Project Business Analyst & HCD Researcher

Skyward IT Solutions, LLC•Rockville, MD

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

We are Skyward, a people-centered business passionate about human advancement through information technology. We are a diverse, creative, and collaborative team unified by a civic tech mission. We stand by our values of Integrity, Compassion, Inquisitiveness, Unconventionality, and Authenticity, striving to create a culture where work is integrated into life. We are looking for a Project Business Analyst & HCD Researcher to join our team and contribute to modernizing government services with cutting-edge technology and innovative solutions.

Requirements

A bachelor’s degree in business or a related field.
2+ years as a Business Analyst, UX/HCD Researcher, or similar role juggling multiple projects or systems at once.
A solid grip on requirements analysis, process modeling, and documentation. You know what “good” looks like.
Real, hands-on experience running HCD research and usability testing (not just reading about it).
The rare gift of explaining complicated ideas to both engineers and executives without losing either one.
Comfort in Agile/Scrum land, where user stories, backlogs, and ceremonies are part of the daily rhythm.
Sharp analytical and problem-solving instincts, plus the facilitation chops to keep a room moving.
The ability to keep a lot of plates spinning across a large user community without dropping any (or only dropping the ones nobody noticed).

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting enterprise-scale applications or systems with 500+ users.
A working knowledge of accessibility guidelines, service design, or UX/UI principles.
Comfort in tools like Jira, Confluence, Mural/Miro, Figma, Qualtrics, or similar.
Certifications like CBAP, CCBA, PSM/CSM, or UX/HCD credentials.
A genuine curiosity about the humans behind the tickets — and a habit of asking “but why?” one more time than feels comfortable.

Responsibilities

Sit shoulder-to-shoulder with product owners, stakeholders, and SMEs to dig out what they really need (not just what they first ask for).
Translate messy, complicated business problems into crystal-clear user stories, acceptance criteria, and process flows that engineers actually want to read.
Map out current-state processes and shine a light on the gaps, risks, and “wait, why do we still do it that way?” moments.
Help shape the backlog and roadmap across multiple applications, keeping priorities straight when everything feels urgent.
Make sure requirements line up with business goals, regulatory standards, and enterprise architecture.
Plan and run user research that actually changes things (interviews, contextual inquiry, journey mapping, usability testing, surveys, the works).
Recruit, schedule, and coordinate sessions with a diverse user community of 500+ participants across programs.
Turn mountains of qualitative and quantitative data into the kind of insights that get printed out and pinned to walls.
Build personas, service blueprints, and experience maps that help everyone see the user clearly.
Be the loudest voice in the room for users and accessibility — politely, but firmly — from kickoff through launch.
Help project managers and product teams put together project charters, business cases, and communications that actually get read.
Support change management, training, and adoption when new features ship.
Track and report on KPIs, research outcomes, and system usage trends so we can prove what’s working (and fix what isn’t).
Facilitate workshops, design sessions, and stakeholder meetings without anyone falling asleep.

Benefits

Medical, dental, vision insurance (fully paid for employees)
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.