Innovation Strategist, Analytics & Human-Centered Design

ICF's mission is to make the world a more prosperous and resilient place. On behalf of our clients in government and industry, we design and deliver programs that address climate resilience, public health, disaster management, IT modernization, energy efficiency, and more. Our Innovation Team works to bring ICF's experts together to solve big challenges using human-centered design, rapid prototyping, and advanced collaboration tools (for a full view of the industries we work in, check our "Industries and Services" menu on ICF.com)
As a member of ICF's Innovation Team you will draw upon your data science and analytics expertise to lead partners and stakeholders through the life cycle of innovation. You will work with internal and external clients to define problems, deliver facilitated workshops, develop prototypes, and disseminate the tools and templates that support innovation at scale. You will drive organizational impact by interviewing colleagues and drafting outputs that lead to buy-in and action.
Among a team of versatile innovators, you will prioritize projects where data is integral to the solution. This may include identifying opportunities related to data strategy and architecture, using effective design to communicate data-driven solutions, or defining how machine learning can elevate customer experience and program efficiency. You will support the growth, development, and continuous improvement of our team and you will manage partnerships with other leaders across ICF, finding ways to scale our impact through tools, templates, coaching, and other enablement strategies.
Examples of typical projects include:
- Leading internal and external clients through an opportunity assessment ("Vizcovery") for a major government program, defining an analytics solution and working with colleagues to produce and test a rapid prototype
- Developing a toolkit to enable ICF's subject matter experts to scope and sell comprehensive analytics solutions
- Scoping and leading a workshop to develop approaches for the European Commission to engage EU residents in direct climate change, including gamification and analytics
- Leading a workshop to identify opportunities to support large energy utilities in the development of hydrogen-based solutions for energy storage, developing the pro-forma business case and drafting sales materials for colleagues to engage clients
- Work with ICF analytics partners in the discovery phase of a client project where we need to understand a client's current-state data flow and then deliver solutions that modernize their approach
Responsibilities
The Innovation Team's Innovation Strategist, Analytics & Human-Centered Design will employ an agile and human-centered approach to consult, analyze, develop, and deliver innovation programs focused on deriving value from data.
You will:
- Consult as a data and analytics expert on projects led by others in the Innovation Team or led by client-facing teams across ICF's different lines of business
- Develop and facilitate customized collaborative workshops and produce workshop synthesis documents with optimization recommendations
- Partner with the rest of the Innovation Team to produce templates, guides, and tools that enable others to leverage data in their daily work and team culture
The Innovation Team is composed of experts in design thinking, facilitation, business strategy, data analytics, experience design, and training. Our team is fun and fast paced; we collaborate often, throw around and debate bad ideas in order to find good ones, laugh through the tough sprints, and support one another in getting exceptional work done. No day, and no solution, is ever the same. Someone who is ambitious, curious, and creative will have the runway to bring their ideas fruition and deliver them at an exciting scale.
Our team has members located across North America, with a hub in Toronto, Canada and company headquarters in Fairfax, VA (outside DC). We work together remotely on a daily basis using the Office 365 suite (Teams, SharePoint, Outlook) and the digital whiteboarding tool, Mural. (https://www.mural.co/) When we go back to working in person, there will be travel involved across the U.S. (where the majority of our clients and client teams are) and Canada.
Skills, Aptitudes, and Interests:
- Excellent verbal and written communications and stakeholder management skills; outstanding listening skills and empathy
- Able to leverage "sketches" (rough visuals and/or whiteboarding) to communicate ideas, maps, and flows
- Strong group facilitation skills (remote and/or in-person), with the ability to hold a room with confidence
- Energized by engaging with new people and by new projects/subject matter
- Self-motivated, entrepreneurial, disciplined
- Strong project management and organizational skills, enjoying driving projects through to completion
- Able to thrive in a nimble, fast-paced environment with significant ambiguity
- Driven and excited to develop new skills and thought leadership on the intersection of analytics and human-centered design
- Professional maturity, especially in the context of complex organizations
Education and Experience Requirements:
- At least 3-5+ years of professional or graduate school experience in consulting, strategy, analytics or design
- Bachelor's degree in a technical field, preferably with a strong data science or analytics focus
- Experience supporting the design, management, and implementation of data-driven solutions or services
- Virtual and/or in-person group facilitation experience
- Project, program, and stakeholder management experience is a plus but not required
Please be assured we'll treat any information you share with us with the utmost care, only use your information for recruitment purposes and will never sell it to other companies for marketing purposes. Please review https://www.icf.com/legal/Canada-privacy-statement to view ICF's Privacy Statement for more details.
At ICF, we are committed to fostering an inclusive, accessible environment, where all employees feel valued, respected and supported. We are dedicated to creating a culture with a diversity of talented individuals who join, stay, and work in an environment that enables them to thrive. ICF is committed to providing accommodations. If you require an accommodation, we will work with you to meet your needs.
Working at ICF
Working at ICF means applying a passion for meaningful work with intellectual rigor to help solve the leading issues of our day. Smart, compassionate, innovative, committed, ICF employees tackle unprecedented challenges to benefit people, businesses, and governments around the globe. We believe in collaboration, mutual respect, open communication, and opportunity for growth. If you're seeking to make a difference in the world, visit www.icf.com/careers to find your next career. ICF-together for tomorrow.
Working at ICF
Working at ICF means applying a passion for meaningful work with intellectual rigor to help solve the leading issues of our day. Smart, compassionate, innovative, committed, ICF employees tackle unprecedented challenges to benefit people, businesses, and governments around the globe. We believe in collaboration, mutual respect, open communication, and opportunity for growth. If you're seeking to make a difference in the world, visit www.icf.com/careers to find your next career. ICF-together for tomorrow.
ICF is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity at all levels. (EOE - Minorities/Females/ Protected Veterans Status/Disability Status/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity). For more information, please read our EEO & AA policy (https://www.icf.com/legal/equal-employment-opportunity) .
Reasonable Accommodations are available for disabled veterans and applicants with disabilities in all phases of the application and employment process. To request an accommodation please email icfcareercenter@icf.com and we will be happy to assist. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodations. Read more about non-discrimination: EEO is the law (https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/migrated\files/employers/poster\screen\reader\optimized.pdf) and Pay Transparency Statement (https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ofccp/pdf/pay-transp\English\unformattedESQA508c.pdf) .
Fairfax, VA (VA01)Need help? We're here:ICFCareerCenter@icf.com
About ICF
ICF (NASDAQ:ICFI) is a global consulting services company with over 7,000 full and part-time employees, but we are not your typical consultants. At ICF, business analysts and policy specialists work together with digital strategists, data scientists and creatives. We combine unmatched industry expertise with cutting-edge engagement capabilities to help organizations solve their most complex challenges. Since 1969, public and private sector clients have worked with ICF to navigate change and shape the future. Learn more at icf.com.