Senior Information Architect

Pathfinder Associates is seeking an experienced individual for a senior position within its successful User Experience Design practice. This is a contract opportunity, lasting approximately 4 months, with the potential to lead to a full-time position. The Senior IA will be responsible for performing a lead role in the discovery and design efforts, as well as interfacing regularly with clients. The primary work will be strategic and analytical, focused mainly in the definition and design phases of projects, but may follow through all phases of the application development cycle. The Senior IA?s activities will result in tangible documentation to be used by design, engineering, and QA teams. The Senior IA will manage UX team members and reports to the Lead IA. The successful candidate will have 6+ years? experience in both traditional IA as well as user-centered design within the technology consulting environment.

About Pathfinder Associates
Pathfinder Associates is an expanding, 25-person professional services firm with a passion for solving complex business problems. Our three practice areas?User Experience Design, Application Development, and Infrastructure Development, work together to help clients simplify complex usability issues, information domains, and business process management. Our clients are leaders and innovators in information-intensive industries who rely on IT and web services to support efficient revenue growth.

About Pathfinder?s UXD Practice
Typically, the UXD team leads the way into Pathfinder engagements, setting the stage for success through the strategic application of our proven methodology. Having proven our value to clients in such diverse industries as financial services, educational reform, healthcare, and energy, the Pathfinder UXD business is seeking a Senior IA to help us scale. A typical Pathfinder engagement lasts between three and twelve months, and involves a project team of three to ten people.

Primary Responsibilities
Work within the Pathfinder methodology to:
Mentor clients and guide teams and business analysts in requirements gathering and use case definition from a user-centered design perspective.
Interview users and stakeholders to elicit user requirements and business process workflows.
Analyze secondary research (server logs, focus group results, market data, research and testing results) to find the most effective and engaging design solutions.
Translate interview data into detailed personas and scenarios that characterize the users and the workflows
Brainstorm rapid, high-level concepts and approaches for solving client challenges.
Document and design workflows and screen flows in visual form.
Create very rapid prototypes, both paper and click through, using a variety of techniques (hand sketches, PowerPoint, Dreamweaver) and vet them with stakeholders to discover missing requirements and refine the design.
Create wireframe conceptualizations and specifications for web and PC-based applications.
Develop detailed specifications, in narrative and visual forms, of the final design.
Collaborate with members of the UXD team and others to review, develop, and refine solutions.
Ensure consistency of design elements and interactive behaviors within individual pages and across entire projects.
Requirements
Ability to translate user research data and business goals into effective, unique experiences that best serve user needs within the project limitations.
Hands-on experience in Information Architecture techniques.
Ability and desire to work with complex problem domains.
Ability to create wireframe conceptualizations and specifications for web and/or PC-based applications.
Excellent writing, speaking, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
Experience in leading and facilitating group sessions with stakeholders and multidisciplinary teams.
Experience working on international projects and/or designing for international users a plus.
Ability to lead teams and collaborate effectively, with experience in mentoring and managing other
Ability to work on concurrent, complex projects and multitask efficiently.
Understanding of HTML, DHTML, CSS and JavaScript; personalization, customization and content management systems; major graphic design applications; standard office productivity applications.
Experience with rich interactions and designing interfaces that utilize technologies such as AJAX is a must.
Proficiency in both PC and Mac platforms.
Awareness of the current literature of the field and an interest in writing.
Experience with Cooper design methodologies or a similar methodology is a plus.
How to Apply
This position will be based in Chicago but may require national and/or international travel to client sites. This is a contract position, lasting approximately 4 months. Ideal candidate will be a highly talented individual looking to transition to a full-time, salaried position.

Compensation will be commensurate with experience. Pathfinder Associates regrets that we cannot pay for relocation expenses or act as an immigration sponsor at this time. Due to the high volume of applicants, phone calls in the initial application for employment are discouraged.

Please send all cover letters, resumes, and work samples to us at careers@pathf.com , using the subject line ?Information Architect 9337?. Candidates must be prepared to show a portfolio of work samples if invited for an on-site interview.