Resident Experience Director

Office of Innovation – Other/Cross-team | Full-time

The New Jersey State Office of Innovation

The New Jersey State Office of Innovation is looking for diverse and experienced team members to deploy world-class innovative and digital services that solve pressing public interest challenges for the people of New Jersey. Our work spans numerous issue and policy areas, and is focused on making an impact in the lives of the New Jerseyans that we serve. Our work has decreased the amount of time it takes to apply for Unemployment Insurance, made it easier to start, operate, and grow a business in the Garden State, and connected millions of New Jerseyans to government programs, services, and benefits.

Our team members wear many hats, contributing to both the execution of core projects and the evolution of the Office of Innovation (OOI). We use data and modern research, design, and development methods to inform our decision making, and we collaborate with stakeholders within and outside of government to understand and solve challenges. To learn more about the New Jersey Office of Innovation, read our inaugural impact report here and visit our About Us page.

The Resident Experience Initiative (ResX) is a multi-year effort aimed at streamlining, simplifying, and improving how the State delivers key benefits and services to residents through the use of agile methodologies and human-centered design. The Resident Experience Initiative puts residents and their experience at the center of all design, engineering, policy, and implementation considerations. Using extensive user research, cross-agency collaboration, and agile development, Resident Experience works to tangibly improve the lives of residents. This work is being accomplished through numerous projects that are being, and have been, executed in partnership with State agencies. You can learn more about the Resident Experience initiative and its projects here and read our inaugural impact report here.

The Resident Experience Director plays a pivotal leadership role, overseeing the visioning, development and implementation of multiple projects and streams of work across a variety of issue areas. The Director will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the initiative; as well as developing relationships with key government stakeholders and strategically building out the team’s portfolio of work. This role will report directly to Dave Cole, the Chief Innovation Officer and oversee the work of nearly a dozen project teams on the Resident Experience initiative. Responsibilities may include:

Portfolio Development, Resourcing and Execution

• Facilitate opportunity assessment, and collaborate with directors and initiative leads to drive project intake and resource allocation.
• Highlight staffing needs for each project, working closely with the Director of Product, Director of Engineering and Design Director to ensure appropriate staffing.
• Scope, prioritize, and manage resources, as well as facilitate issue management and tracking through digital platforms.
• Develop and execute on processes to review and advise team strategy on a regular basis. Support teams in unblocking their work, navigate government bureaucracy, and remove obstacles that hinder progress.
• Develop models of engagement between agencies and initiative projects by working with Office teams and stakeholders to set clear expectations for type and length of engagement, handoff expectations etc.

Strategic Planning and Impact Reporting

• Own strategic vision for projects based on collaboration with teams and directors, data analysis, and stakeholder input.
• Cultivate a deliberate approach to strategically streamlining work across the initiative; focusing on building universal solutions and investing in platforms that can support multiple projects as well as prioritizing the projects with largest resident impact for communities that are traditionally underserved.
• Facilitate standardizing strategies for Resident Experience initiative teams to measure and evaluate impact of work. Gather and analyze qualitative and quantitative user data to inform and iterate on project delivery; foster a culture of data-driven decision making with focus on end-user impact.
• Oversee and manage reporting tasks, including grant reporting and compliance with state and federal regulations.
• Gather and analyze qualitative and quantitative user data to inform and iterate on project delivery.
• Oversees initiative-wide budget ensuring financial success and alignment with organizational priorities.

Stakeholder Partnerships and Engagement

• Demonstrated experience initiating, cultivating and expanding organizational partnerships with an eye for expanding the portfolio of work.
• Cultivate, build and maintain strong relationships with agency leadership to support the success of both Resident Experience and other office wide initiatives.
• Ensure effective communication and coordination among teams and stakeholders; communicating progress, challenges, and successes to stakeholders in a clear, concise, and transparent manner.

Required Experience

• A minimum 10 years of relevant work experience.
• At least 5 years of leadership experience overseeing multiple streams of work and staff.
• Professional experience in a technical role (i.e. product management, product design, engineering, data science, business analytics, policy, or operations).
• Professional experience in leveraging agile and human-centered processes in a government or civic technology domain.
• Experience in scaling and managing cross-functional teams.

Preferred Technical Skills and Abilities

• Proven experience managing stakeholder relationships and expectations; experience collaborating with government agencies, understanding bureaucratic processes, and navigating complex regulatory environments.
• Expertise in leading organizations through the adoption of new tools, technologies, or methodologies, ensuring smooth transitions and sustained improvements.
• Demonstrated ability to efficiently triage requests and information to make effective decisions, in a rapidly changing environment.
• Demonstrated experience in making strategic decisions that support long-term portfolio and organizational growth.
• Experience managing a budget over multiple projects and initiatives.
• Values collaboration, creative problem-solving and fosters a work environment that embodies the values of the Office of Innovation.

We welcome applicants from a broad range of backgrounds. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. If you have any questions, please contact heather@innovation.nj.gov.

Compensation: Up to approximately $151,410 (depending on experience) + full benefits.

The New Jersey Office of Innovation is proud to be an equal opportunity employer

We are deeply committed to the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusiveness and seek to create a pluralistic community for all. We strongly encourage people of color, members of racial and ethnic minority groups, women, LGBTQI+ people, those with disabilities, and Veterans to apply. We are committed to building a team that is reflective of New Jersey’s incredible diversity.

We do not discriminate against any candidate because of color, race, age, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, membership in an employee organization, pregnancy, marital status, status as a parent, ancestry, national origin, disability (physical or mental), family medical history or genetic information, political affiliation, military service, retaliation, or other non-merit based factors.

Eligibility

You must be authorized to work in the United States. Candidates may be required to pass a background check and complete additional steps as part of the application and onboarding process. You will be considered an “at-will” employee, meaning both employer and employee have the right to terminate employment with or without cause or notice.