or any other activities that would help us understand your preparation for this program.
- A cover letter that explains why you are interested in this apprenticeship program and Code for America specifically.
- Optional: A brief sample of your design work in any format
Equal Employment Opportunity
Code for America values a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace and strongly encourages women, people of color, LGBTQ+ folks, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign-born residents, and veterans to apply. Code for America is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, disability, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, medical condition or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws.