Design Research & Communications Specialist-11-145-SC/Orange County - Center for Applied Research and Innovation

Mission Statement

The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.

Position Summary

The Design Research & Communications Specialist is an early-career, hands-on role within the Center for Applied Research and Innovation (CARI). This position supports design research sprints, service design execution, visual communication, and innovation lab operations, helping translate research, data, and lived-experience insights into clear, usable, and compelling outputs.

This role assists with research logistics (including participant recruitment, research tools, and documentation), design and communications production, and the day-to-day experience of the forthcoming 3:20 Innovation Lab, a new Salvation Army faith-based innovation lab within CARI. Responsibilities include workshop preparation, space and materials management, learning documentation, and presentation development.

Working in close partnership with the Director of Design Strategy & Research and the Service Designer, this role ensures that learning from CARI's work is accessible, actionable, and visible to internal teams, community partners, funders, and the people we serve.

This role is ideal for a curious, detail-oriented beginner who enjoys learning by doing, working across people and projects, and growing within a mission-driven, faith-based innovative environment.

Essential Functions

UX Design & Visual Communication (Primary Responsibility)

• Design clear, user-friendly UX and visual artifacts, including wireframes, layouts, templates, and workshop materials that support services, tools, and learning experiences
• Create visual assets and communications materials such as slide decks, one-pagers, reports, journey maps, infographics, and digital content
• Develop usable data dashboards and visual summaries for Center of Hope research sprints and quarterly leadership reviews
• Support consistency and quality across CARI design outputs, ensuring materials are accessible, inclusive, and aligned with brand and mission
• Translate complex research and design insights into simple, human-centered visuals and stories

Design Research & Service Design Support

• Support the Service Designer and Director with design research execution, including participant recruitment, interview scheduling, note-taking, transcription coordination, and synthesis support
• Assist with survey setup, data cleaning, and basic quantitative and qualitative analysis under guidance
• Help prepare research artifacts such as personas, journey maps, insight summaries, prototype materials, and sprint documentation
• Participate in co-design sessions, workshops, and field activities, supporting facilitation and documentation

3:20 Innovation Lab, Workshops & Learning Support

• Support workshop and lab logistics for the 3:20 Innovation Lab, including scheduling, participant communications, room setup, materials preparation, and teardown
• Assist with space and materials management, ensuring innovation lab spaces are welcoming, organized, stocked, and ready for use
• Support preparation of curriculum materials, toolkits, templates, and presentation decks for 3:20 Lab learning experiences
• Capture photos, quotes, stories, and reflections from labs, pilots, and community engagement sessions
• Support documentation and storytelling to make learning visible, shareable, and reusable across CARI projects
• Contribute to continuous improvement of CARI's design, research, and learning tools

Collaboration & Team Culture

• Work collaboratively as part of a small, cross-functional design and research team
• Coordinate closely with the Service Designer to support execution and implementation work
• Take feedback well, iterate quickly, and learn in public
• Contribute to a team culture grounded in curiosity, humility, flexibility, hospitality, and a sense of humor

Takes on other tasks as needed.

Working Conditions

Ability to walk, stand, bend, squat, climb, kneel, and twist on an intermittent or sometimes continuous basis. Ability to grasp, push, pull objects such as files, file cabinet drawers, and reach overhead. Ability to operate computer, fax, and telephone. Ability to lift up to 40 lbs.

Minimum Qualifications

• By virtue of its direct contact with, and representation to people who engage in Salvation Army programs, people who demonstrate an understanding of The Salvation Army's Christian mission are required for this position.
• Bachelor's degree in design, communications, UX, social sciences, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• 1-3 years of experience in UX design, visual design, communications, or related roles
• Portfolio or work samples demonstrating visual design, UX, or communication skills
• Ability to work collaboratively in a mission-driven, faith-based environment

PAY RATE: $26.00 - $28.85/hr.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting research or service design projects
• Experience in nonprofit, social impact, or community-based settings
• Interest in human-centered design, innovation, and social systems

Skills, Knowledge & Abilities

Knowledge

• Foundations of UX design, visual design, or communications
• Basic understanding of human-centered design and design research concepts (training provided)
• Awareness of social justice, equity, and trauma-informed approaches
• Familiarity with nonprofit, public service, or mission-driven work (preferred)

Skills

• Visual design and layout for digital and print material
• UX design skills such as wireframing, user flows, and basic prototyping
• Strong written and visual communication skills
• Ability to organize, document, and synthesize information clearly
• Comfort receiving feedback and iterating designs

Abilities

• Ability to learn quickly and grow in a hands-on, applied environment
• Ability to manage multiple small projects and deadlines
• Ability to work effectively on diverse teams and with community partners
• Ability to approach complex work with curiosity, openness, and care
• Ability to bring positivity, flexibility, and humor to collaborative work

Technical Skills & Tools

• Design and storytelling tools (Canva required; Figma, Adobe, or similar preferred)
• Digital collaboration platforms (Mural, Miro, FigJam)
• Survey and research tools (Qualtrics, Google Forms, spreadsheets)
• Google Workspace and/or Microsoft tools
• Basic familiarity with accessibility standards (training supported)

Foundations of UX design, visual design, or communications (required)
Portfolio or work samples demonstrating visual design, UX, or communication skills (required)
1-3 years of experience in UX design, visual design, communications, or related roles (required)