UX Researcher / Designer

About the role

We are Skyward. That is, a love for people, for improvement, for human advancement through information technology. We are a people-centered business with a desire to serve others. We are diverse and unified; creative and collaborative; a collection of complementary, not competing talents. And though on the surface we remain relaxed, beneath, a torrent of energy links us to our civic tech mission. We stand by our values, and we won’t compromise on any of them. Integrity: We’re conscientious, intentional, and empathetic. Our words and actions align. That’s our character. Please don’t ask us to play another part, we’re poor actors. Compassionate: If we may borrow a quote from Theodore Roosevelt: “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” Because our team is thoughtful and supportive, caring deeply for each other, our clients, and our work, this comes naturally. Inquisitive: We remain students by failing openly and turning lessons into solutions. Unconventional: For us, life isn’t what happens outside of work. Work happens inside of life and our culture erases the line often dividing the two. Authentic: Made possible only because we embody the values listed above. We’re relaxed and fun yet intensely curious and driven. Team members are placed with thought, care, and precision to ensure that Trust, Truth, and Transparency continue to represent our brand. Because of that, we continue Onward, Upward, and Skyward. We need a UX Researcher / Designer. Do you get a little thrill from watching a user do something you swore nobody would ever do, and then realizing they’re right and the design is wrong? Are you the person who asks, “but what were you actually trying to do?” until the real need falls out? If you can turn a messy pile of interviews into an insight the whole team rallies around, and then sketch the screen that fixes it, then please apply. Let’s go Skyward together. What you’ll do: Support a mission that matters. Help CMS deliver a world-class customer experience across its enterprise AI platform, grounding decisions in what users actually need. Turn research into insight. Plan and run interviews, usability sessions, and surveys - qualitative and quantitative - then synthesize the mess into findings people can act on. Dabble in design. Translate insights into low-fidelity wireframes and prototypes in Figma, partnering with the design team to shape and validate solutions (research-primary, but you get your hands on the pixels). Map the experience. Build personas, journey maps, and service blueprints that show how users interact with AI services and where it hurts. Champion accessibility. Keep Section 508 and WCAG front of mind so what gets built works for every user. Drive customer success and engagement. Feed research back into onboarding, training, and product decisions so adoption actually happens. Be the voice of the user. Bring evidence (and the occasional prototype) to a badgeless, one-team mix of engineers, designers, and CMS stakeholders. What we’d like you to have: A bachelor’s degree and 5+ years in UX/HCD research (with hands-on design exposure) or a closely related field. A strong research toolkit: user research, usability testing, synthesis, and the ability to tell the story behind the data. Working design skills: comfort creating wireframes and prototypes in Figma, even if research is your primary craft. Familiarity with the USWDS and federal CX mandates. Fluency in modern research and design tools (Figma, Mural, Dovetail, or similar). Genuine accessibility awareness. 508 and WCAG are part of how you work, not an afterthought. Experience researching data-heavy or AI-driven products — dashboards, search, chat, or knowledge tools. What would blow us away: You’ve got strong visual/interaction design chops. You can take a concept from sketch to polished, USWDS-aligned prototype. You previously supported CMS or another federal agency. Even if you don’t meet 100% of the qualifications, we encourage you to apply. At Skyward, we’re focused on hiring individuals with the right skills and passion to grow, not just checking off every box. And now the important part. What we offer you: Medical, dental, vision insurance 15 days of paid leave 7 days of sick leave 2 days bereavement leave 11 paid Federal holidays Up to 40 hours for jury duty 401K with 4% employer contribution (and no vesting period) Up to 4 weeks of paid paternity and maternity leave Company provided laptop $5,000 per year for professional development $600 per year for technical supplies and equipment $2,000 referral bonus Life and disability insurance HSA and FSA Legal Shield and ID Shield Voluntary Benefits Opportunity to work in a collaborative, motivated team focused on modernizing government services with cutting-edge technology and innovative solutions. Who says government work can’t be exciting! $90,000 - $115,000 a year We believe great work deserves great pay. That’s why we ensure our compensation is not only competitive but also fair and transparent, as required by Maryland law. Expect a salary that matches your skills, experience, and the value you bring to the table — because you’re worth it! At Skyward, we support flexible working hours and remote opportunities to help maintain a healthy work-life balance for all employees. Offers of employment with Skyward are contingent upon acceptable results of a background investigation. Applicants must have the ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust security clearance due to the nature of our work as a government contractor. We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.