Consultant — East Coast

Posted April 12, 2011

At XPLANE | Dachis Group, our job is to take complicated information and make it clearer – as a consultant, your job is to design and facilitate the discovery process to get all that important information out of the heads of the SMEs and into the hands of our designers. Consultants facilitate client sessions while partnering with a visual designer to get at the heart of our client’s complicated stories. We are seeking to fill a contract and/or full-time position as a consultant based out of Atlanta.

Is this you?

You can rapidly drive clarity around core concepts and facilitate decision making with groups across various business sectors from high tech to hospitality. You have an understanding of current thinking in business models and the technical architectures that power them. You know how visual facilitation methodologies work, and have ideas on how to improve them. You have experience in organizational development and change management as well. You can connect the dots from technical decisions up to strategy and back again, and you love doing it.

Working with a small team and a whiteboard, you can define the needs, provide direction, and arrive at solutions. This may mean facilitating meetings with subject matter experts and decision makers, creating and giving presentations, and proposing solutions. In all cases you are an excellent listener and analyst; you are experienced in using visualization techniques to capture, clarify and organize information. You’re a great communicator who can think, draw, and write your way to a solution.

If this is you, XPLANE can offer you a chance to work on the latest and greatest projects, collaborate with the brightest of clients, and work with XPLANE’s world-class in-house talent. We’re looking forward to meeting you!

Essential duties:

• Design and facilitate discovery plans. Manage the client’s discovery experience.
• Create session captures and other documentation for client and internal XPLANE team.
• Recommend deliverables and collaborate with the XPLANE team through approved initial concept.
• Contribute to our toolkit of visual thinking practices and be an active participant in improving our consulting practice.
• Continue to develop your own expertise and be a thought leader.

Requirements & responsibilities:

• Experience consulting in areas related to vision and strategy, internal change initiatives, marketing communications, and organizational development.
• A visual thinking practitioner who is experienced in using visualization techniques to capture, clarify and organize information. You can add to our toolkit of best practices and contribute to thought leadership in this area.
• An excellent listener and facilitator who knows how to draw out the real info behind what your sources are telling you. Not only are you skillful at reviewing and analyzing large quantities of complex data, but you revel in the chance to synthesize information into logical structures.
• Strong business acumen and ability to comprehend complex issues. Good general knowledge of a broad range of topics. You don’t have to be an expert on everything, but you can get yourself up to speed enough to follow almost any topic. Understanding of the high-tech industry is especially helpful.
• Great writing skills are a bonus.

Job competencies:

Facilitation | Effectively facilitates discovery meetings and manages the client discovery experience. Takes the initiative to communicate accurate information to clients. Express thoughts clearly, both verbally and in writing. Maintain a high level of interest and enthusiasm for consulting.

Creativity & Innovation | Develops new ideas and unique and novel solutions to problems. Develops, sponsors, or supports the introduction of new and improved methods, products, procedures, or technologies.

Flexibility & Responsiveness | Recognizes and responds to unanticipated events and requirements. Willing to do what is necessary to get the desired results. Reacts quickly in responding to needs of projects, team, clients.

Organization & Planning | Establishes a course of action for self or others to accomplish a specific goal. Takes a methodical approach to planning and guiding project processes and resources from start to finish.

Analytical Ability | Ability to review, analyze, and synthesize information in order to make it more easily understood and recommend a specific course of action. Comprehend complex business issues. Demonstrate ability to quickly discern clients’ needs and core values.

ADA:

• This is a sedentary position, with occasional periods of standing.
• The position demands extensive keyboarding. Visual acuity required.
• Occasionally asked to lift 25+ pounds.
• Frequent (50%+) travel domestically and internationally.

Interested (and qualified)? Send your résumé to http://xplane.catchthebest.com/apply/18d6/7dae.