Description

About the Job

The Minnesota Design Center (MDC) seeks a motivated individual to serve as a Researcher to assist with design, research and project management support for several multi-year community-based research projects. 

This position will require work on one or both of the following projects:

Design Assist

Design Assist project, funded by the Bush Foundation. This three-year project involves working with the MDC staff and research assistants in service to community based organizations, especially those in under-served areas of the Twin Cities and across Minnesota, in need of urban design assistance. 

The position requires a person able to work independently, keeping the Principal Investigator (PI) and senior researchers informed of progress, and making decisions as required in a timely way for the good of the project. The position involves supporting the students working on projects and aiding in design work as assigned by the MDC’s studio head. This work can vary considerably from day to day and can be very complex, so the person in this position needs to be able to respond to diverse needs and switch from one task to another quickly. 

Empowering Small Minnesota Communities (ESMC)

This state-funded, three-year project involves working with several community-based teams led by MDC affiliates and research assistants, in coordination with the regional Executive Directors of the Regional Sustainable Development Partnership, with the staff of the Center for Transportation Studies and the Resilient Communities Project, and with faculty from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. The goal of the project is to help small (under 10,000 population) communities in the state compete more effectively for funding from sources such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and the state’s Legacy, Bonding and LCCMR funds.

Duration:  This is a 12-month appointment with a possible extension based on funding availability, 40 hours per week.

Responsibilities: 

75% Design and research support

• Work with the Design Assist and/or Empowering Small Minnesota Communities leadership to share research information, address challenges, and ensure the progress of the various projects.
• Participate in regular check-in team meetings, various cohort meetings, and problem-solving sessions with team leaders and communities.
• Collaborate closely with the senior researcher to support community design work and on the supervision of the student research assistants.
• Support the creation and delivery of presentations online and in person, providing updates on the plans and progress of the Design Assist and/or EMpowering Small Minnesota Communities project.
• Contribute to the collection and analysis of research data to evaluate the progress of the work and to assess its impact in preparation of yearly reports to the Bush Foundation, collaborative partners, and funders.
• Assist in research, analysis, white papers, and reports that synthesize project designs research for various stakeholders.
• Provide production support for visual communications including creating maps, diagrams, graphics, and renderings.

25% Program management support

• Track and document the outcomes of the work in terms of various metrics of success.
• Share information to facilitate the research work and broaden its impact.  
• Help arrange team cohort meetings and monitor the progress of teams.
• Assist in ensuring that the research work is being done properly and is documented correctly for future use.
• Coordinate with other organizations and communicate the work more broadly to various audiences.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture, architecture, urban design, planning, or geography.
• 2 years of relevant experience, or a combination of education and relevant work experience to equal at least six years.
• Experience with Geographic Information Systems and ESRI’s ArcGIS products such as ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Planner, ArcGIS Storymap, ArcGIS Survey 123, etc.
• Experience with Adobe Creative Cloud products such as Indesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop
• Experience in 3-D modeling and Rendering software such as Sketchup, Rhinoceros, V-Ray, and Enscape.
• Ability to conduct research into the needs of communities and relevant solutions to those needs
• Ability to research and design projects under the supervision of MDC staff

Preferred Qualifications

• Graduate degree in landscape architecture, architecture, urban design, planning, or geography.
• Ability to work independently and to assess information critically.
• Ability to deal with a range of personalities and a diversity of communities.
• Interest in the challenges and opportunities of under-served communities.
• Design-thinking experience involving diverse communities with varied needs.
• Community engagement experience related to environmental and urbanism issues.