Influence Perception

Careers

Need a reason to join our team? The list includes (but not limited to): Great insurance (dental, vision, health), long paid Winter Kwanzamas Festivus break, Xbox lunchtime LAN parties, cool t-shirts, free wine and beer, unhealthy snacks, toy guns, gourmet organic coffee, dog hair, pigeon watching association membership, inappropriate jokes and a hip office environment complete with entertaining and endearing co-workers.

Open Positions

Account Executive

Urban Influence an award winning brand firm is on the lookout for an experienced Account Executive. We are looking for a highly driven, business savvy individual who enjoys interacting with clients that will assist in establishing new client business as well as maintaining current client relationships with a minimum of 3 year agency experience.

The Account Executive will work in conjunction with the Principle to follow up on new leads, target potential customers, and successfully create and present proposals to drive new business. Since the Account Executive will project manage each client account from the beginning to the end, he/she will be responsible for building and maintaining a strong working relationship. You must be able to manage deadlines, as well as successfully project manage with the ability to multi-task and problem solve. A positive attitude is a must as well as the ability to work well with others (must play nice!)

Job Description

  • Support and Help Implement business development plan for future revenue goals
  • Research and present target markets for future potential business
  • Assist in creating presentations for initial proposals to prospective
  • Deliver presentations to prospective clients
  • Maintain and develop client relationships and actively seek opportunities for additional
  • work with current and past clients
  • Follow up with potential clients and inquiries
  • Present work-in-progress to clients
  • Facilitate weekly calls
  • Prioritize & set expectations on deliverables
  • Manage all client communication and cross team coordination
  • Increase client base and revenue by assisting with business development efforts
  • Act as liaison between Urban Influence and the client
  • Research and understand clients' market and industry issues
  • Maintain one-on-one communication with clients throughout and between projects
  • Responsible for project estimating and overseeing project budgets.
  • Maintain project delivery schedule and revise as necessary
  • Review work-in-progress and ensure client expectations are being met
  • Oversee quality control.
  • Attend in networking events during and after business hours
  • Some travel required

Education and Skills Required

  • Bachelor’s Degree preferably in business, marketing, communications or a related field
  • Minimum 3 Years Agency Experience
  • Strong written, oral and presentation skills
  • Solid understanding of interactive design principals and processes
  • Must think strategically and be results oriented
  • Understand Branding principals and processes
  • Proficient with MS Office
  • Self starter
  • Organized
  • Ability to be detail oriented and a "big picture" thinker
  • Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively
  • Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously
  • Ability to work well under pressure
  • Proficient with Adobe Suite
  • Sense of humor

Interactive Sr Lead Designer / Jr Art Director

Calling all aspiring Don Drapers, TED enthusiasts, Sagmeister Stalkers, Graphic Exchange Fiends, Tech Conference Bums and Beloved Veterans of the Industry!

Urban Influence is an esteemed Seattle brand and interactive firm on the hunt for a true creative visionary. We want a hungry art director or super senior lead designer to join our collaborative team of culture makers. We are a cadre of designers, developers and writers whose sole goal is to provide companies with the best brand experience possible. We are looking for someone with the experience and vision to elevate brands online, offline and everywhere in-between. You should have a mind for the big picture, an exceptional eye for detail, and the charisma to lead and collaborate on projects with our close-knit team. Our work starts with central brand strategy and extends into all facets of the branding umbrella, ESPECIALLY in the interactive space. You should have noteworthy experience in extending brands across multiple mediums and be in tune with the latest trends and strategies.

THE SKILLS

  • You must be OCD. Down to the pixel. Be able to spot the difference between Knockout Liteweight and Featherweight from a mile away.
  • You get LOLcats, rage memes and Chuck Testa parodies because you love the interactive world. 60-80% of our project bandwidth consists of interactive projects.
  • You were president of your high school art club, but also ruled the student council. You must have design AND leadership experience for a variety of industries, client personalities and sizes.
  • You get people. You are a great communicator. You understand why people do what they do and why. You must play well with others and enjoy a collaborative environment.
  • You get the big picture. You must analyze a project from both the client and customers' perspective, making informed choices with these audiences in mind.
  • You are like Benjamin Franklin. You constantly find new ways and innovative tools to push the boundaries of design and aim to set trends - not just follow them.
  • You know that Apple is not successful just because they created the iPad. You understand what brands are and the importance of a unified, strategically driven brand platform.
  • You are a marathon runner. You have extensive experience managing projects from start to finish, working with team members, clients and vendors.
  • You still get the spinning beach ball. You must still be actively creating, not just directing. This job requires a hands-on approach where you will be expected to design on the projects you lead.
  • You know how to tie a tie. You must understand business objectives and can meet budgets, deadlines and client requirements while still creating top-notch creative.
  • You must have a good handshake. This is a forward facing position that requires interfacing with our clients.
  • 4+ years professional agency / studio experience.

THE DETAILS

  • This is a full time position. If you relate to all things mentioned above send your resume, your kick-a portfolio, and 3 links to your favorite brands (And why) to: work@urbaninfluence.com
  • Do not apply for this job if you do not have extensive design experience in the interactive world.

Design Intern

We utilize our interns for more than making coffee and processing images, giving candidates full exposure to the design process from concept to completion (however there will most definitely be coffee making and image processing). We are looking for someone with a firm understanding of design fundamentals, budding creativity, and the burgeoning mastery of typography, written word, conceptual thinking and the application of design in the interactive space.

Because we give our interns the ability to work on full projects with heavy mentorship from all staff members, this position is full time with a minimum commitment of 4 months. The hours will be long, the demand will be high and the beer will be hopped!

If you're up for the challenge (and opportunity), send your portfolio, resume, and reasons why Urban Influence is a good fit for your internship.

PHP Developer with Drupal Experience

Calling all geeks, Mark Zuckerburgs, programmers, Geek squadders, gamers and super techies!

Urban Influence is looking to expand our developing department. Urban Influence is a brand and interactive firm growing a team of passionate individuals to help build high quality experiences for our clients. We need your knowledge and passion to help us create several exciting desktop and mobile experiences we have planned for 2011. ( As well as some good competition in our XBOX challenges)

The Scoop

You and Mark Zuckerburg could have been twins separated at birth. You are a driven, self-starter who knows how to build web apps with PHP and have a couple up your sleeve to dazzle us with. You have significant experience working with Drupal framework and have intimate knowledge of hooks, themes, and know how to write a module from scratch when the situation requires it. You stay up late all hours of the night to produce quality software and thrive on a good challenge. You keep the company of Google geeks and Microsoft nerds and your conversation is usually centered around the latest gadget.

The Skills

  • Maintenance and extension of existing PHP applications written in Drupal
  • Work closely with designers, information architects, and team members to create exceptional, easy-to-use software
  • Participation in brainstorming and code reviews
  • Produce quality work in accordance with team and client specifications
  • B.S. in Computer Science or relevant experience
  • 5+ years experience working with PHP
  • 3+ years experience working with the Drupal platform
  • Experienced working with PHP MVC framework such as CodeIgniter, CakePHP, Zend, etc
  • Experience working with version control software such as Svn, Git, etc…
  • Clear understanding of HTTP and RESTful web services
  • Extensive Linux/Unix experience
  • You have a knack for a getting a lot of different technologies in the same room and playing nicely with each other

The Nice-To-Haves

  • Experience developing native applications for iOS & Android
  • 1+ year experience developing non-trivial software with Ruby

Talented Software Developer

Do you love writing software? I mean, really love it? Do you have a knack for getting a lot of different technologies in the same room playing nicely with each other? Can you make MVC bend to your will? Do you hate to work on the same project all the time? Do you have a burning desire to own the code you develop? If so then you’re the person Urban Influence is looking for!

About Urban Influence We’re a small, profitable branding and development firm currently located in SoDo but moving to a cool new space in the heart of Capitol Hill on July 1st. We are a growing team of innovative, passionate problem solvers whose sole goal is to provide companies with the best brand experience possible—no matter what service we’re providing them. We have the reputation of a large agency with the dynamics of a small firm. This means low overhead and highly visible projects—no endless meetings here. Our new space will be steps away from the best food in town, including Quinn’s, Poquitos, Molly Moon’s, Oddfellows, Po Dogs, Rancho Bravo, Boom Noodle, and many more. We provide a great open and laidback work environment with free snacks, beer, wine, and Xbox LIVE parties. There is opportunity to grow and most importantly to work on really fun projects. Did we mention our new space is really cool?

About the position

We're looking for an experienced developer who loves working on a variety of projects, from very big to the not-so-big. Someone who understands that while premature optimization might be the root of all evil, this doesn't mean you should just wing it and hope for the best. We want folks who can balance eloquence and efficiency, simplicity and complexity. If this sounds like you, keep reading!

Requirements

  • 2-5 years experience working in the software industry
  • BS/MS in Computer Science or relevant experience
  • Ruby pro, or have intimate knowledge of languages like Python, Java, C#, C++, etc. If you’re a strong candidate and have the interest we’re flexible!
  • Excellent problem-solving and creative skills
  • Attention to detail and good at time management
  • Willing to learn new technologies and work in whatever language is needed (we will buy whatever books you want or need)
  • You’re great with at least one JavaScript framework (we prefer jQuery)
  • You know your way around Linux/Unix
  • You look forward to code reviews as an opportunity to learn and grow as a developer
  • Most importantly, you can’t be a jerk—onlypositive energy, please

BONUS ROUND

  • You have contributed to an open source project or you have a side project of your own
  • You can be heard saying “There’s a design pattern for that”
  • Have you built an iOS or Android app? We want to see it!

What you get (the list is long)

  • A voice: you’ll be empowered to design solutionsthat make a real impact for our clients (some that are well-known)
  • A competitive salary based on experience
  • Two weeks annual paid time off
  • Great benefits (medical, dental, vision)
  • FREE iPad or Android tablet (whichever way you swing)
  • A spacious work environment at Urban Influence
  • A chance to work with the latest and greatest technologies
  • Did we mention you get an Xbox 360 at your desk?
  • More coffee than Juan Valdez
  • Monthly book allowance at Elliot Bay Bookstore
  • All-day access to the company keg or our hundreds of bottles of wine
  • Free membership to Mode of Fitness with enough branded gym swag to make Richard Simmons jealous

UX Designer

Calling all techies, designers, graphic exchange fiends, interactive geeks and web nerds!

Urban Influence is looking to expand our Interactive department. Urban Influence is dynamic brand and interactive firm with a high standard of design and reputation for exceptional work. We are a fun bunch of culture makers looking to add a highly experienced UX thought leader to our team.

Hello World Wide Web! We are seeking a highly experienced UX thought leader who can handle interactive strategy for a variety of upcoming projects. You must be able to march bold forward creating dynamic, exquisite User Experiences. If you have been looking for a platform to re-invent how the web is being used, welcome to Urban Influence. The ideal candidate will have a strong knowledge of front-end design and be privy to the latest usability trends and movements online, in the mobile space and beyond.

The Skills

You must be able to tie a tie. You must have notable agency experience, leading IA/UX projects in a variety of capacities. Meaning you can function in a fast paced environment while still maintaining a high level of thought and detail. Most importantly, you will be able to drive the process from start to finish, bringing a level of value to our company and its clients while collaborating with both agency and client-side stakeholders.

  • Collaborate with our team of designers, developers and strategists to create highly functional, innovative, and thought provoking experiences.
  • Lead interactive strategy through in-depth requirement gathering and user experience planning.
  • Research and develop user personas, scenarios and use cases.
  • Conduct competitive audits and market studies.
  • Conceptualize and create all documentation including site-maps, wireframes, flow diagrams, information relationships, and more.
  • Develop compelling brand content stories.
  • Interface with clients for content, resources, project scope and other needs.
  • Collaborate with design & development teams to ensure all needs are met and that design adheres to usability specifications.
  • 3+ Years experience as a user experience designer, information architect, or interaction designer.
  • Possess leadership level thinking and drive the process in a proactive manner.
  • Have a robust understanding of web technology and how the development environment influences design.
  • Possess a strong aesthetic sensibility and general understanding of visual design concepts / terminology.
  • Aware of best practices and industry trends in user experience.
  • Exceptional verbal & written communication skills, both internally and when interfacing with clients.
  • Able to turn around deliverables fast and efficiently.
  • Have the ability to work on a dynamic range of projects and possess strong problem solving skills.
  • Have a hardcore work ethic and the zeal to get stuff done!
  • Strong understanding of web standards and accessibility compliance.