Lead User Experience Designer

Summary

As a Lead User Experience Designer with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, you will shape how the Federal workforce experiences digital government. You will lead research, design, and usability testing for a large-scale web application, build the design system and standards that keep it consistent and accessible, and bring modern design practice to leaders and teams across the agency - turning research and emerging technology into services people actually want to use.

Duties

Lead end-to-end UI/UX design for a large-scale web application, from user research and information architecture through high-fidelity design and usability testing. Establish and maintain the design system - component library, design tokens, interaction patterns, and documented usage standards - governing visual and functional consistency across all user-facing interfaces. Produce high-fidelity designs and interactive prototypes in Figma, including reusable component libraries, responsive layouts, and annotated specifications for development handoff. Evaluate and apply emerging technologies, including AI-enabled capabilities, to improve digital services and user experiences - assessing them for usability, accessibility, customer needs, and responsible implementation. Apply user research, customer data, and human-centered design methods to inform product, service, and technology decisions. Serve as the technical design authority for the program: review and provide direction on design work performed by contractor and partner staff, and guide development teams in faithful implementation. Ensure digital products meet Section 508 and WCAG accessibility standards as well as modern web design and usability standards. Collaborate with product, engineering, business, and customer experience teams to translate customer requirements into digital solutions. Advise stakeholders on user-centered design practices through consultations, design reviews, demonstrations, and communities of practice.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, you must demonstrate proficiency in the following competencies at or above the minimum levels shown and meet the specialized experience requirements described below. Competency Minimum Proficiency Level Attention to Detail 4-Advanced Customer Service 4-Advanced Decision Making 3-Intermediate Information Management 4-Advanced Interpersonal Skills 4-Advanced Oral Communication 3-Intermediate Problem Solving 4-Advanced Teamwork 4-Advanced Technical Competence 4-Advanced Requirements Analysis 4-Advanced Systems Life Cycle 4-Advanced Project Management 3-Intermediate Specialized Experience: You must demonstrate knowledge, skills, and abilities/competencies related to the work of this position, normally attained through the equivalent of one year of specialized experience at the GS-13 level or equivalent, or obtained through other means. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Conducting user research and applying research findings, customer data, or usability results to design or improve digital products and services; Designing and testing user experiences using methods such as service design, interaction design, user interface design, information architecture, content strategy, or forms design; Evaluating or incorporating artificial intelligence-enabled tools, capabilities, or other emerging technologies into digital products, services, or business processes based on user or organizational requirements; Collaborating with product, engineering, business, or customer experience teams to translate customer requirements into product, service, or technical solutions; and Developing and communicating design recommendations, technical options, implementation approaches, risks, or delivery considerations to stakeholders and technical teams. You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.