Senior Special Advisor in Ottawa

We are seeking a Senior Special Advisor to provide expert advisory services in User Experience (UX) Research and Design, including Design Thinking, to support a newly established section within DHRIM (DHRIM 12) engaging the Chief of Military Personnel (CMP) group on the modernization of military HR solutions. The receiving team is newly formed and still being staffed — there is currently no manager, team lead, or technical advisor in place. Many of CMP's existing solutions were built on an ad-hoc basis outside formal governance, leaving little documentation of workflows, technical design, or how those solutions are managed. Current practices also fall short of Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) guidance on user-centred research, design, and testing.

You will investigate current practices against industry and Government of Canada standards, and advise senior leadership, managers, and clients on implementing modern UX research and design practices — aligning DHRIM with TBS and DND/CAF policies and directives.

Key Responsibilities

• Review current DHRIM procedures and research emerging practices in UX research and design; develop an implementation strategy and plan to improve DHRIM's operational effectiveness and efficiency.
• Review current DND/DGEAS procedures against TBS's Policy on Service and Digital, and DND/CAF's Digital Strategy and Data Strategy; recommend methodologies to implement, monitor, and continuously improve alignment.
• Conduct research and identify modern technology and process options for transitory military HR solutions by documenting and analyzing existing solutions and business processes.
• Support DND/CAF DHRIM implementation teams by monitoring and evaluating in-flight engagement processes with business clients, and provide strategic advice on UX research practices and operational efficiency opportunities, while maintaining policy compliance.
• Provide training and direction on how DHRIM can leverage UX research and user-centric approaches so the manager and deputy director can integrate them into business processes.
• Develop an implementation plan including: research into industry best practices and policy alignment, an implementation plan, Standard Operating Procedures for UX Research and Design, and a toolkit/template set for practical use.
• Engage directly with business clients and user groups (interviews, workshops, surveys, guided discussions) using qualitative, quantitative, and evaluative UX research methods; document engagements, findings, and workflows.
• Work under the guidance of a DND technical advisor, manager, and deputy director; monitor and adapt current and proposed processes to align with DHRIM/CMP culture and capabilities.
• Validate proposed strategies, methodologies, and implementation plans through hands-on trial and implementation with CMP users.

Requirements

• Minimum 3 large projects, within the last 10 years, for a complex federal government organization, providing expert advisory services in design thinking, UX research, and UX design (minimum 6 months per project, with role description and at least 2 examples of specific advisory steps taken per project).
• Minimum 5 years' experience (within the last 7 years) leading at least 3 large digital business transformation projects for complex organizations as the lead UX designer performing research methodologies, with identified methodologies and resulting service design artifacts per project.
• Minimum 5 years' experience (within the last 7 years) developing strategies, service blueprints, and implementation plans for teams leading digital solution design adopting UX research and design — for digital solutions in production with 2,000+ users, including at least 3 project examples presenting strategies to senior officials.
• Eligible to obtain or currently hold a SECRET security clearance.