Enterprise Practice Lead (Service Design) (Remote From Anywhere In Colorado)

The Colorado Governor’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) is seeking an Enterprise Practice Lead, Service Design to lead human‑centered design and user research practices across OIT, partnering with cross‑functional pod teams to design, deliver, and improve Colorado public services. What you'll do Define research methods, standards, and best practices for human‑centered design and user research across OIT. Establish journey mapping and service blueprinting standards, calibrating fidelity to the decision context. Build and maintain design system literacy standards that align with OIT’s design system and accessibility requirements. Identify and address systemic gaps in research and design quality across the portfolio. Run a service design guild, facilitating critique sessions, shared research repositories, and peer learning. Develop a career pathway for service designers that recognizes research‑depth and design‑depth profiles. Build and deliver training to strengthen statewide capability in research, facilitation, and translating findings into actionable language. Create and maintain shared resources for research guides, synthesis templates, and examples across varying fidelity. Advise IT directors and product directors on what good service design looks like and how to give effective feedback. Diagnose real‑world problems such as practitioner skill gaps, pod structural issues, and agency partnership problems, and advise accordingly. Surface patterns of weak research practice to identify training or standards gaps. What you bring Deep practitioner knowledge of service design methods: journey mapping, service blueprinting, process mapping, co‑design facilitation, and method selection. Expert knowledge of user research methods: qualitative interviews, contextual inquiry, usability testing, and survey design. Skill in problem framing and maintaining a problem space anchored in user evidence. Knowledge of accessibility and equity in service design: WCAG 2.1/2.2, Section 508, and inclusive design for diverse populations. Ability to translate accessibility and UX standards into practical design guidance within OIT. Understanding of how design artifacts inform product backlog, engineering, and delivery management. Familiarity with government design practice (GDS, 18F, USDR) and related frameworks. Ability to protect discovery from delivery pressure and guide practitioners in advocating for research. Practical approach to creating usable, concrete research standards in constrained government delivery environments. Capacity to build design literacy among non‑designers, enabling them to support and recognize good design. Commitment to maintaining accessibility and equity as baseline requirements. Skill in fostering community within a distributed pod structure. Minimum Qualifications At least five (5) years of experience in human‑centered design & user research, including leading or working within cross‑functional teams. Evidence of success collaborating across design, engineering, policy, or operations to deliver functional solutions for real people. Preferred Qualifications Experience designing services within government or highly regulated environments with complex policy constraints. History in mentoring junior designers and developing organizational service design standards, playbooks, and best practices. Advanced inclusive design knowledge and accessibility expertise (including ADA, AASA). Direct experience in designing service workflows that incorporate AI and automation while ensuring user control, transparency, and ethics. A wide salary range is posted for this position. The offer will be based on a salary analysis considering relevant experience, education, certifications, and state seniority, in compliance with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act. Conditions of Employment OIT employees must comply with screening procedures at state entity locations when required. A pre‑employment background check will be conducted as part of the selection process. Some agencies (e.g., Department of Corrections, Department of Public Safety) may also require a pre‑employment drug test. The position may require travel within Colorado and across the state. Although remote work from anywhere in Colorado is possible, periodic reporting to the primary state work location is required. All remote work must be performed in Colorado. Candidates from out of state must relocate and reside in Colorado on the first day of employment. OIT is committed to equal opportunity and hiring based on merit and fitness. The state has non‑discriminatory practices in all areas of employment, including hiring, employment, and advancement opportunities. OIT assists individuals who have a disability with reasonable accommodation requests related to employment. For assistance, contact the ADA Coordinator at View email address on click.appcast.io or call View phone number on click.appcast.io. The Governor’s Office of Information Technology does NOT offer sponsored visas for employment purposes. This posting may be used to fill multiple vacancies based upon business need. #J-18808-Ljbffr State of Colorado