Design Thinking Facilitator

About Us:

CMR University (CMRU), Bangalore is a private university in the state of Karnataka, established under the Act 45 of 2013. The University fosters creative communities where new ideas are nurtured, new discoveries made, and new creations shared. CMRU works with the vision “To nurture creative thinkers who will drive positive global change.” CMR University aims to promote and undertake the advancement of university education across a plethora of disciplines viz architecture, design, engineering, law, management, economics & commerce, social sciences & humanities, education, and science studies. The University also aims to equip students with the required skills and knowledge to pursue a successful career in their chosen field of study.

Position Overview:

The vision of CMR University is “To nurture creative thinkers who will drive positive global change”. This role is directly in line with the vision as it is focused on radically transforming the way students approach problem solving. As part of the Dept. of Common Core Curriculum, the Design Thinking Team is focused on developing a culture of innovation among the students and faculty through planning and facilitating workshops for students as well as faculty across all disciplines and streams.

Key Responsibilities:

• At CMR, Design Thinking is being offered as a credit course. Your key role would be to facilitate Design Thinking workshops for students- this is currently in the form of an intensive workshop delivered over 3-5 days per batch.
• As a facilitator, the role demands a deep understanding of Design Thinking, and an ability to work well with students - creating a positive and encouraging atmosphere for promoting creative thinking.
• Give students the methods and a toolbox they can use straightaway to empathize and find problems, turn problems into opportunities for solutions, prototype and experiment and create a roadmap for implementation
• The role may demand switching between online and offline mode of conducting workshops- based on the need/ covid regulations- it requires an ability to connect with students- switching from team to team in order to push their thinking.
• You will work closely with the Design Thinking Team on the curriculum - which is constantly evolving based on feedback from the sessions, altering it to suit the needs of every stream.
• At the end of every workshop, recording and uploading the assessments as well as other administrative details in the college portal.
• Planning and executing faculty workshops, planning other events such as an exhibition/ hackathons/ sprints for students to collaborate outside the classroom space- activating the Maker’s space etc. along with the Design Thinking Team.

This role is very fulfilling and rewarding as you will get to work closely with students and actually see a transformation over the course of the workshops. If you love teaching/ are energized by working with students, this is a great opportunity for you.

Qualification & Professional Background:

• Strong facilitation skills, articulate, well-spoken and excellent at communication, especially at oral, visual and written communication.
• An ability to work collaboratively- to give and receive feedback with grace ; ability to work well cross-functionally.
• Passion for learning and relentless improvement; able to work comfortably under pressure in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
• Self-starter who takes initiative and is driven by new challenges.
• Strong work ethic and rigorous attention to detail.
• Bachelors in any domain is mandatory (we may consider if you have the above skills along with having done a course in Design Thinking).
• Preferred PG/ Masters in any design related field or Postgraduate qualifications in behavioral or social sciences, such as psychology, anthropology, sociology, human factors or a related subject area. Or MBA from B-School, or PG in management.
• Course on Design Thinking with minimum work experience applying the concepts for 2-3 years post the completion of the course is preferred.

Key Competencies:

• Facilitation skills
• Presentation skills- ability to create effective slides and present.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Design Thinking,
• Creative thinking
• User Research
• Empathy
• Experimentation
• Storytelling
• Ability to handle any challenge with grace

We would love to hear from you!