If you are committed to public service, enjoy collaborating with others, share our values and have a desire to learn and grow, join The City of Calgary. City employees deliver the services, run the programs and operate the facilities which make a difference in our community. We support work-life balance, promote physical and psychological safety, and offer competitive wages, pensions, and benefits. Together we make Calgary a great place to make a living, a great place to make a life.

The City is committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive and equitable workplace which is representative of the community we serve. We welcome those who have demonstrated a commitment to upholding the values of equity, diversity, inclusion, anti-racism and reconciliation. Applications are encouraged from members of groups that are historically disadvantaged and underrepresented. Accommodations are available during the hiring process, upon request.

As part of the Collaboration, Analytics, and Innovation business unit, The Innovation Lab is an internal consultancy that serves the Corporation through:

• Project consulting through complex, human-centred challenges affecting Calgarians and City staff.
• Professional Learning for City staff to learn and apply innovation methodologies and tools.
• Stewardship of the Innovation Network to enhance relationships across The City and build the network to support innovation.

Part strategy, part execution, the Senior Innovation Designer plays a critical role in the development, maintenance, and evaluation of strategies for specific portfolios within the Innovation Lab. The Senior Innovation Designer is an active innovation and design practitioner delivering the Innovation Lab's services. A large part of the Sr. Innovation Designer's work is focused on leading the projects in the Lab portfolio that are of high complexity, impact, and political nuance. These complex problems often involve:

• Competing human needs, have been "stuck", and have cross political/administrative boundaries.
• Challenges in navigating political and power dynamics, including leadership across multiple business units.
• High stakes, with potential impacts on council, Calgarians, and The City's reputation.
• Linked to a strong Corporate champion at the senior leadership level.

This posting is seeking up to 2 Senior Innovation Designers to support the partnerships with internal City Departments and/or Business Units. Primary duties include:

Opportunity Development, Design, Execution, & Measurement

• Play an active role in business development for project opportunity development from within the internal partnerships with Departments and/or Business Units, leveraging existing and developing new networks, and articulating the Innovation Lab¿s services.
• Lead higher complexity projects including:
  • Development of project plans, scopes of work and subsequent execution.
  • Champion, plan, and design for human-centered (e.g., Calgarians, Businesses, and staff) solutions to longstanding problems to create improved City services.
  • During and post-project close out, lead lessons learned and reflective sessions both with the client & internal to the Innovation Lab team to capture and disseminate knowledge.

Innovation Lab Partnership Strategic Portfolio Leadership

• Lead the strategic portfolio for the partnership with the with Departments and/or Business Units including:
  • Supporting oversight of concurrent projects and providing appropriate status updates to the Team Lead, Partnerships as required
  • Interfacing directly with Project Leads and Partnership leads to strategically align towards mutual goals
  • With oversight of the Team Lead, Partnerships develop and lead annual goal setting workshops for the Partnership and track & report progress.
  • Contribute in knowledge sharing amongst the Partnership portfolios with other areas of The City, including portfolio-related processes, change management strategies, and opportunities for cross-departmental collaboration.

Informal Leadership and Mentorship

• Play an active role in teammates professional development including innovation mindsets, skillsets, and practice through:

  • Guiding approaches to project execution, including challenging conversations with project clients/partners and advocacy for a particular approach.
  • Providing in-the-moment feedback to coach and learn from work situations.

• Be an innovation methodology and process Subject Matter Expert for clients on projects, providing:

  • Guidance, coaching and advocacy for those involved with or affected by projects (e.g., front line staff to Executive Sponsors).
  • Coach client project-leads and their leadership through the unknown/ambiguous nature of taking an innovation approach.

• Build trusting relationships beyond just direct project clients to ensure buy-in for innovation and change from other affected and related service-owners.

• Play an active role in strengthening team culture, collaboration, and knowledge sharing.

We believe diverse teams make better decisions. We're committed to building a team that reflects a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences - including those of people with disabilities, racialized individuals, 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, and other equity-deserving groups. We welcome and encourage applications from individuals whose lived experiences can broaden our team's thinking. Candidates who require flexible working arrangements are also encouraged to apply.

Qualifications

• Degree in Science, Anthropology, Social Science, Public Administration, Business, Design, Planning or a related degree.
• At least 8 years of experience using innovation methodologies and practices as well as strong facilitation skills.
• Additional skills and experiences in the following will be considered assets:
  • Service Design, Design Thinking, Human-Centered Design, Systemic Design, Behavioral Insights, Systems Thinking, Design and/or strategy Sprints and other innovation methodologies.
  • Management Consulting (or equivalent) in the public, private or not-for-profit sectors.
  • Ability to manage multiple projects from conception to delivery, delivering great customer service.
  • Knowledge and/or experience in strategic planning and relationship building in a complex and political environment.
• Our work and culture is extremely collaborative, successful applicants in the role will be possess:
  • The ability to self-direct, working both independently and collaboratively with others to achieve high-quality outputs.
  • Excellent communication skills for diverse audiences.
  • Refined political acumen.
  • Well-developed consulting and facilitation skills.
  • Ability to develop relationships and project opportunities.
  • Ability to influence without authority laterally and vertically on projects.
  • A bias to action, growth mindset, curiosity and ability to check biases.

Pre-employment Requirements

• Applicants will be tested for appropriate skills.
• Successful applicants must provide proof of qualifications.

Union: CUPE Local 38

Business Unit: Collaboration, Analytics and Innovation

Position Type: up to 2 positions (1 permanent and 1 temporary - up to 18 months)

Location: 800 Macleod Trail S.E.

Compensation: Pay Grade 13 $49.32 - 66.00 per hour

Days of Work: This position typically works a 5 day

work week, with 1 day off in each 3 week cycle.

Hours of work: Standard 35 hour work week

Audience: Internal/External

Apply By: October 9, 2025

Job ID #: 312574