The University of Washington’s Institute for Neurodiversity and Employment (INE) has an outstanding opportunity for a Neuroinclusive Student Systems Designer to join their team. About this Opportunity Reporting to the Associate Director for Employer & Community Engagement, the Neuroinclusive Student Systems Designer is responsible for organizational-level analytical, developmental, and consultative services to student-supporting units to strengthen the university’s student systems and learning environments for neurodivergent students.
The position serves as a subject-matter expert and strategic consultant to UW units and external education partners across Washington State, leading them through complex, non-routine analyses of student support systems and practices to identify gaps, barriers, and opportunities affecting neurodivergent students. This is a hybrid position with an expectation to work on-site at the UW Seattle campus at least 4 days per week; the remaining days may be worked remotely, with supervisor approval.
Occasional schedule flexibility is required for evening or weekend events (typically two to three times a quarter). Applicants who are invited to a phone interview will be provided with a full detailed job description and details about our full selection process. Key Responsibilities UW Student Systems Analysis and Design (30%) Conduct structured assessments of current UW student systems impacting neurodivergent students (e.g., transition points, service pathways, referral workflows, career readiness supports, learning environment supports).
Use mixed-method analysis (process mapping, stakeholder interviews, student feedback, service utilization patterns, and outcomes indicators) to identify root causes, bottlenecks, and inequities in access and experience. Develop analyses and recommendations (tradeoffs, implementation requirements, risks, resource implications, and anticipated impact) for UW unit leaders and INE leadership. Translate findings into actionable system redesign proposals (future-state workflows, roles/responsibilities, service standards, and implementation roadmaps).
Implementation Consulting and Proof-of-Concept Pilots (20%) Partner with campus units like New Student & Transfer Programs, Career Services, and Disability Resources for Students to co-design and launch pilot programs advancing neuroinclusive student support and career readiness. Provide consultative implementation services such as: readiness assessments, change impact analyses, stakeholder alignment, pilot design, and operationalization of new workflows.
Develop and deliver proof-of-concept pilot career exploration and career readiness workshops to the UW students. Document pilot learning's and implementation requirements to support replication and scaling across UW. Measurement, Feedback Mechanisms, and Continuous Improvement (15%) Maintain clear documentation for datasets, data dictionaries, metric definitions, coding decisions, assumptions, source tracking, and analytic methods.
Organize shared files, templates, protocols, and version-controlled working materials that support continuity, reproducibility, and future handoff of project outputs. Establish baseline and ongoing feedback mechanisms to assess student experience and initiative impact (in collaboration with INE’s research pillar and participating units) in collaboration with INE measurement lead. Co-develop and implement surveying and feedback collection processes, guided by UW and IRB policies in collaboration with INE measurement lead.
Define evaluation questions, metrics, and data collection approaches (e.g., surveys, focus groups, structured feedback loops), ensuring accessibility, privacy, and ethical practices in collaboration with INE researchers. Analyze results and produce decision-ready summaries and recommendations to improve program designs and inform scaling and resource decisions in collaboration with INE researchers. Development of UW-wide Toolkit, Standards, and Knowledge Translation (15%) Develop and maintain a UW-specific Neuroinclusion Toolkit that translates research and pilot findings into practical, scalable guidance (standards, templates, playbooks, checklists, and implementation guides).
Curate and synthesize promising practices from lead units into resources that can be adapted across UW and, over time, across campuses. Create dissemination materials that support consistent adoption (implementation briefs, FAQs, training aids, and practice guides). Convening and Capacity-Building (10%) Convene a Student Support Services Working Group and cross-campus communities of practice to surface insights and drive consistent, system-wide improvements. • Facilitate faculty/staff communities of practice to surface system-level insights, validate proposed improvements, and support consistent implementation.
Facilitate quarterly neuroinclusive pedagogy/teaching workshops with the Center for Teaching and Learning, ensuring workshop content is aligned with identified system needs and toolkit guidance. Supports the phased expansion of the Institute's consultative model beyond UW, including adapting analytical frameworks, tools, and engagement approaches for external WA education organizations (Universities, Workforce development orgs, public and private K-12 Schools) as the program scales in later grant years.
Contribute to planning and readiness activities including; partner identification, framework adaptation, relationship-building to prepare for the extension of services to external education organizations. Develop and manage the Teen Summer Work Experience Internship program in partnership with the Canopy Foundation. Co-design, with the Associate Director for Employers and Community engagement, external facing workshops demonstrating or highlighting UW student system best practices.
Workshop’s target audience would be education leaders, external student advocates, teachers, and administrators. Innovation Grants and Showcase Dissemination (5%) Support UW-wide innovation grants/awards that accelerate adoption of neuroinclusive practices, including managing related budgets. Track small budgets related to innovation grant announcements/awards and initiative activities; monitor planned vs. actuals and prepare budget status updates for leadership.
Plan and host UW showcase events highlighting program outcomes and implementation lessons. Additional Responsibilities (5%) Contribute to internal planning, budget inputs, timelines, and risk management for outreach initiatives. Attend and participate in team, committee, workgroup, iSchool, and/or University meetings to contribute to effective communication and collaboration.
Participate in and support team, iSchool, and University events, initiatives, and activities as needed. Engage in ongoing professional development opportunities to remain current on industry standards, emerging trends, and technological advancements. Lead Responsibilities May direct the work of part-time program assistants and/or student employees.
Coordinate and guide volunteers during programs and events. Required Qualifications To be considered for this opportunity your application must demonstrate you meet both the minimum qualifications and additional qualifications listed below. Equivalent education and/or experience may substitute for
except when there are legal requirements, such as a license, certification, and/or registration.
Additional Document Required (See "Supplemental Application Material" below) Applicants who do not meet these qualifications WILL NOT be forwarded to the Hiring Manager. Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (higher education, special education, disability studies, human services, social work, or related). 3 years of progressively responsible experience performing program operations analysis, service design, process improvement, program evaluation, or related work requiring independent judgment.
Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all
except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration. Additional Qualifications Experience with evaluation and measurement design (survey design/administration, focus groups/interviews, logic models, dashboards). Demonstrated experience conducting complex analysis and producing written recommendations for leadership (e.g., options analyses, findings summaries, implementation roadmaps) in student support areas.
Demonstrated ability to use data and feedback (quantitative and qualitative) to assess effectiveness and recommend improvements. Ability to develop and maintain organized systems for project tracking, data documentation, source management, and analytic outputs. Strong analytical skills and demonstrated ability to structure ambiguous information into organized datasets, benchmarks, frameworks, inventories, or decision-support materials.
Applied experience in neuroinclusion, disability inclusion, accessibility, or inclusive learning environments. Experience facilitating cross-functional stakeholders to define requirements and implement changes.
Master’s degree in a relevant field. Experience in higher education student services and/or teaching and learning support (e.g., advising, student life, career services, disability services, first-year programs). Experience coordinating space-related accessibility or sensory-environment improvements (requirements gathering, stakeholder coordination, implementation follow-through).
Working Conditions This is a hybrid position with an expectation to work on-site at the UW Seattle campus at least 4 days per week; the remaining days may be worked remotely, with supervisor approval. Occasional schedule flexibility is required to support evening or weekend events, typically a few times per quarter. Advance notice will be provided, when possible, for any required schedule adjustments related to special events or programming needs.
Occasional travel within the UW Seattle campus and partner sites across Washington state. Ability to attend and manage events for extended periods of time and oversee setup. This position is funded by external grant support and differs from traditional University of Washington staff roles in that continued employment is contingent upon the availability of grant funding.
The initial funding is expected to continue through August 2030, with the possibility of extension, subject to renewed or additional funding. Candidates should be aware that the duration and continuation of this role depend on successful grant renewals or the acquisition of alternative funding sources. Required Supplemental Application Materials We know resumes don't tell the whole story.
In place of a cover letter, we invite you to respond to the prompt below in whatever format works best for you — paragraphs, bullets, or a mix of both. . Tell us about the skills, strengths, and experiences you would bring to this role. Include an example of those abilities in action and anything we might miss by looking only at your resume.
Examples can come from any part of your life. Use paragraphs, bullets, or another format that works for you. 200–500 words or 5–10 bullets. About the Team The UW Institute for Neurodiversity and Employment (INE) is a new collaborative effort to bring together leading scholars and practitioners from various disciplines to build the capacity of the University of Washington, Washington State, and the nation to create meaningful employment opportunities and career experiences for neurodivergent people.
We carry out our mission in collaboration with community leaders, employers, nonprofits, and foundations through translational research, applied professional education and training, community empowerment, advocacy, and leading the way as