Design Lead

Bixal•Fairfax, VA

6d•$120,000 - $135,000•Remote

About The Position

Bixal is seeking a Design Lead to serve as the primary UX research and design authority on our team supporting the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). In this role, you will lead human-centered design across the full lifecycle of Data.CMS.gov — CMS's authoritative public open data platform serving more than 100 million Americans. You will oversee user research, interaction design, visual design, and design system governance, translating complex data discovery and access challenges into intuitive, accessible experiences for audiences ranging from first-time users to seasoned policy analysts and data scientists. A portfolio of relevant design work is required as part of the application. (Please provide a password if the portfolio has controlled access.) The successful candidate will participate in the oral presentation phase of the proposal process. They will be expected to represent the team's design vision and methodology directly to CMS stakeholders during the presentation. This is a full-time position contingent on contract award by our client, with a defined performance period of up to 5 years. This role offers you a unique opportunity to make a meaningful impact on a project that aligns with Bixal’s mission of delivering innovative, human-centered solutions. While the role has a fixed duration, we are committed to transparency and collaboration, keeping you informed about contract updates and new opportunities. At Bixal, we support your professional journey, ensuring your experience reflects our inclusive, purpose-driven culture and prepares you for future success.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Human-centered design (HCD) or related field.
At least 5 years of experience in HCD and user research for public-facing data websites.
Demonstrated experience leading design on a public-facing federal government digital platform, with a portfolio showing end-to-end work from research through shipped product.
Experience leading and synthesizing user research using a range of qualitative and quantitative methods (interviews, usability testing, surveys, analytics review, card sorting).
Expertise in Figma for interaction design, prototyping, design system management, and design-to-development collaboration.
Strong working knowledge of Section 508 compliance requirements and WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards, including the ability to interpret accessibility audits.
Experience designing for audiences with varying levels of technical expertise, including both novice users and highly technical data consumers such as analysts, researchers, and developers.
Proven ability to design and improve content management interfaces and backend editorial workflows, not just public-facing user experiences.
Experience participating in Agile delivery, including sprint ceremonies, backlog refinement, PI planning, and iterative release cycles.
Experience working in or coordinating with cross-functional teams that include engineers, product managers, content strategists, and government product owners.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including demonstrated ability to present design rationale and user research to varied audiences — up to and including formal client presentations.
Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance determination in support of a federal government contract.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience supporting data.CMS.gov or another CMS open data platform.
Experience with data visualization design for large, complex datasets — including interactive tools, dashboards, and downloadable data products.
Experience navigating the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) process for federally sponsored user research.

Responsibilities

Lead all human-centered design activities across the data.CMS.gov program, ensuring design decisions are grounded in evidence and continuously refined through testing and feedback.
Plan and facilitate user research activities — including interviews, usability tests, contextual inquiries, card sorts, and surveys — at a cadence of at least one per Program Increment, in coordination with the client.
Coordinate with CMS on Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) clearance timelines for research activities involving members of the public and manage scheduling accordingly.
Translate research findings into actionable design artifacts including personas, journey maps, user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity Figma designs — and synthesize findings for both technical team members and CMS leadership.
Own and evolve the data.CMS.gov design system, ensuring component reuse, visual consistency, and accessibility compliance across all product teams and new feature releases.
Lead visual QA processes to maintain design-to-development parity, reduce UI defects, and ensure WCAG 2.1 AA conformance across all public-facing flows and data product pages.
Partner closely with engineering to ensure Figma designs translate accurately into implementation, and participate in sprint reviews, demos, and definition of done reviews.
Develop and present design rationale and research findings to CMS stakeholders, product owners, and leadership in a clear, accessible format — including oral presentations as part of the proposal or program review process.
Support content strategy and information architecture decisions that improve data discoverability and usability.
Other relevant duties as assigned and qualified/trained to perform