UI-UX Designer - TS/SCI with Polygraph

Orchard•McLean, VA

11d•Onsite

About The Position

@Orchard is recruiting a UI/UX Designer for a top geospatial technology company’s Intel sector. The role advances the national security mission by delivering state-of-the-art capabilities for government users. The designer leads human-centered design for mission-critical applications and owns end-to-end UX and UI work, from user research and analysis through interaction design, prototyping, and delivery. The role calls for a balance of research-driven UX practice and high-quality visual design, with comfort working within government constraints and classified or sensitive environments. Working closely with product managers, engineers, and stakeholders, the designer grounds design decisions in user needs, validates them through research, and translates them into intuitive, accessible interfaces. The position is onsite full time in McLean, Virginia, and requires an active TS/SCI clearance with polygraph and U.S. citizenship.

Requirements

Active TS/SCI clearance with required polygraph.
U.S. citizenship.
Bachelor’s degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
At least 5 years of professional experience in UI/UX design.
Demonstrated experience conducting UX research, analysis, and synthesis; experience must go beyond UI-only design.
Strong proficiency with design and prototyping tools such as Figma, Adobe XD, or equivalent.
Experience collaborating closely with product managers and engineering teams.
Ability to clearly articulate design decisions and research findings to stakeholders.
Willingness to work onsite full time in McLean, Virginia.

Nice To Haves

Portfolio (website, case studies, or work samples) demonstrating UX research methodology, analysis, and UI design quality.
Experience designing for mission-critical or government systems.
Familiarity with accessibility standards (WCAG) and inclusive design practices.
Experience contributing to or managing design systems.
Familiarity with modern front-end frameworks and design constraints, such as component-based development.
Experience supporting data-heavy or analytical user workflows.

Responsibilities

Plan and conduct user research, including interviews, usability testing, and feedback sessions with user groups such as analysts, subject-matter experts, managers, and data scientists.
Analyze and synthesize research into actionable insights, personas, user journeys, and workflow maps.
Document research findings and recommendations to support stakeholder understanding and buy-in, particularly in government settings.
Apply ethical, secure, and compliant research practices suitable for classified or sensitive environments.
Lead UX and UI efforts.
Define, maintain, and evolve design systems and component libraries in collaboration with engineering teams.
Establish consistent interaction patterns, workflows, and design standards across multiple applications.
Create service blueprints and end-to-end experience maps to align cross-functional teams.
Develop interactive prototypes using tools such as Figma, Adobe XD, or similar to explore concepts and validate user flows.
Produce high-fidelity UI designs that are accessible, usable, and visually consistent.
Ensure designs align with accessibility standards such as WCAG and applicable government design guidelines.
Document interaction behaviors, design rationale, and microcopy to support implementation.