Career Opportunities

STRATFOR is headquartered in Austin, Texas. In addition, we employ people in geopolitically significant areas around the world.

Jobs

Interaction Designer

SKILLS NEEDED:

Not a highly technical skillset. Excellent skills in page schematics, functional specifications, interaction flows, site maps, navigation systems, and web-appropriate writing. Minimum 3 years dedicated experience in information architecture and interaction design for web sites. Ability to create site maps (blueprints) and “polished” mockup/interface designs (wireframes). Ability to articulate business strategy and branding issues, and to balance these with user needs and technological constraints. Familiarity with technical issues around web development and ability to work constructively with engineering teams to implement site / template redesigns. Demonstrated ability to communicate persuasively, and resolve issues between multiple stakeholders. Ability to interact positively with all levels of employees and management.

NICE TO HAVE SKILLS:

Background in writing / journalism / brand strategy. Leadership and/or management experience, including project management. A strong understanding of designing dynamic websites with high traffic and a constant flow of new content. Experience designing around and incorporating new media (flash, video, podcasts). Strong background in persuasion and effective online merchandising. Familiarity working with web analyst to discover marketing, merchandising, and customer usage behaviors.

SCOPE/DAY TO DAY DUTIES:
Will be determining entire site experience, including site navigation, page layout and content flow for multiple types of visitors. Will be meeting with the business owner regularly and asking business questions to establish new site design and visitor experience, will be determining the wireframe. The Interaction Designer finds out how they want the customer experience to be. The Information Architect/Interaction Designer (IA/ID), part of the Web Usability Team, works closely with usability engineers, business partners, visual designers, and developers to create web-based systems that are user-centered.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Understand and apply principles of user centered design to information architecture, interaction design, and interface design. Plan and conduct user research, including ethnographic observation and stakeholder interviews to understand and analyze user experience, expectations and requirements. Utilize appropriate design techniques such as user modeling, storyboarding, scenario development, high-level use case definition, task analysis, and other activities to capture and develop user requirements and integrate these into product design. Research internal business partners’ organizations, their goals, their users, and their content. Explore technologies that complement the abilities of humans to add value to information. Assist in the continual improvement of the Web Usability Team’s processes and methods, and the documentation associated with them.

PREFERRED/REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
-3 + years professional experience developing interactive products as an Information Architect, Interaction Designer or Experience Designer

-Experience working within high-traffic sites

-Experience with eCommerce site design
-Expertise with working with back-end web developers to transition your wireframes & site design into code
-Experience observing user research and translating user research into design decisions
-Excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills

Educational Characteristics:
4-year degree in related field preferred (Human Factors, Design, human-computer interaction, cognitive psychology, etc.)

Must send a portfolio of work that is available online (preferably) or in PDF format. Your portfolio must emphasize your web design and wireframe experience.

To apply, send portfolio, cover letter, resume and salary requirements to designer@stratfor.com.

Only applicants already in the Austin and surrounding areas will be considered.

Multimedia Internship - Spring Semester

Gain a world of experience with an internship at an internationally recognized publishing firm in Austin. As a valued member of our Multimedia team, you will assist in producing regular videos on the most important global issues of the day. We seek applicants with broadcast journalism backgrounds, specifically:

• Knowledge of Final Cut Studio software
• Basic understanding of video and audio components
• Interest in production and post-production processes
• Basic understanding of visual story-telling techniques
• Effective writing skills for broadcast and the Web
• Some knowledge of foreign affairs a plus – passion for world events and learning essential!

During this 20-hour-per-week internship, you will gain experience in every aspect of our Web video production process. You will be responsible for:

• Shooting and logging interviews with analysts
• Building and maintaining a video library
• Completing video rough cuts of material supplied by producers and analysts
• Distributing videos to partners and sites
• Analyzing web traffic and views of videos on various distribution channels

You also will have regular opportunities to contribute to our video story and programming ideas, and will write and voice at least one original script.

Please send resume and three samples of both written and broadcast work (links OK) to no later than Nov. 30 to multimedia@stratfor.com . The starting date for the internship is flexible, but will begin no later than Jan. 18, 2010.

Analysis Internship

From their first day, STRATFOR interns enter into a substantive, intensive and fast-paced program. Not only do interns work directly with analysts to support the production of analyses published on our Web site, they also contribute to intelligence gathering efforts.

During our program, interns divide their time between two of our Areas of Responsibility. These AORs include Eurasia, East Asia, Latin America, Middle East/South Asia, Sub Saharan Africa, Military and Terrorism/Security. Interns also conduct general research for the company.

STRATFOR looks for applicants with diverse educational and professional experience. Successful interns must be proficient researchers and innovative thinkers. Foreign language proficiency is encouraged but not required.

Our internship program provides invaluable experience for applicants seeking careers in global affairs and/or intelligence analysis. In highly selective cases, interns have gained full-time employment with us following their internship.

Travel and cost-of-living stipends are available.

Application Process

Basic information:

STRATFOR’s Internship Program is offered in three semesters:

1. Spring – Jan. 10, 2010 - May 7, 2010 (application deadline Oct. 23, 2009)
2. Summer — May 10, 2010 – Sept. 3, 2010 (application deadline March 12, 2010)
3. Fall — Sept. 7, 2010 – Dec. 20, 2010 (application deadline July 9, 2010)

Please note that applications are handled on a first-come, first- serve basis.

We are no longer taking applications for the Fall internship. The application deadline for the Fall internship is August 1. All interns are expected to work in our Austin, Texas headquarters.

How to apply:

Please send the following documents to internships@stratfor.com

• A “statement of purpose” (1,000 words max) that outlines relevant career experience and career goals as they pertain to the STRATFOR internship. The statement of purpose should outline why the candidate is interested in working for STRATFOR, why the candidate would be a suitable intern and what experience in his or her educational/professional background makes the candidate a suitable fit for STRATFOR.

• Resume

Applicants selected to continue to the second phase of the application process will be asked to write a brief (600 words) analysis. Interviews for the Spring semester (by phone or in person) will be conducted in October. Applicants will be notified about the status of their application by the end of November.