Position Summary
As a Lead User Experience Researcher/Designer with Bravo17, you’ll help raise the bar for user experience of federal agencies and the Department of Defense. This will require developing an in-depth understanding of agency missions, the varied needs of their users and applicable policy, in addition to all the industry standard responsibilities and qualifications of the role.
We are seeking a highly skilled and passionate Lead User Experience Researcher/Designer with 8+ years of experience to join our growing team. In this role, you will play a critical role in understanding user needs and translating them into intuitive and effective user experiences. You will be responsible for leading and conducting user research, designing and prototyping user interfaces, and collaborating closely with cross-functional teams to deliver exceptional user-centered products for federal agencies
What You'll Do
User Research:
- Lead user research efforts for a small project, including planning and execution.
- Conduct user research activities, including user interviews, usability testing, surveys, and competitive analysis.
- Analyze user data to identify actionable insights including user needs, pain points, and opportunities for improvement, including analysis of quantitative data.
- Create user personas, journey maps, and other user-centered artifacts.
- Present research findings to stakeholders in a clear and concise manner.
UX Design:
- Lead user experience design efforts for a small project, including planning and execution.
- Produce innovative and user-centered design solutions that meet business objectives.
- Contribute to the development of design strategy and vision.
- Create wireframes, high-fidelity prototypes and interactive experiences.
- Design and prototype user interfaces for web, mobile, and other digital platforms.
- Iterate on designs based on user and stakeholder feedback as well as data.
- Develop and maintain design systems and component libraries
Collaboration:
- Effectively communicate complex design concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Lead and mentor junior user experience team members, fostering their growth and development as well as providing guidance on design best practices.
- Collaborate closely with product managers, engineers, and other stakeholders to ensure that user needs are met throughout the product development lifecycle.
- Lead design reviews and critiques; facilitate brainstorming sessions.
- Communicate design decisions effectively to stakeholders.
Stay Up-to-Date:
- Stay abreast of the latest trends and best practices in UX research and design.
- Continuously improve your skills and knowledge through training, workshops, and other professional development opportunities.
What You Will Bring To The Table
- Proven experience as a UX Designer, UI Designer or similar role with a minimum 8 years of practical experience in the UX field including project leadership roles.
- Strong portfolio of design projects with a transactional, interactive or data focus.
- Strong understanding of user-centered design principles and methodologies.
- Strong proficiency in user research methods, including user interviews, usability testing, UX surveys and quantitative data analysis.
- Peak expertise in design tools such as Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD (Figma is our current tool).
- Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to lead user experience projects, work independently or as part of a team.
- Strong problem-solving and analytical skills with a business acumen.
- Portfolio demonstrating a strong understanding of UX principles and a high level of design skills.
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) or User-Centered Design strongly preferred.
Who You Are
You are a builder. You are comfortable operating without excessive structure and know how to create clarity where it doesn’t exist.
You thrive in environments where standards are high, teams are small, and impact is visible. You do not need hand-holding, but you are collaborative and generous with your expertise.
You are motivated by mission-driven work and understand the responsibility that comes with designing for federal and defense environments. You can balance user-centered design with regulatory constraints, policy requirements, and security realities.
You:
- Take ownership without waiting to be asked
- Are comfortable leading research and design with minimal oversight
- Communicate confidently with senior federal stakeholders
- Know how to defend design decisions with data and rationale
- Are adaptable when priorities shift
- Care deeply about quality and usability, even in complex systems
- See ambiguity as an opportunity, not a blocker
- You want to be part of building something, not just contributing to something already built.
Additional Information
Security Clearance Requirement: Secret Required (or willingness to apply for Secret)
Work Environment: Bravo17 is a growing federal digital services firm. We operate with high accountability, lean teams, and a strong sense of ownership. This role requires comfort with ambiguity, initiative, and a bias toward action.
Benefits: Bravo17 offers competitive compensation, health and welfare benefits, flexible ways of working, and generous time off policies including vacation/PTO, sick leave, and parental leave.
Equal Opportunity Employer: Bravo17 LLC is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. Employment decisions are based on merit and business need without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics.