User Experience Designer

Colorado State University • Boulder, CO

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

Colorado State University's Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) seeks a full-time User Experience Designer to conduct collaborative research and development with NOAA's Global Systems Laboratory (GSL) in Boulder, Colorado, within the Weather Informatics and Decision Support (WIDS) Division. The position focuses on designing weather-related forecasting and decision-support systems. The designer works with meteorologists, software engineers, social and behavioral scientists, and partner laboratories to translate operational workflows and user needs into intuitive interfaces.

The designer serves as the design lead and may also take on principal investigator and project manager duties. The role includes guiding product vision and user experience, advancing products technically, overseeing roadmaps and backlogs, coordinating sprint planning, and maintaining delivery standards. The designer creates wireframes, prototypes, mockups, high-fidelity interfaces, and UX design systems, and conducts interviews and usability testing with National Weather Service forecasters and emergency managers. Findings inform improvements to interfaces, data visualization, and decision-support communications. The position also produces research and design documentation, communicates progress and recommendations to stakeholders, and participates in workshops and conferences.

At least partial onsite presence (three days per week) at GSL in Boulder is strongly preferred; remote work may be considered. For onsite work, a hybrid arrangement may allow up to two telework days per week, subject to satisfactory performance and coordination with the project team. The role requires a NACI Tier 1 federal background check and a NOAA Common Access Card for system access. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents holding a physical USCIS Green Card. This position does not supervise employees.

Requirements

• For RA IV: Bachelor's degree in a relevant field and 10 years of relevant work experience; or master's degree and 5 years of relevant work experience; or PhD and 2 years of relevant work experience.
• For RA III: Bachelor's degree in a relevant field and 5 years of relevant work experience; or master's degree and 2 years of relevant work experience; or a recent PhD. Relevant fields include human-centered design, human-computer interaction, user experience, usability engineering, cognitive psychology, and risk communication.
• Portfolio demonstrating end-to-end UX design processes for complex digital experiences, including user research, journey mapping, site maps, user flows, wireframing, interactive prototyping, and final product outcomes.
• Professional experience as a UX Designer, Product Designer, or Interaction Designer working on web or mobile products.
• Experience with modern design and prototyping tools, particularly Figma.
• Ability to build on existing design systems, component libraries, and style guides, adopting established frameworks while improving them.
• Ability to test software tools and design prototypes with end users, gather feedback, and iterate to improve usability.
• Experience collaborating directly with developers, partners, and user communities to translate user feedback and operational workflows into intuitive software experiences.
• Ability to communicate research findings effectively through materials such as visualizations, highlight videos, slide decks, written reports, or demos, demonstrated in an online portfolio of personal or team research and design work.
• U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency with a physical USCIS Green Card.
• Ability to complete a NACI Tier 1 federal background check and obtain a NOAA Common Access Card for systems access.

Nice To Haves

• Proficiency in front-end development, including HTML, CSS/SCSS, JavaScript, and React.
• Project management experience, particularly using Agile methodology.
• Hands-on experience planning and conducting foundational qualitative research, including user interviews, to uncover user needs and shape product vision and roadmaps.
• Experience synthesizing qualitative research findings into actionable design improvements and strategic product direction.
• Knowledge of risk assessment and risk communication.
• Experience executing end-to-end design from sketching to high-fidelity prototyping at feature and product levels, using mixed-methods UX research across foundational, strategic, formative, evaluative, and tactical approaches.
• Familiarity with accessibility and web design best practices.
• Experience in the weather industry, such as working with meteorological data or weather stakeholders.
• Experience making independent design decisions within a small, lean development team.

Responsibilities

• Serve as design lead and potentially as principal investigator and project manager for WIDS decision-support systems.
• Direct product strategy, user experience, and end-to-end technical advancement; oversee the product roadmap and backlog, coordinate sprint planning, and maintain delivery standards across a cross-functional development team.
• Create wireframes, prototypes, mockups, and high-fidelity interfaces using Figma and other design tools; develop and maintain a UX design system and component library.
• Plan and conduct interviews and usability testing with NWS forecasters and emergency managers to evaluate tools and refine data visualization and decision-support communication.
• Translate user input and research findings into actionable design enhancements and decision-support displays that reflect operational users' needs.
• Collaborate with meteorologists, software engineers, social and behavioral scientists, and partner organizations; lead cross-laboratory work to align UX standards, accessibility practices, and design systems across NOAA.
• Produce research plans, usability reports, interaction specifications, and design documentation for development teams and stakeholders.
• Communicate research findings, project progress, and strategic recommendations to sponsors, stakeholders, and peer organizations; participate in workshops and conferences.

Benefits

• The posting describes a robust benefits package, a collaborative atmosphere, and a focus on work-life balance; it directs applicants to CSU benefits and perks information but does not specify individual benefits.

What This Job Offers

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