Freelance Prototyping Engineer Jobs in Chicago, IL

Department: Educ Research Programs
Salary/Grade: EXS/9
Job Summary:
FUSE seeks an innovative and technically capable Creative Director (CD). The CD leads the creative direction, design, software development, and implementation support that make FUSE challenges and studios engaging, accessible, and sustainable. The position directs creative staff and projects; develops digital media, print, web, and educational materials; creates software and interactive tools with contemporary AI-assisted development methods; co-designs and tests FUSE challenges; and supports educators in using challenges, software, and fabrication technologies such as 3D printers.
*Note: Not all aspects of the job are covered by this job description.
Specific Responsibilities:
Creative Leadership and Project Management

• Works with PI Reed Stevens and Program Director Lizzie Perkins to set the creative vision for FUSE to achieve its educational, communication, marketing, and program-development goals.
• Leads, designs, and manages the creative process and produces digital media and printed materials, including websites, educational and training materials for youth and educators, brochures, reports, marketing, advertising, and promotional materials.
• Manages creative staff, student workers, freelancers, consultants, and vendors; assigns work; develops timelines; leads meetings; reviews work; provides feedback; and maintains project-management documentation.
• Develops and maintains FUSE design, branding, accessibility, and digital-asset guidelines and ensures compliance across materials and platforms.
• Co-leads creative sessions with the PI/Founder, Program Director, researchers, software and challenge developers, media specialists, partners, and consultants to generate and improve ideas.
• May be asked to represent FUSE at conferences, demonstrations, workshops, press events, and partner meetings as appropriate.

FUSE Challenge Design, Curriculum, and Facilitator Training

• Serves as a core member of the FUSE challenge-design team and contributes the arts/design, user-experience, and technology perspective to challenge development.
• Researches, designs, develops, prototypes, tests, and improves FUSE challenges that integrate arts/design with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEAM).
• Conceptualizes and conducts user studies and observations with students and educators; gathers user feedback, analytics, and evidence from implementation to improve challenges and other program components.
• Leads or supports user testing of FUSE challenges, facilitator-training materials, digital tools, and related program components.
• Develops challenge, training, and website content; oversees the design, testing, accessibility, and publication of content supporting FUSE challenges.
• Provides direct support and troubleshooting guidance to FUSE facilitators using challenges, including help with challenge flow, materials, software, student-facing resources, and adaptations.
• Helps train and coach new FUSE facilitators and supports professional learning for educators integrating arts/design and STEM.

Software and AI-Assisted Application Development

• Participates in the development of FUSE software, interactive learning tools, challenge-support applications, web experiences, and internal workflow tools.
• Partners with FUSE staff, educators, students, and other users to translate educational and creative needs into software features, prototypes, and usable products.
• Uses contemporary AI-assisted software-development tools responsibly to accelerate ideation, prototyping, coding, testing, debugging, documentation, accessibility review, and maintenance; independently validates, secures, and maintains all AI-generated or AI-assisted code.
• Researches emerging software, AI, web, data, and fabrication technologies and recommends tools that improve FUSE challenges, educator support, or program operations.
• Applies secure development practices, data protection, version control, documentation, and appropriate human review when using AI tools or handling student, educator, partner, or program data.

Creative Media, Communications, and Collateral

• Oversees the design and production of digital media, printed collateral, promotional materials, and educational media for FUSE.
• Writes and edits copy for diverse digital and print materials and develops storyboards for creative concepts.
• Designs and produces engaging digital media for marketing, branding, educational, and training purposes.
• Guides the Digital Media Producer and other collaborators in creating and publishing social-media and web content.
• Leads user testing and implementation of website and digital-media changes and updates materials as needed.

Educator, Studio, and Fabrication Technology Support

• Works with Program Director and Program Coordinator to support FUSE teachers and partner schools with the technology required to implement challenges, including student devices, software installers, accounts, web access, and approved configurations.
• Provides practical guidance on fabrication technologies used in challenges, including 3D printers and related design, slicing, materials, calibration, maintenance, and troubleshooting procedures.
• Works with other technical staff to develop and tests FUSE software and hardware to determine technical requirements; maintains recommended installation and configuration guidance for partner schools.
• Works with other technical staff to coordinates with IT, vendors, and school contacts to resolve implementation problems and improve the reliability and usability of FUSE technology.
• Works with program director and program coordinator to develop and maintain challenge kits, sourcing high-quality components and ensuring that materials and technology support the intended student experience.

Other Duties

• Performs duties as assigned in support of FUSE research, program development, partnerships, communications, and implementation.

Miscellaneous
Perform other duties as assigned
Minimum Qualifications:

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in design, human-computer interaction, computer science, information technology, education, communications, or a related field; or an appropriate combination of education and experience.
• Five or more years of relevant experience in creative direction, design leadership, educational media, software/application development, user experience, or a related combination of fields.
• Experience leading complex creative or software projects from concept through testing, launch, documentation, and iterative improvement.
• Experience working with educators, youth audiences, university partners, schools, or other diverse stakeholders.

Minimum Competencies:

• Creative leadership, visual and interaction design, web and accessibility best practices, and production of digital and print materials.
• Strong written, oral, interpersonal, team-building, organizational, and project-management skills.
• Ability to design and facilitate user testing, interpret qualitative and quantitative feedback, and improve educational experiences based on evidence.
• Working knowledge of contemporary AI-assisted development tools, including prompt-based coding, code-generation and review tools, testing assistants, documentation tools, and responsible-use practices.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple competing priorities, and collaborate across research, creative, software, and program teams.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in human-computer interaction, art, graphic design, computer science, education, marketing, communications, learning sciences, or a related field.
• Experience developing educational materials, STEAM challenges, professional-development programs, digital media, or interactive learning environments for youth and educators.
• Experience with 3D printing, digital fabrication, CAD/design tools, makerspaces, or school-based technology implementation.
• Experience working with FUSE or comparable challenge-based, project-based, studio, maker, or informal-learning programs.

Preferred Competencies and Technical Experience:

• Experience with design and media tools such as Adobe Creative Cloud, Figma, video/audio tools, content-management systems, and accessible web production.
• Experience with AI-assisted development environments and models, including code-generation, debugging, test-generation, documentation, and rapid prototyping workflows.
• Experience with educational platforms, analytics, CRM or support systems, Slack, Salesforce, Zendesk, Mailchimp, or comparable tools.
• Experience with 3D printers and related software, materials, calibration, maintenance, and classroom troubleshooting.
• Knowledge of FERPA-aware data practices, accessibility, secure software development, version control, iterative/agile development, and user-centered design.

Target hiring range for this position will be between $90,000 - $100,000 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data
Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful and competitive benefits. The available benefits package for this position will include health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance; paid vacation and holidays; paid medical/sick and parental leave; tuition benefits for the employee and dependents; pre-tax and flex spending accounts for commuting and dependent care; generous retirement savings options; and wellness programs. For a comprehensive overview of available benefits, including eligibility details, visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.
Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.
Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more
Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement . Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process .
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