We’re hiring: HCD Consultant

Position type: Contract consultancy; mostly full time with some flexibility
Hiring Manager: Director, HCDExchange
Location: Anywhere in East Africa, West Africa, Southern Africa, or South Asia (local hire; candidates must be nationals of a country in these regions)
Salary: Commensurate with experience
Date posted: August 17, 2020
Date applications due: 5pm October 2, 2020 (EAT time) — applications considered on a rolling basis
Desired start date: October or November, 2020

Background

The HCDExchange is a community of implementers, funders, designers, evaluators and youth committed to advancing learning and practice related to the integration of human-centred design (HCD) and adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) in low-resource settings, with a particular focus on countries in Sub Saharan Africa and South Asia. The HCDExchange aims to elevate young people’s agency, and systematically transform sexual and reproductive health outcomes for adolescents.

In 2018, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation funded a convening in Tanzania bringing together people and organizations working at the intersection of HCD in ASRH. This gathering showcased best practices, generated interest, and resulted in the launch of working groups to advance this field. More importantly, those involved started to see themselves as a community with a shared agenda.

In 2020, this same set of funders is supporting the next phase of this work — the HCDExchange — a community built on a collaborative model and dedicated to (1) establishing a supportive infrastructure, and (2) facilitating commitment amongst key actors. Our vision: a democratized (inclusive of diverse participants), localized (contextually relevant), and mutualized (jointly owned) HCD+ASRH field. During this phase, we are accelerating the development of a robust, efficient, and transparent HCD+ASRH field by increasing access to learning and networks and generating evidence about good practices, models, and effectiveness.

Learn more about the HCDExchange »

Overview of role

We are seeking a mid-career professional who is passionate about the intersection of human-centered design and adolescent sexual and reproductive health. The Consultant will use their HCD expertise to provide guidance, advance skills and capabilities, and develop outputs. They will also be instrumental in supporting the HCDExchange Community of Practice, with an emphasis on meeting members’ applied HCD needs and aspirations, creating opportunities for collaboration and learning, and supporting HCDExchange Design Fellows, Working Groups, and Youth Leadership Hub. They will also serve as a focal point for facilitating the development of shared HCD+ASRH practice standards. Finally, the Consultant will work with the Community Manager and Senior HCD Advisor to design and facilitate stakeholder convenings.

Roles & responsibilities

Specific responsibilities include:

• Support and promote the use of HCD in ASRH programs, providing (or managing the provision of) technical assistance, learning, and co-creation opportunities — this may include workshop design and facilitation, research, prototyping and testing, and organising learning launches
• Coordinate and evolve the HCDExchange Design Fellowship Program, working closely with fellows and host organizations
• Animate HCD-focused topics in the Community Forum, connecting community members and promoting peer collaboration and support
• Propose, lead, or participate in HCDExchange-organized events, such as design sprints, webinars, master classes, learning labs, and community calls
• Develop and implement on a content calendar that advances and shares HCD+ASRH thinking, learning, tools, and significant moments — resulting in the regular production of blog posts, vlogs, articles, op-eds, etc. (specific formats TBD)
• Advocate for a human-centred focus across HCDExchange’s work, coaching other team members, as appropriate
• Provide direction, manage deliverables, and ensure quality standards are met related to the development of learnings, tools, and other public goods
• Perform other duties and assignments, as directed

Skills and experience

Required skills and experience

• 5–7 years of experience working as a human-centred design advisor, facilitator, or strategist in the social impact sector
• A portfolio of HCD projects with a clear summary of contributions at each phase
• Experience conducting research activities, synthesizing insights in usable formats, and documenting learnings for a wide range of audiences
• Excellent workshop design and facilitation skills; experience developing workshop facilitation guides and coaching others to take on facilitation roles
• Awareness of HCD team and power dynamics, and demonstrated experience creating inclusive experiences and effectively engaging diverse participants, including people with a tendency to dominate a group, introverts, people with different learning or ability levels, those with less power or sense personal agency, and underrepresented communities
• A people person with an empathetic disposition, excellent interpersonal skills, and sensitive to cultural, gender, and sexuality differences
• Professional, responsible, flexible, collaborative, optimistic — and inherently curious about human behaviour
• Ability to communicate effectively with staff and partners; adept designing compelling presentations and selling ideas to a range of audiences
• Tech savvy and able to work independently and a remote teams spanning different time zones

Skills and experience that provide an added advantage

• HCD certification from a credible institution
• Experience with remote-enabled HCD practices and tools
• Successfully led teams and projects that seek to tackle adolescent and youth challenges in the sexual and reproductive health field
• Knowledge of meaningful youth participation approaches and risk areas

Language

We prefer candidates who can work in both English and French. English is the primary language for this assignment; excellent oral, written, and presentation skills are required. A working knowledge of French is an added advantage.

Application process

To apply, please visit HCDExchange.org/apply and submit your CV and a short cover letter outlining why you’re an excellent candidate for this role.

Note that this is a “local hire” — candidates must be nationals of a country located in Sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia.

The application deadline is 5pm on September 15, 2020 (EAT time). Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.