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Assistant Director, Usability & Accessibility Center, MSU
Jan 21 05
Source: CHI-Jobs
Position Posting
Assistant Director, Usability & Accessibility Center
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is seeking candidates for the position of Assistant Director of the Usability and Accessibility Center (Academic Specialist rank). The position is full time, annual year, fixed-term starting in April 2005 or as soon as possible thereafter. We offer a competitive salary, outstanding benefits package and the professional advantages of an environment that supports your development and recognizes achievements.
The University: Michigan State University (www.msu.edu), with 44,500 students, is one of the largest public land grant universities and has the distinction of belonging to the Association of American Universities (AAU). MSU's mission of teaching, research, and outreach is supported by the university's diverse employment base of approximately 12,000, including 4,000 faculty and academic staff and 8,000 support staff. MSU is composed of 14 colleges, including three medical schools. The campus is situated on 5,200 acres in a park-like setting in East Lansing, Michigan.
The Usability & Accessibility Center: This newly created, cross-disciplinary unit (www.usability.msu.edu) is designed to provide leadership in evaluating the degree to which new interface technologies are useful, usable, accessible, and appealing to a broad cross-section of people. The Center supports and advocates for the development of accessible interface technologies for people with disabilities. The Center conducts research, usability testing, and accessibility evaluations; provides training, formal education, and consulting services; and participates broadly in local, regional, national, and international usability and accessibility communities of practice. Housed in University Outreach & Engagement (www.outreach.msu.edu), it serves faculty, students, and organizations at the University, as well as external clients through consulting, collaborative research, educational programming, publications, and the sponsorship of open houses, workshops, and symposia. The Center makes its state-of-the-art testing facility available as a resource to support undergraduate and graduate credit courses and curricular programs.
Qualifications
The Assistant Director will be responsible for helping to build the Center into a self-sustaining unit within two years that serves internal as well as external constituencies. The successful candidate will have proven business development experience, expert knowledge in user-centered design methodologies, extensive usability & accessibility product consulting experience, and the ability to participate in research grant-writing teams.
Specific qualifications include:
· A passion for bringing the user's perspective into the design and software development process, advocating for greater attention to usability and accessibility in the interface between humans and technology.
· Bachelors degree, advanced degree preferred, in human-computer interaction, human factors, usability engineering, information design, cognitive science, or related field
· 3+ of years professional experience in client management and business development. Responsible for developing new external accounts and maintaining client satisfaction. Directly manages and develops engagements with external clients. Educates business owners and developers on the importance of design guidelines and usability testing.
· Expertise and demonstrated experience in user interface design, concept usability evaluations, formal usability tests, and web accessibility evaluations. Skilled at conducting upfront research early in the product development process and informing the product direction and strategy. Proficiency in clearly communicating report results in written documents and presentations.
· Ability to work collaboratively across the University and with other groups to develop research grant proposals.
· Expertise and experience in developing business plans and strategies. Ability to create budgets and budget forecasts.
· Excellent organizational, interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills. The ability to use effective communication skills to maintain and develop working relationships across various corporate, education, and government clients is essential.
To apply, please send a letter describing your interest and pertinent qualifications, resume, and the names and contact information of four professional references. The review of applications will begin on February 11, 2005, but applications will be accepted until suitable candidates are identified and the position is filled.
E-mail: Dr. Sarah Swierenga (sswieren@msu.edu), Director, Usability & Accessibility Center (no phone calls please)
Mail: Usability & Accessibility Center Search Committee, Michigan State University, 55 Kellogg Center, East Lansing, MI 48824-1022
Fax: 517-432-9541
MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity institution. Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Persons with disabilities have the right to request and receive reasonable accommodation.