Design+Technology Fellows: Changing the way government works

By Chris Willey – JUN 21, 2012

Technology and innovation are fundamental to the ability of this 21st-century agency to achieve our consumer protection mission. That’s why we’re launching an outside-the-box technology hiring initiative – the Design+Technology Fellows program.

What is it? We’re asking the brightest, diverse, most amazing minds in graphic design, development and user experience (UX) to join us for two years, linking up with our divisions to create innovative products that will redefine how work gets done in consumer financial protection.

What it’s not? A program with dusty cubicles, stale ideas, tired ways of thinking, or roadblocks to creativity. We want designers and developers who are looking for the promise and exhilaration of a start-up with the ability to influence and directly impact consumers’ lives.

Here’s how it works:

First, Fellows will IMMERSE themselves in all things CFPB at our DC headquarters to be introduced to the Bureau’s mission and the Technology & Innovation Team’s process. Fellows will then partner with a division to learn its particular priorities and technology needs.
Next, Fellows will HUNKER DOWN in DC or remotely and let the creativity flow. From the location of their choosing, each Fellow will be in constant contact with their partners in the agency to create mission-specific technology solutions.
Occasionally, the Fellows will REGROUP with partners in DC to broaden networks and collaborate in person.

During their time with the CFPB, Fellows will work on any number of projects on their own and with divisions throughout the Bureau:

Produce visualization and analysis instruments with our Research, Markets, and Regulations team that distill complex data and impact decision-making, or create tools for our public website that translate complex issues into everyday language.
Create new tools for our Supervision team with the hundreds of examiners across the country who monitor the practices of the nation’s largest consumer financial institutions.
Develop solutions to consumers’ real problems through technology that enables our Consumer Response team to reach people in difficult financial situations.
Design tools that enable millions of people to make informed financial choices with our Office of Consumer Education and Engagement.
Construct a path to a more efficient and transparent government with our Chief Operating Officer by creating tools that streamline the work of the Bureau.

At CFPB, there is no such thing as business as usual. Our new cohort of Design+Technology Fellows will give us their top-notch skills and two years of their time; we’ll give them the chance to change the lives of consumers and affect how government uses technology. CFPB is an equal opportunity employer.

Want to help us build something awesome? Sign up here.