Residence Experience Director Save

About us 

The State of New Jersey 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. We use data-driven, agile, human-centered and equitable design practices to deliver innovative solutions involving tech, talent, process, and policy with the support of Governor Murphy and his Administration, the Chief Innovation Officer, Dave Cole, and other senior leadership. 

Our team operates as a startup within government, and our team members wear many hats, contributing to both the execution of core projects and the evolution of the Office of Innovation. We kickstart new initiatives and assist teammates and partners when urgent challenges arise. 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, visit our about us page. 

Position Overview

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 & 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.
• Professional 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 [email protected].

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