JOB OPENING: DESIGN THINKING PROFESSOR OF PRACTICE

The Phyllis M. Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking seeks qualified candidates to apply to become our next Professor of Practice and the Associate Director of Design Thinking for Social Impact

The Phyllis M. Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking is launching a global search to select our next Associate Director of Design Thinking for Social Impact. This position will include opportunities to teach students at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana and build capacity and skills on campus and in the community. Details about the position are listed below.

The application is now available

• Design, facilitate, and support design thinking for social impact (DTSI) programming and learning opportunities (e.g., courses, workshops, materials) for diverse audiences, to include capacity-building that supports the integration of DTSI mindsets throughout the Taylor Center, Tulane’s campus, and with community partners
• Engage in scholarship and field leadership in design thinking for social impact and related fields
• Contribute to the programming strategy co-created by the Taylor Team that aligns with the center’s mission and values: work collaboratively with students, staff, and faculty to implement the strategy; and manage administrative task as required.

Required Education and Experience: 

• Master’s degree in design or a related/relevant field
• Experience in applying design thinking for social impact (DTSI)

• Experience facilitating learning activities in an educational setting

Required Knowledge, skills, abilities/competencies typically needed to perform this job successfully:  

• Familiarity with common design and/or design thinking schools of thought, models, training formats, materials, and curricula
• Ability to communicate effectively to diverse audiences in community-based organizations and higher education settings

• Experience with equity, diversity, and inclusion theory and practice
• Ability to take direction, manage projects, manage others, and participate on diverse cross-functional teams as needed

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Doctoral degree in a relevant academic discipline (e.g., anthropology, architecture, business, design, education, engineering, organizational studies, management, planning, sociology, urban studies, social work, and others), especially with a strong focus on human-centered design, design thinking, or other design approaches within the doctoral training and/or research
• Teaching experience in higher education institutions (undergraduate or graduate student).

• Involvement in design work and practice (academic, professional, or other)
• Familiarity with social innovation, systems change, or other social impact fields.
• Proficiency in collaborative, creative problem-solving techniques
• Ability to integrate design thinking methodology with other methodologies used in mission-driven work (dialogue processes, participatory engagement, systems practice, etc.)

Founded in 2014, The Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking provides resources and facilitation in human-centered, systems-minded design for social impact. Through innovative approaches, collaborative projects, and immersive training, The Taylor Center partners with organizations dedicated to making a meaningful impact in their communities and beyond.

Offerings include:

TEACHING: Taylor faculty and staff teach or support courses in social innovation, design thinking, changemaking, and life design for undergraduate and graduate students across a variety of academic disciplines/programs. Taylor also offers training and coaching for staff and faculty outside the center looking to integrate social innovation approaches and human-centered design into their courses.

RESEARCH: Taylor supports research and scholarship on social innovation topics and issues through programs and funding opportunities. Taylor faculty and staff also develop original research and scholarship in the field.

PRACTICE: Taylor offers a variety of programs open to students, staff, faculty, and community members in social innovation, human-centered design, and changemaking. Taylor also offers funding for undergraduate and graduate students to develop skills in these areas.

One way of engaging and promoting systems change is through design thinking (DT): a creative, collaborative approach to addressing complex societal problems that is sometimes referred to as human-centered design (IDEO.org; Stanford d.school). Related schools of thought and design practices we embrace include participatory design, co-design, equity-centered community design (Creative Reaction Lab), emancipatory design (Noel, 2016), and design justice. Social impact is a priority in all approaches to design thinking used by the Taylor Center, and design thinking for social impact (DTSI) is seen as an essential part of any changemaker’s toolkit.

Taylor Center faculty have integrated “DTSI” approaches into courses, workshops, trainings, conference panels, and other community-building activities since 2013. There has been steady interest on campus and in the center’s local and global communities of alumni, faculty, staff, and community partners. The Taylor Center will continue to apply and extend design-led approaches to understand and contribute to addressing complex societal problems.

For more information contact us at taylor@tulane.edu.