Overview 

Right now, it’s almost impossible to vote informed on the entire ballot - as a result, most voters guess, leave blanks, or stay home altogether.

We believe that it’s critical to our democracy to help every voter cast an informed vote on every race, every election. That’s why we started BallotReady - a startup that creates digital nonpartisan voter guides and builds tools to help advocacy groups, nonprofits, and companies inform and mobilize voters, powered by the most comprehensive database to every level of government.

Founded in 2015 with funding from the National Science Foundation, the Knight Foundation, and the University of Chicago, BallotReady is an award-winning Chicago startup available nationwide. In 2020, we worked with organizations and brands, including Snapchat, Tiktok, Spotify, and the Miami Heat to inform and turn out over 35 million voters.

Now, we’re focused on upcoming elections in 2021 as well as thinking about how we empower communities to take effective action year-round on the issues they care about. 

Role

The UX and Product Designer is the advocate for voters and community members, working to make the complexity of local elections and political action accessible for every level of politics. 

We are looking for someone passionate about diving into the practical details of advocacy, local government, and organizing to create products that make users feel powerful, optimistic, and proud. Too often civic engagement can be boring, overwhelming, and demoralizing - we’re excited by the possibilities to create something meaningful and fun. 

The UX and Product Designer will work directly with the tech and product team through the discovery, design, and development process to bring great new tools to life. They will be responsible for helping to define the problem, creating low-fidelity prototypes first, conducting stakeholder and user testing and research, and then refining designs based on user feedback and data.

Who We’re Looking For

We’re looking for someone who has some experience with user experience, research, and product and is ready for additional leadership and responsibility. Candidates who have work experience designing in collaboration with engineers, founders, and users will be prioritized. 

In addition, we’re looking for people with the following qualities:

Mission: All of our team members bring a deep commitment to our mission. They understand why this work matters - why great user experience can help someone understand their judicial candidates or complete a plan to vote. 

Curiosity: Relatedly, we’re looking for UX and product designers intensely curious about voters and elections. Our democracy is surprisingly complex, requiring products that account for rank choice voting, fusion ballots, and vote by mail. More broadly, we’re deeply interested in how we can expand our platform to inform citizens beyond elections and hold elected officials accountable year-round. 

Detail: Political data is at the heart of everything we do. Successful candidates will be comfortable diving into the intricacies of local elections and designing for edge cases with keen attention to detail around the structures and subtleties of our electoral system. 

Data: We believe that good design and product decisions are based on data. We endeavor to ground prioritization in measurable goals and track performance based on clear indicators. A strong technical background and ability to understand our database is an asset, but we also support all of our team members in learning SQL and gaining an understanding of our election data.

Accountability: At BallotReady, we’re strong believers in flexibility in exchange for accountability. We trust our team to understand our goals and allocate their time accordingly. This requires strong communication, organization, and self-reflection in order to manage multiple projects without a lot of oversight.

Leadership: BallotReady is a startup, meaning that every single person contributes to our success, roles often change or evolve, and team members are frequently given new projects and asked to figure out how to make them happen. This position is new, so we’re looking for an ambitious problem-solver excited by the ambiguities and possibilities in the role. Ideal candidates are interested in stepping up to identify opportunities, build processes, and drive collaborative solutions that will have a lasting impact. We’re seeking individuals with a strong interest in learning and growing together.

BallotReady is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.

Salary: $80,000 - $110,000

Benefits: equity, healthcare, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, 401k platform, fsa, commuter benefits, unlimited pto

Location: Remote through Covid, open to remote long-term with a preference for Chicago