Blenderbox

Lead discovery research, facilitate workshops, synthesize findings, and develop strategic recommendations for a complex digital platform. | Extensive experience in UX research, stakeholder facilitation, strategic discovery, and strong communication skills; public-sector or nonprofit experience is a plus. | Blenderbox is seeking a seasoned User Research Strategist to lead a discovery engagement for one of our public-sector clients. This role will drive the research, facilitation, analysis, and strategic recommendations that inform the direction of a complex digital platform. You'll work closely with our Project Manager, UX/UI Designer, and Technical Product Manager to ensure the discovery work is rigorous, user-centered, and grounded in organizational realities. This is a US-based remote contract position with an anticipated timeline of 6-8 weeks in Q1 2026. What You'll Lead This role is responsible for the core discovery activities that require deep expertise in research, facilitation, and strategy. Your primary focus will be: Stakeholder Engagement & User Research (Majority of the Scope) • Plan and conduct stakeholder interviews across multiple teams and roles • Facilitate cross-functional sessions to uncover needs, workflows, gaps, and areas of opportunity • Conduct user interviews or evaluative research as applicable • Analyze inputs to identify themes, insights, and problem areas Synthesis & Strategic Framing • Develop clear findings, insights, and opportunity areas • Map workflows, journeys, and service touchpoints • Translate research into frameworks that support decision-making Workshops & Alignment Activities • Design and facilitate workshops to validate findings, refine direction, and align stakeholders • Prepare materials, run the sessions, and synthesize outcomes • Partner with the Project Manager and UX/UI designer on facilitation planning and outputs Discovery Deliverables You'll play a central role in preparing key outputs, including: • A findings + insights report • Strategic recommendations and rationale • Early conceptual direction and prioritization • A roadmap-style view of next steps • A synthesized presentation deck for leadership Audit Participation (As Needed) The project includes content, workflow, UX, and accessibility audits that are supported by internal team members. You may: • Assist in reviewing and interpreting audit findings • Contribute to synthesis when audit insights intersect with research themes • Lead specific audit activities if relevant to your experience Early Alignment Support (As Needed) While the Project Manager will lead most early alignment activities, you may support: • Clarifying research questions • Defining user groups and stakeholder dimensions • Shaping the discovery plan Who We're Looking For • Significant experience leading UX research and strategic discovery initiatives • Strong portfolio of complex, multi-stakeholder research projects • Demonstrated ability to synthesize ambiguity into clarity and document findings • Excellent facilitation skills — especially remote workshops • Strong writing and communication abilities for client-facing deliverables • Experience with public-sector, nonprofit, or large institutional environments is a plus • Comfortable partnering collaboratively with UX, PM, and technical roles • US Citizen or authorized to work in the US. Tools + Collaboration Experience using and creating deliverables in tools such as: • Figma / FigJam • Miro • Zoom-based remote facilitation • airtable • google suite • Standard research documentation workflows You'll be embedded in our cross-functional team and supported by a dedicated Project Manager throughout the engagement. How to Apply If this seems like a good fit for you, please apply via the link. Please share: • Your resume or portfolio • A summary of your relevant experience • Please include your hourly rate No Recruiters, please. About Us Blenderbox is a human-centered design and technology agency. We work with governments and organizations to improve their products and services.

Lead and manage large-scale digital projects, coordinate multidisciplinary teams, and ensure successful delivery of web-based solutions. | 7+ years managing digital projects, strong technical understanding of web platforms and CMS, experience with Drupal or WordPress, strategic decision-making, and team guidance. | Blenderbox is a fully-remote (HQ in NYC) human-centered design and technology agency. We work with public-sector organizations to build user-friendly digital services and modernize complex systems. We’re looking for a Senior Digital Project Manager with strong technical acumen, excellent client-facing skills, and the ability to guide complex projects from strategy through delivery. This is a senior role for someone who brings clarity, confidence, and sound judgment. You should be comfortable navigating technical conversations, anticipating risks, identifying opportunities within ongoing work, and and shaping direction throughout the project, not just managing tasks and schedules. What You’ll Do Lead delivery of large-scale digital initiatives across UX, content, engineering, and platform implementation Manage multiple concurrent projects and workstreams, balancing priorities and maintaining steady delivery across teams. Serve as the primary client point of contact and strategic partner, supporting decision-making and guiding discussions around options, risks, and priorities Translate business goals and requirements into structured plans, roadmaps, and decision frameworks Partner with technical leads to interpret requirements, clarify constraints, and ensure technical work is planned and executed smoothly. Manage CMS-focused builds—like Drupal and WordPress—including configuration planning, content migration workflows, and coordination with engineering Oversee QA processes: test plans, acceptance criteria, issue triage, and release readiness Facilitate internal and client meetings and workshops, like sprint planning, kickoffs and reviews, and stakeholder alignment sessions Identify opportunities within projects to improve efficiency, streamline workflows, and support smoother delivery. Support resource planning, including assembling and adjusting project teams based on capacity and required skills Assist in contractor or specialist recruitment when specific expertise is needed Maintain organized project documentation across Jira, Confluence, and Google Workspace Contribute to pre-sales efforts by supporting proposals, scopes, schedules, and delivery models Contribute to strengthening the PM practice by refining internal processes, coordination methods, and delivery standards across the agency. Who Thrives in This Role People who bring clarity and structure to complex or shifting environments People who can self-direct and make informed decisions without constant escalation People who comfortably learn and navigate technical context alongside engineering teams People who balance structure with pragmatism and avoid unnecessary overhead People who recognize opportunities and help shape direction as work evolves People who focus on outcomes and value—not just hours or activity People who collaborate well with UX, engineering, and product strategy teams People who communicate calmly, clearly, and consistently with clients and internal teams People who take ownership of delivery and maintain steady momentum across teams What You Bring 7+ years managing digital projects in an agency or similarly-paced environment (this is a senior role; junior and mid-level candidates will not be considered) Strong technical understanding of web platforms, CMS architectures, APIs, integrations, and development workflows Hands-on experience managing Drupal or WordPress builds, migrations, or enhancements Ability to anticipate risks, understand tradeoffs, and contribute to strategic decisions Experience guiding multidisciplinary teams (UX, engineering, strategy, QA, content) Clear communication skills—able to simplify complexity and move discussions forward Ability to coordinate resources, understand staffing needs, and assemble effective project teams A value-driven approach to delivery—focused on outcomes, efficiency, and thoughtful execution Interest in strengthening PM operations internally through improved processes and cross-team alignment Willingness to support pre-sales and proposal efforts where PM insight is valuable Nice to Have Experience with public-sector or large enterprise modernization projects Familiarity with accessibility standards and requirements (e.g., WCAG concepts) Exposure to discovery methods, IA, content strategy, and structured research processes Understanding of engineering principles or development concepts (not as an engineer, but as a partner to engineering teams) Experience supporting or integrating with SaaS platforms or multi-system ecosystems Agile/Scrum, or other certifications Compensation & Benefits We offer competitive compensation commensurate with experience, along with a benefits package for full-time employees that includes health coverage, paid time off, and retirement contributions. Additional details will be shared during the interview process. Our Approach We focus on delivering well-structured, user-friendly digital services for public-sector organizations. Our teams work with a high level of autonomy and transparency, with an emphasis on clear communication, realistic planning, and consistent follow-through. We value practicality over bureaucracy and look for people who can help strengthen our delivery practice while keeping projects moving with purpose. How to Apply Please submit your résumé, a cover note, a summary of your relevant experience and any samples you wish to show us. Apply using the link. Must be a US Citizen or authorized to work in the US. Due to the anticipated high volume of applications, we regret that only candidates selected to move forward will be contacted. Thank you for your interest in working with us. No recruiters, please.

Lead discovery research, facilitate cross-functional workshops, synthesize insights, and develop strategic recommendations for digital platforms. | Extensive experience in UX research, stakeholder facilitation, strategic discovery, and ability to synthesize complex data into clear insights. | Blenderbox is seeking a seasoned User Research Strategist to lead a discovery engagement for one of our public-sector clients. This role will drive the research, facilitation, analysis, and strategic recommendations that inform the direction of a complex digital platform. You’ll work closely with our Project Manager, UX/UI Designer, and Technical Product Manager to ensure the discovery work is rigorous, user-centered, and grounded in organizational realities. This is a US-based remote contract position with an anticipated timeline of 6-8 weeks in Q1 2026. What You’ll Lead This role is responsible for the core discovery activities that require deep expertise in research, facilitation, and strategy. Your primary focus will be: Stakeholder Engagement & User Research (Majority of the Scope) Plan and conduct stakeholder interviews across multiple teams and roles Facilitate cross-functional sessions to uncover needs, workflows, gaps, and areas of opportunity Conduct user interviews or evaluative research as applicable Analyze inputs to identify themes, insights, and problem areas Synthesis & Strategic Framing Develop clear findings, insights, and opportunity areas Map workflows, journeys, and service touchpoints Translate research into frameworks that support decision-making Workshops & Alignment Activities Design and facilitate workshops to validate findings, refine direction, and align stakeholders Prepare materials, run the sessions, and synthesize outcomes Partner with the Project Manager and UX/UI designer on facilitation planning and outputs Discovery Deliverables You’ll play a central role in preparing key outputs, including: A findings + insights report Strategic recommendations and rationale Early conceptual direction and prioritization A roadmap-style view of next steps A synthesized presentation deck for leadership Audit Participation (As Needed) The project includes content, workflow, UX, and accessibility audits that are supported by internal team members. You may: Assist in reviewing and interpreting audit findings Contribute to synthesis when audit insights intersect with research themes Lead specific audit activities if relevant to your experience Early Alignment Support (As Needed) While the Project Manager will lead most early alignment activities, you may support: Clarifying research questions Defining user groups and stakeholder dimensions Shaping the discovery plan Who We’re Looking For Significant experience leading UX research and strategic discovery initiatives Strong portfolio of complex, multi-stakeholder research projects Demonstrated ability to synthesize ambiguity into clarity and document findings Excellent facilitation skills — especially remote workshops Strong writing and communication abilities for client-facing deliverables Experience with public-sector, nonprofit, or large institutional environments is a plus Comfortable partnering collaboratively with UX, PM, and technical roles US Citizen or authorized to work in the US. Tools + Collaboration Experience using and creating deliverables in tools such as: Figma / FigJam Miro Zoom-based remote facilitation airtable google suite Standard research documentation workflows You’ll be embedded in our cross-functional team and supported by a dedicated Project Manager throughout the engagement. How to Apply If this seems like a good fit for you, please apply via the link. Please share: Your resume or portfolio A summary of your relevant experience Please include your hourly rate No Recruiters, please. About Us Blenderbox is a human-centered design and technology agency. We work with governments and organizations to improve their products and services.

Audit AWS infrastructure and Python/Django app, recommend and implement high-availability and multi-tenant architecture improvements, and enhance CI/CD and monitoring pipelines. | 7+ years DevOps experience with AWS, Terraform, Python/Django, multi-tenant architecture design, containerization, and monitoring expertise. | About EnrollWise EnrollWise is a leading enrollment management platform trusted by major U.S. school districts. We deliver robust, secure, and scalable solutions built on a modern tech stack, including Python/Django with Graphene for GraphQL APIs, Next.js (React + TypeScript), PostgreSQL, Redis, Celery for task queuing, and cloud-based infrastructure with dynamic horizontal scaling using AWS services like ECS, Fargate, S3, and CloudWatch. We're committed to innovation in education technology, powering seamless integrations with third-party services like Twilio, SmartyStreets, Census, ArcGIS, and Student Information Systems. Role Overview We're seeking an experienced Senior DevOps Engineer to audit our current infrastructure and Python/Django application, provide expert recommendations, and guide the transition to a shared tenant (multi-tenant) architecture. Our existing DevOps team handles day-to-day operations, but we need your specialized expertise in high-availability, high-traffic systems to optimize for peak enrollment cycles and ensure enterprise-grade performance as we scale. This position is a contract role and can work remotely anywhere in the US. Collaboration with our team during US business hours is required. Key Responsibilities - Conduct a comprehensive audit of our AWS-based infrastructure (including ECS, Fargate, Terraform IaC, CloudWatch/Sentry monitoring, and disaster recovery setups) and Python/Django application to identify scalability, performance, reliability, and security gaps. - Recommend and implement best practices for high-availability architectures, fault-tolerant mechanisms, and elastic scaling to handle high-traffic scenarios without downtime. - Design and set up a shared tenant instance model, ensuring data isolation, independent scaling per tenant, and compliance with security standards. - Facilitate load testing processes to identify performance optimization opportunities. - Collaborate with our engineering team to enhance CI/CD pipelines, automate deployments, and integrate observability tools for proactive monitoring and alerting. Qualifications - 7+ years of DevOps experience, with proven expertise in building and optimizing high-availability, high-traffic applications (e.g., handling peak loads in SaaS environments). - Deep knowledge of AWS services (ECS, Fargate, S3, CloudFront, WAF, CloudWatch) and Infrastructure-as-Code tools like Terraform. - Familiarity with Python/Django ecosystems, including GraphQL (Graphene), task queues (Celery), and databases (PostgreSQL, Redis). - Experience designing multi-tenant architectures with emphasis on isolation, scalability, and security. - Expert knowledge of containerization (Docker), monitoring/anomaly detection. - Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to communicate technical recommendations clearly. - Prior consulting or auditing roles in fast-growing startups or enterprise environments. Why Join Us? - Make a meaningful impact on education by enhancing a platform that serves millions of students and families. - Flexible part-time schedule. Fully remote. - Competitive hourly rate commensurate with experience.