UX Lead

Job Description

UX Lead (Remote) supporting Agile Defense programs within the Department of War (DoW). This role guides the strategy, design direction, and team execution of user-centered design efforts, combining leadership, mentorship, and hands-on UX practice to deliver thoughtful, accessible, and mission-aligned digital solutions that support data, analytics, and AI adoption.
 
The UX Lead potentially leads a cross-functional team of UX practitioners and collaborates with product managers, data scientists, software engineers, and stakeholders to define vision, establish design standards, and ensure delivery excellence across the DoW.
 
The role operates at both strategic and tactical levels: elevating design quality, mentoring team members, and directly contributing to key research and design activities as needed. Requires a Secret/Top Secret clearance.

Education and Background

• Strong background in UX and UI design with extensive experience designing end-to-end experiences for native applications. Demonstrated ability to operate as a design leader: setting UX vision and standards, mentoring practitioners, and guiding cross-functional teams through ambiguity to delivery. 
• Deep understanding of UX strategy and systems thinking, with experience driving user-centered design within Agile environments (SAFe or similar frameworks). Experience supporting Defense, Civilian, or National Security clients is highly relevant.
• Bachelor's degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Design, Human Factors, or a related field (or equivalent professional experience) preferred.

Years of Experience

8+

Required Skills

• Proven UX leadership: setting UX vision, design standards, and delivery strategy across multi-team programs
• Strong UX and UI design skills with end-to-end experience designing for native applications
• Systems thinking and UX strategy; ability to guide teams through ambiguity to delivery
• Driving end-to-end product design — partnering with researchers to understand customer needs, defining opportunities through usability studies, and analyzing data trends
• Human-centered research and discovery: stakeholder interviews, usability testing, co-creation workshops, and field research
• Creating design artifacts: journey maps, wireframes, interactive prototypes, service blueprints, and UI specifications
• Collaborating with development teams to ensure design implementation meets high-quality standards
• Mentoring and developing UX researchers, interaction designers, and service designers
• Experience in Agile environments using SAFe or similar frameworks; participation in PI planning and sprint reviews
• Communicating UX value to non-design stakeholders and translating user insights into business and mission value
• Commitment to accessibility and ethical research practices throughout the design lifecycle

Preferred Skills

• Experience building design maturity and UX practices within large or federal organizations
• Familiarity with data, analytics, and AI-driven product environments
• Experience facilitating "conception through completion" of large-scale digital products alongside Engineering, web application, and UX design teams
• Ability to create compelling design presentations and narratives to advocate for research findings and recommendations
• Experience defining and measuring UX impact through KPIs and qualitative feedback loops
• Contribution to internal design communities — sharing best practices, templates, and thought leadership

Working Conditions

• Remote position. Standard sedentary work performed primarily at a computer workstation, including extended periods of screen time, keyboard/mouse use, and virtual collaboration with distributed teams and stakeholders.
• No significant physical strength demands or adverse environmental conditions. Must be able to communicate effectively in virtual meetings, workshops, and presentations.
• The role may require occasional work within secure environments consistent with the Secret/Top Secret clearance requirement.

• Happy - Be Infectious. Happiness multiplies and creates a positive and connected environment where motivation and satisfaction have an outsized effect on everything we do.
• Helpful - Be Supportive. Being helpful is the foundation of teamwork, resulting in a supportive atmosphere where collaboration flourishes, and collective success is celebrated.
• Honest - Be Trustworthy. Honesty serves as our compass, ensuring transparent communication and ethical conduct, essential to who we are and the complex domains we support.
• Humble - Be Grounded. Success is not achieved alone, humility ensures a culture of mutual respect, encouraging open communication, and a willingness to learn from one another and take on any task.
• Hungry - Be Eager. Our hunger for excellence drives an insatiable appetite for innovation and continuous improvement, propelling us forward in the face of new and unprecedented challenges.
• Hustle - Be Driven. Hustle is reflected in our relentless work ethic, where we are each committed to going above and beyond to advance the mission and achieve success.