Human Factors Engineer (HFE) Lead

The Mitre Corporation • New Bedford, MA

4d • $156,800 - $235,200 • Onsite

About The Position

MITRE’s Human-Systems Integration and User Experience department is seeking a Lead Human Factors Engineer to design and develop user-centered software solutions for sponsors’ challenges. The role works with multidisciplinary teams of engineers, designers, researchers, and stakeholders to frame complex problems, understand mission needs, and translate user insights into intuitive, scalable, and effective solutions. The engineer engages directly with sponsors and stakeholders through workshops, design reviews, and iterative feedback sessions to align solutions with user needs and mission objectives.

The role applies expertise across UX, UI, front-end engineering, and human-machine teaming on projects supporting national missions. Within the Software Engineering Innovation Division, the Lead HFE helps improve the user experience of government-facing technologies while promoting accessibility, safety, and operational efficiency throughout the system lifecycle. The position also supports software architecture and engineering capabilities while designing human-centered computing solutions.

The position requires at least three days per week on-site and an active Secret U.S. Government-issued security clearance. The salary range is $156,800–$235,200 annually, with a midpoint of $196,000.

Requirements

• Typically, at least 8 years of related experience with a bachelor’s degree; 6 years with a master’s degree; or 3 years with a Ph.D.; equivalent combinations of education and work experience may also qualify.
• Experience with user research and usability testing methods, including interviews, focus groups, usability testing sessions, requirements gathering, and heuristic assessments.
• Experience using design software such as Figma, Miro, Sketch, Axure RP, Balsamiq, Lucidchart, Adobe XD, or similar tools.
• Strong interpersonal skills and excellent verbal and written communication abilities.
• Demonstrated ability to share work findings with government sponsors or senior leaders.
• Demonstrated experience leading technical efforts and technically diverse teams.
• Must have an active Secret U.S. Government-issued security clearance; U.S. citizenship is required for security-clearance eligibility.
• Must work on-site at least 3 days per week.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Human Factors Engineering, Cognitive Engineering or Psychology, Human-Computer Interaction, Interaction Design, UX Design and/or Research, or a related field.
• Experience working autonomously from remote and on-site locations while staying connected with main campuses and collaborating with a specialized technical team.
• Experience collaborating with software developers, systems engineers, and technical architects, with sufficient technical fluency to understand system constraints, implementation tradeoffs, and their human factors and design implications.
• Experience using Codex or similar AI-assisted development tools, such as Figma Make or Claude Code, to support design workflows, rapidly prototype concepts, and improve human factors outcomes through iterative, user-centered design.
• Experience with qualitative and quantitative research design, development, analysis, and presentation.
• Entrepreneurial and innovative spirit, with demonstrated ability to identify opportunities, take initiative, and drive new ideas or improvements.
• Coaching or mentoring experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead human-centered design efforts from user research and early concept development through interaction design, prototyping, usability evaluation, and iterative refinement of software and system solutions.
• Use AI-assisted design tools and human-centered methods to generate, evaluate, and refine interface and system design concepts in alignment with user needs, usability standards, and safety requirements.
• Elicit, analyze, and translate user, operational, and system requirements into human factors design inputs aligned with systems engineering processes, usability goals, and safety-critical performance needs.
• Provide technical guidance to small multidisciplinary teams, including Human-Centered/Human Factors Engineers, UX Designers, and Front-End UX developers.
• Collaborate with HCE/HFEs, UX Designers, researchers, project leaders, and sponsors to advance impactful solutions.
• Advocate for end users and ensure user-centered design principles are applied throughout the solution path.
• Develop and maintain design systems and user interface guidelines, and generate research and initiative proposals.
• Mentor early-career team members and foster continuous learning and improvement.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior