Visiting Design Strategist, OPHS IHDD

Visiting Design Strategist, OPHS IHDD

Location:

Chicago, IL, USA

Hiring Department: OPHS
- Institute for Healthcare Delivery Design (IHDD)

Requisition

Posting Close Date:
July 10, 2026

Salary: $81,000 – $105,000 (budgeted)

This position is intended to be eligible for benefits:
Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, a Retirement Plan, Paid time Off, and Tuition waivers for employees and dependents.

The Institute of Healthcare Delivery Design (IHDD) is part of the Office of Population Health Sciences (OPHS), which sits within the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs (OVCHA) D applies human-centered design to healthcare delivery to break down barriers to accessing quality healthcare and to make healthcare systems, services, and experiences that "fit" people and enhance lives. The Design Strategist works on teams to define and prioritize problems and solution areas, create and test concepts, prototype and pilot concepts, and ultimately, implement changes and innovations.

• Assists more senior designers with writing and costing of proposals and with project planning.

• Helps create, execute, and analyze stakeholder research and alignment activities.

• Executes, organizes, and analyzes design research.
• Helps shape and develop communication materials to disseminate research results.

• Synthesizes design research to create strategies for efficiencies and innovation.
• Creates communication materials to convey strategy to project sponsors and stakeholders.
• Helps present strategy to project sponsors and stakeholders.

• Develops concepts, prototypes, and/or pilot.
• Helps develop and execute measurement plans to measure the effectiveness of concepts and prototypes and determine the impact of pilots.
• Develops and produces communication materials to disseminate concept, prototyping and piloting results.
• Presents concept, prototyping and piloting results to project sponsors and stakeholders.
• Helps clients implement optimizations and innovations post-piloting / prototyping.

• Collaborates with IHDD colleagues on visions and plans for how to grow IHDD.
• Helps document and promulgate operational procedures and "ways of working" at IHDD.
• Identifies ways to be more efficient and effective in carrying out IHDD work and help create and implement new practices/processes to improve how we work.
• Models and encourages a culture of care, collaboration, and constant learning at IHDD.
• Other related duties as assigned.

• Perform other related duties and participate in special projects as assigned.

• Master’s degree in Human Computer Interaction, Social Sciences, or related field plus a minimum of 1 year’s relevant work experience (e.g., in service design, design research, design strategy, professional services consulting, etc.).
• OR
• Bachelor’s degree in design, Human Computer Interaction, Social Sciences, or related field plus a minimum of 3 years’ relevant work experience (e.g., in service design, design research, design strategy, professional services consulting, etc.).
• Has experience doing team-based project work.
• Excellent verbal communication and written communication skills.
• Excellent problem-solving skills.
• Well-organized and self-motivated.
• Thrives in a collaborative, multi-disciplinary work environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills that reflect courtesy, diplomacy, and a collaborative approach.
• Able to flex easily between working collaboratively with teammates, taking direction and executing on tasks, and being self-directed on project work when necessary.
• Proficiency with visual design tools (e.g., Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Sketch, etc.) and Microsoft Office programs required.

• Have experience doing team-based project work in a professional work setting.
• Professional work experience translating conceptual thinking into concrete, actionable outputs preferred.

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates.

Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, and employment eligibility review through E‑Verify.

The university provides accommodations to applicants and employees. Request an Accommodation.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position, however, all employment decisions will be made by a person.