IT Business Intelligence Architect

Job Description

This is Us
The State of Connecticut is embarking upon a digital transformation to uplift the lives and well-being of our residents, businesses, and employees. Our goal is to improve access to our programs and services, making interaction with government easier. When you join the Connecticut Digital Service, you’ll be part of a team creating simple experiences personalized for everyone. If you enjoy solving complex problems with a curious, supportive, high-performing team, then the State of Connecticut is the place for you.

Is This You?
Innovation. You enjoy designing services, products, websites, and graphics tied to existing and new digital products.
Big Picture Thinking. You strive to improve internal processes and externally facing solutions.
User-centric. You derive joy from working with people to drive user-centered research and testing.
Storytelling. You understand how to reach and move an audience with an engaging story.
Embrace Change. You have experience thinking outside of the box, understand the perspectives of others, interpret and validate with data.
Service-Oriented. You are passionate about government innovation and improving services for citizens.

About the Role
The UX Researcher will support the mission by work with CTDS product designers and product managers throughout the entire product development lifecycle, from identifying foundational user needs during the discovery phase to measuring impact on the user after a product or feature has launched. The UX Researcher will serve as a voice for the user, utilizing broad skills in both qualitative and quantitative research to facilitate a user-centered design process.
In addition, you will help scale user research at the State of Connecticut by joining a team of user researchers within a growing tech and design space. You and your team will become trusted and work with a diverse set of state partners to understand, improve, and test varied government products and designs. The candidate should also have experience working in an Agile environment.

Experiences Required for This Role
UX Research – At least 3 years of experience and use cases with the following:
Conduct primary and secondary user research
Conduct and evaluate quantitative and qualitative research
Perform market and ethnographic research
Work closely with cross-functional teams to identify and evaluate research topics
Plan and implement user research strategies and methodologies
Advocate research findings to diverse audiences through written and oral presentations
Mentor and coach junior UX researchers on the team
Perform usability studies with consumers
Ask questions, gather data, and analyze data
Use a diverse set of UX research tools
User Acceptance Testing – At least 3 years of experience and use cases with the following:
Building and running tests (ideally automated) to confirm the service or product meets user and stakeholder needs
Helping to discover problems while the service is being developed, not once it is live
Checking the operating environment to make sure test results are valid
Helping increase user and agency confidence in future service or product delivery
Helping reduce the risk of reputational damage
Recruiting and leading testing groups
Running research sessions with users
Understanding accessibility issues and engage with team to build with equality
Digital Platforms, Tools, & Discipline – At least 3 years of experience and use cases with the following:
Working with enterprise scale digital platforms and products
Using of productivity and analysis tools to manage iterative delivery, such as JIRA, Google Analytics, Git Repository, MS Teams, Confluence
Performance in Complex Situations – At least 3 years of experience and user cases with the following:
Communication and collaboration with state-wide partners
Encouraging of an interactive, cooperative, collaborative, and customer-focused work environment
Comfort in blazing a path through an ambiguous work environment
Judgement fitting to the ever-changing environment
Government-specific task management

Knowledge, Skills and Ability
UX Research & Testing
Ability to share research results quickly and effectively
Ability to perform all research-related tasks including research, planning, evaluating, and iteration
Ability to formulate specific, answerable, and practical questions
Ability to collaborate effectively with stakeholders and act as a strategic partner in product decisions
Experience with remote testing tools
A strong desire for creative problem-solving with a positive attitude
Excellent time-management skills
Knowledge of best practices for user experience research and testing
Willingness to participate ethnographic research and interviews
Performance in Complex Situations
Ability to distill complex concepts into simple ideas
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills
Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines, handle and prioritize simultaneous requests, and manage laterally and upwards
Comfort in blazing a path through an ambiguous work environment
Prioritization, organization, and triage in an independent environment
Understanding of the Agile development process
Team Player
Supporting teammates’ skills and behaviors development and delivery
Communication and collaboration with state-wide partners
Creative and analytical thinking with strong problem-solving skills
Judgement in dealing effectively and diplomatically with government staff
Ability to maintain strict confidentiality

Preferred Skills & Qualifications
Other Desirable Skills
A bachelor’s degree or higher in graphic design, marketing, communications, or related field
2 years professional experience in design, communications, management, or testing
1 year of user-centered design
1 year of user research and analytics

Administrative Considerations
The UX Researcher will work as part of an iterative team using agile sprints. Work will be assigned based on items in the product backlog associated with Website Improvements. These tasks may be adjusted, reduced, or expanded as the project progresses through various phases. The contract employee shall be expected to maintain and provide written documentation on any work performed in conjunction with this engagement.
The engagement will be for a term of up to 12 months. All work will be performed in eight (8) hour shifts, Monday to Friday, excluding State holidays. If workflow dictates an on-site presence is not needed, consultant may work remotely. All extended remote work will need approval by Chief Digital Officer or the designated manager. Payment will be on a time and material basis and paid only for hours worked. Travel to various state offices will be required. State Agencies are in downtown Hartford and the Greater Hartford area. Local Travel Reimbursement is not provided.
Use of State Resources: The contractor will share a dedicated office space and will be provided with all computer hardware and software needed to execute and perform the duties for this program.
Security/Privacy Considerations: Information accessible by the contractor may be sensitive, confidential, or subject to the Privacy Act and/or HIPAA considerations. Contractor personnel must be familiar with and comply with the provisions of appropriate regulations and/or instructions. Signing of a confidentiality agreement will be required. Daily sign-in to the facility may be required. The contractor employee must always display an access badge while present in state facilities. A background check will be required.