Be an agent of change on a team committed to achieving client-focused, mission-driven excellence. Steampunk is the explosive collision of human-centered design and traditional government contracting. We are an employee-owned company with a startup mindset and time-tested approaches tailored for the federal government. We are passionate about creating solutions that are impactful, practical, and scalable while meeting our clients’ ever-changing needs. We believe in empowering our people to find creative solutions to intractable problems. We believe the best environment in which to grow and thrive is outside our comfort zone. We believe that while good design makes for a good experience, human-centered design makes for an excellent one. 

As the Senior Innovation & Learning Manager on the SASS AI & Cybersecurity Policy Team, you will be the glue that binds cross-functional AI governance and technology initiatives together. You will support government clients to collaborate and build processes that ensure AI and emerging technologies are designed and deployed ethically, securely, and cost-effectively. You will support federal clients to optimize processes to responsibly leverage AI. The Senior Innovation Manager will guide clients to balance pressures to adopt technology innovations while meeting federal compliance obligations related to AI, privacy, and cybersecurity. 

You will be responsible for guiding government clients through our Design Intelligence™ framework; incorporating human-centered and design thinking methods to focus on the people impacted by change and engaging them to navigate AI’s complex technical, security, and ethical nuances while identifying and mitigating areas of resistance. 

Responsibilities: 

Discover 

• Participate in all aspects of discovery to understand client mission and goals; stakeholders, users and their ecosystems; current state journeys; user segments; program, project, and transformation objectives 

• Facilitate cross-functional working groups to build effective structures and processes to evaluate AI use cases and ensure AI risks are identified early and proactively 

• Engage in conversations with system teams and information systems security officers (ISSOs) to ensure products meet end goals and adhere to federal compliance standards 

• Conduct workshops and interviews to frame pain points and opportunities; define problem statements and determine change readiness and areas of resistance 

Design 

• Develop human centered compliance and risk assessments tools and processes that meaningfully support responsible technology use, and move users beyond “check the box” efforts 

• Apply best practices in human centered design to lead technical system teams through AI design, discuss appropriate AI guardrails, and develop products/procedures to assist diverse projects and stakeholders 

• Lead learning and knowledge capture within and across AI & emerging technology projects and ensure learning is applied by key stakeholders 

• Synthesize research, data, and craft compelling stories and presentations to communicate insights and recommendations that will shape transformation and change enablement 

• Develop and deploy communication plans, pilot plans, and training plans in partnership with key stakeholders and their customers 

• Ensure all deliverables across a variety of projects are produced at the highest quality 

Lead 

• Develop and deploy change management plans that articulate actionable recommendations for organizational and workflow improvement 

• Develop, deploy, and measure key performance indicators for transformation and adoption 

• Collaborate and communicate stakeholder and user needs on a cross-functional team of policy experts, data scientists, data engineers, and cybersecurity experts within an agile environment 

• Understand and embrace the specifications and constraints of a given technology, platform and/or operational environment and understand how change management should be integrated into technological considerations 

• Collaborate with Steampunk’s AI Lab to ensure best practices are integrated across Steampunk’s AI work 

• Promote Steampunk AI thought leadership by engaging sector communities of practice, publishing knowledge articles, and speaking at industry events 

• Ability to obtain a U.S. government Public Trust Security Clearance 
• Masters Degree (in related program) and 8 years of experience, 7 of which must be relevant;
  • OR bachelors in related program and 10 years of relevant experience;
  • OR no degree and 16 years of relevant experience

• 6+ years of experience in change management and well-versed in change management best practices and models 
• Possess at least one professional certification relevant to the technical service provided

• Experience leading technology and data-focused products, ideally focused on AI 

• Experience managing staff to deliver innovation and data/tech-focused projects 

• Experience working as a third-party consultant or in a role as an advisor within a complex organization; experience in government organizations strongly preferred 

• Experience developing impactful knowledge products and communications materials for diverse technical and non-technical audiences 

• Thorough knowledge and demonstrated experience in current state assessments, future state visioning and communication planning 

• Experience facilitating cross-functional strategy-building initiatives and coordinating cross-functional projects 

• Excellent project management skills and experience working in a project-based environment 

• Thorough knowledge and demonstrated experience conducting user and stakeholder interviews and synthesizing data and insights into personas, action, and training plans  

• Ability to think strategically and holistically and connect dots across multiple workstreams, stakeholder groups, and ecosystems 

• Expert in organizational learning and knowledge management; experience developing learning plans and KM strategies, facilitating learning events, and ensuring learning is captured, disseminated, and applied  

• Experience in strategic communications and developing knowledge products for diverse technical and non-technical audiences  

• Experience applying Human Centered Design best practices 

• Proficiency in PowerPoint and collaboration tools like Mural, LucidChart, JIRA, and Confluence 

• A natural curiosity for solving problems coupled with strong analytical skills 

• A collaborative nature with excellent written communication and presentation skills 

Bonus Points 

• Previous work experience in or with the federal government 

• Expertise in or experience delivering AI-focused solutions 

• Expertise in cybersecurity, information protection, technical privacy management, or other related data/technology field 

• Experience working on multi-disciplinary, cross-functional teams including Service Designers, UX and UI designers, technologists, data scientists, engineers, and solution architects 

• Experience working within an Agile delivery framework including writing user stories and story pointing 

• Experience working on innovation-focused projects and understanding of responsible innovation principles and best practices 

Steampunk is a Change Agent in the Federal contracting industry, bringing new thinking to clients in the Homeland, Federal Civilian, Health and DoD sectors.  Through our Human-Centered delivery methodology, we are fundamentally changing the expectations our Federal clients have for true shared accountability in solving their toughest mission challenges.  As an employee owned company, we focus on investing in our employees to enable them to do the greatest work of their careers – and rewarding them for outstanding contributions to our growth. If you want to learn more about our story, visit http://www.steampunk.com.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Steampunk participates in the E-Verify program.