As a Senior Design Strategist, you will provide expert analysis and advice on matters pertaining to the practice of designing and reacting to customer interactions to meet or exceed customer expectations and thus increase customer loyalty and advocacy
Location of position: GSA/The Office of Customer Experience (OCE)
OCE embeds customer-oriented thinking into our agency’s daily operations to ensure we deliver sound products and outstanding experiences to all our customers.
Summary
As a Senior Design Strategist, you will provide expert analysis and advice on matters pertaining to the practice of designing and reacting to customer interactions to meet or exceed customer expectations and thus increase customer loyalty and advocacy
Location of position: GSA/The Office of Customer Experience (OCE)
OCE embeds customer-oriented thinking into our agency’s daily operations to ensure we deliver sound products and outstanding experiences to all our customers.
Your application will be considered if you are a:
• GSA employee
• GSA surplus or displaced employees in the local commuting area who qualify for the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP)
You must be serving on a career or career-conditional appointment, or under a noncompetitive Special Appointing Authority which provides for conversion to a permanent position in the Competitive Service.
We are currently filling one vacancy, but additional vacancies may be filled as needed.
MAJOR DUTIES
Develops, plans for, and conducts quantitative and qualitative research including: Competitive Analysis, Usability Testing, Contextual Inquiry, etc.
Improves the user experience and drives product and service excellence.
Communicates using writing, visuals and verbal communication.
Makes research findings relevant and impactful for design and action through a variety of formats such as insights, stories, videos, experiences and exhibits.
Plans and facilitates workshops, working meetings and/or other interactive sessions in order to gather feedback and insight from key users and stakeholders.
Designs and plans creative research, including sample design, screeners, field guides, etc.
Drafts usability test plans and sets up tests using provided software tools (such as UserTesting.com).
Improves the user experience and drives product and service excellence by leveraging empirical research methods from computer science, quantitative social science, statistics, econometrics, data science, ethnographic, and other fields to understand user behavior and extract meaningful patterns from large data sets.
US Citizenship or National (Residents of American Samoa and Swains Island)
Meet all eligibility criteria within 30 days of the closing date
Meet time-in-grade within 30 days of the closing date, if applicable
Register with the Selective Service if you are a male born after 12/31/1959
If selected, you must meet the following conditions:
Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or NonCareer SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.
Serve a one year probationary period, if required.
Undergo and pass a background investigation (Tier 2 investigation level).
Have your identity and work status eligibility verified if you are not a GSA employee. We will use the Department of Homeland Security’s e-Verify system for this. Any discrepancies must be resolved as a condition of continued employment.
Qualifications
For each job on your resume, provide:
the exact dates you held each job (from month/year to month/year)
number of hours per week you worked (if part time).
If you have volunteered your service through a National Service program (e.g., Peace Corps, Americorps), we encourage you to apply and include this experience on your resume.
For a brief video on creating a Federal resume, click here.
The GS-14 base salary range starts at $122,198 (based on Step 1, outside of locality pay areas) to $152,105 (San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA includes locality pay). Locality pay will be determined once the duty location has been established.
Specialized experience is experience participating and contributing to projects focused on customer experience, service design and/or qualitative and quantitative research; developing and implementing strategies, procedures, and practices to improve the customer experience, additionally:
● Using the multiple phases of the design process (e.g., research, synthesis, prototyping, implementing, measuring). ● Developing and facilitating workshops, meetings, and other interactive sessions using inclusive methods and practices (e.g., interviews, co-design). ● Creating design artifacts (e.g., journey maps, personas, wireframes, storyboards) using an iterative process. ● Documents, packages, and presentations of findings, insights, recommendations, pilot and other implementation results, and evaluations via reports, presentations, and other outputs.
Education
Note: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/
Additional information
Bargaining Unit Status
Bargaining Unit Status:
- This position is eligible for the bargaining unit
Relocation Not Paid
Relocation-related expenses are not approved and will be your responsibility.
Travel – May be approved
Travel expenses associated with interviews may be approved. Determinations will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Recruitment/Relocation Incentive
On a case-by-case basis, the following incentives may be approved: • Recruitment incentive if you are new to the federal government • Relocation incentive if you are a current federal employee • Credit toward vacation leave if you are new to the federal government
Management Rights
Additional vacancies may be filled through this announcement in this or other GSA organizations within the same commuting area as needed; through other means; or not at all.
Government-paid Postage (WG only)
We don’t accept applications or application materials submitted with Government-paid postage.
Diversity
GSA is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility that goes beyond our compliance with EEO regulations including:
Valuing and embracing diversity, promoting equity, inclusion and accessibility, and expecting cultural competence; and
Fostering a work environment where all employees, customers and stakeholders feel respected and valued.
Our commitment is:
Reflected in our policies, procedures and work environment;
Recognized by our employees, customers and stakeholders; and
Drives our efforts to recruit, attract, retain and engage the diverse workforce needed to achieve our mission.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Health insurance (choose from a wide range of plans)
Life insurance coverage with several options
Sick leave and vacation time, including 11 paid holidays per year
Thrift Savings Plan (similar to a 401(k) plan)
Flexible work schedules
Transit and child care subsidies
Flexible spending accounts
Long-term care insurance
Training and development
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
You will be scored on the questions you answer during the application process, which will measure your possession of the following competencies or knowledge, skills, and abilities. Your responses to these questions must be supported by your resume or your score may be lowered.
Skill in qualitative and quantitative methodologies to design research programs to improve user experience.
Skill in collecting data to identify challenging problems and explore innovative methods to help stakeholders understand their users.
Ability to transform current goals into solid research plans.
Skill in oral communication to facilitate interactive workshops to gather feedback from key users and stakeholders.
Skill in written communication to document findings, insights and recommendations for reports, presentations and/or other outputs.
Skill in client negotiation techniques to provide perspectives on design research findings to persuade stakeholders.
Skill in the customer experience using design research and business design techniques.
Ability to work with digital technologies to design research programs to improve user experience.
Additional hurdle assessments, such as narrative responses or other assessments, may be administered to applicants who meet the requirements of the first hurdle, e.g., the minimum qualification requirements. If additional assessments are used, you will be provided with further instructions.
Consideration will be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards in merit promotion selection decisions in accordance with 5 CFR 335.103(b)(3). You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume so that information will be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.
If you are eligible under GSA’s Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), you must receive a score of 85 or higher to receive priority.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Health insurance (choose from a wide range of plans)
Life insurance coverage with several options
Sick leave and vacation time, including 11 paid holidays per year
Thrift Savings Plan (similar to a 401(k) plan)
Flexible work schedules
Transit and child care subsidies
Flexible spending accounts
Long-term care insurance
Training and development
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Submit a complete online application including any required documents prior to 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement. You can modify or complete your application any time before the deadline. Simply return to USAJOBS, select the vacancy, and update your application. For more detailed instructions on how to apply, click here: Apply for a GSA Job.
If you are having issues applying to this announcement, you should switch to a different browser, network or device. Note: Your firewall may block your transfer from USAJOBS to your GSA application.
To begin, click the Apply Online button on the vacancy announcement.
Sign in or register on USAJobs and select a resume and documents to include in your application.
Once you have clicked Apply for this position now, you will be taken to the GSA site to complete the application process.
Click the Apply To This Vacancy and complete all steps in the application process until the Confirmation indicates your application is complete. If you click Return to USAJobs or get timed out prior to receiving confirmation, your application will not be submitted and cannot be considered for this job.
Note: Review the REQUIRED DOCUMENTS section of this announcement to determine which apply to you and must be submitted online. You may choose one or more of the following options to submit your document(s): Upload (from your computer) or USAJOBS (click the "USAJOBS" link to complete the transfer process).
Need Assistance in Applying? Contact the HR representative listed on the announcement prior to the application deadline. We are available to assist you Monday-Friday during normal business hours. You must receive HR approval before deviating from these instructions. Be sure to APPLY EARLY as most assessments must be completed fully and submitted before the announcement closing.
GSA, Office of Customer Experience
General Services Administration (GSA)
Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM)
1800 F Street NW
Washington, District of Columbia 20405
United States
Next steps
After the closing date/deadline:
ELIGIBILITY/QUALIFICATIONS: Your application will be reviewed for all requirements.
REFERRAL TO MANAGEMENT: If you meet all the requirements, you may be referred to management for review and a possible interview.
SELECTION/TENTATIVE JOB OFFER: If you are selected, you will receive a tentative offer and start the suitability and/or security background investigation process.
FINAL JOB OFFER: Once our security office determines you can come on board, you will be given a final offer, which is typically 40 days after the announcement closes.
FINAL COMMUNICATION: Once the position is filled, we will notify you of your status. You may also check your application status by logging into USAJOBS and clicking “Track this Application” on the Applicant Dashboard.
Thank you for your interest in working for U.S. General Services Administration!
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Submit a complete online application including any required documents prior to 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement. You can modify or complete your application any time before the deadline. Simply return to USAJOBS, select the vacancy, and update your application. For more detailed instructions on how to apply, click here: Apply for a GSA Job.
If you are having issues applying to this announcement, you should switch to a different browser, network or device. Note: Your firewall may block your transfer from USAJOBS to your GSA application.
To begin, click the Apply Online button on the vacancy announcement.
Sign in or register on USAJobs and select a resume and documents to include in your application.
Once you have clicked Apply for this position now, you will be taken to the GSA site to complete the application process.
Click the Apply To This Vacancy and complete all steps in the application process until the Confirmation indicates your application is complete. If you click Return to USAJobs or get timed out prior to receiving confirmation, your application will not be submitted and cannot be considered for this job.
Note: Review the REQUIRED DOCUMENTS section of this announcement to determine which apply to you and must be submitted online. You may choose one or more of the following options to submit your document(s): Upload (from your computer) or USAJOBS (click the "USAJOBS" link to complete the transfer process).
Need Assistance in Applying? Contact the HR representative listed on the announcement prior to the application deadline. We are available to assist you Monday-Friday during normal business hours. You must receive HR approval before deviating from these instructions. Be sure to APPLY EARLY as most assessments must be completed fully and submitted before the announcement closing.
GSA, Office of Customer Experience
General Services Administration (GSA)
Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM)
1800 F Street NW
Washington, District of Columbia 20405
United States
Next steps
After the closing date/deadline:
ELIGIBILITY/QUALIFICATIONS: Your application will be reviewed for all requirements.
REFERRAL TO MANAGEMENT: If you meet all the requirements, you may be referred to management for review and a possible interview.
SELECTION/TENTATIVE JOB OFFER: If you are selected, you will receive a tentative offer and start the suitability and/or security background investigation process.
FINAL JOB OFFER: Once our security office determines you can come on board, you will be given a final offer, which is typically 40 days after the announcement closes.
FINAL COMMUNICATION: Once the position is filled, we will notify you of your status. You may also check your application status by logging into USAJOBS and clicking “Track this Application” on the Applicant Dashboard.
Thank you for your interest in working for U.S. General Services Administration!
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
