UX Researcher

ECS Tech Inc • Fairfax, VA

7d • Onsite

About The Position

The War Data Platform (WDP) is a key initiative within the U.S. Department of War's (DoW) AI-First strategy introduced in early 2026. The WDP separates business and financial data from operational warfighting data, aiming to accelerate the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) on the battlefield. The WDP extends to Unclassified, Secret, and Top Secret environments, and supports collaboration between Combatant Commands, Joint Staff directorates, Senior Executive Service leaders, and operational analysts. The UX Researcher plays a central role in driving mission-aligned interface improvements for WDP Core Integration by translating operational user behaviors and feedback into actionable design intelligence. This role bridges user research, data analytics, and Agile engineering to ensure that WDP's interfaces across all classification tiers are intuitive, efficient, and calibrated to the cognitive demands of warfighter and decision-maker workflows.

Requirements

• Current Secret security clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret (TS) security clearance with Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI).
• A minimum of 3 years of experience in UX research, human factors engineering, or a closely related discipline within a federal, defense, enterprise software, or government contracting environment, with demonstrated proficiency planning and executing structured user research studies, usability evaluations, and persona-driven design activities in support of complex, multi-stakeholder platforms.
• Experience crafting key UX deliverables (e.g., user journey maps, research plans, empathy maps, service blueprints, stakeholder maps, user flows, storyboards, interaction models, wireframes and prototypes for complex systems, testing plans, etc.).
• Demonstrated portfolio that showcases the candidate’s UX research experience, problem-solving abilities, and deliverables.
• Demonstrated ability to collect, synthesize, and communicate qualitative and quantitative user research findings — including interview data, survey results, engagement metrics, and behavioral analytics — and translate these insights into prioritized, actionable design recommendations for cross-functional engineering and design teams.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making capabilities, with a proven ability to weigh the relative costs and benefits of potential actions and identify the most appropriate solution.
• Highly developed interpersonal and oral/written communication skills, with the ability to effectively and professionally interact with a diverse set of stakeholders (from peers to end-users to executive management).

Responsibilities

• Conducts user research activities supporting the design, engineering, and continuous improvement of War Data Platform (WDP) Core Integration UI and UX capabilities across Unclassified, Secret, and Top Secret mission environments.
• Plans and executes structured user research studies, discovery interviews, task analyses, and usability evaluations to inform interface designs supporting Combatant Commands, Joint Staff elements, and senior decision makers.
• Develops user personas, journey maps, workflow diagrams, and behavioral models that translate operational mission needs into actionable UI and UX engineering requirements.
• Analyzes qualitative and quantitative user feedback, platform engagement metrics, heat map data, clickstream analytics, and survey results to identify usability gaps, friction points, and interface improvement opportunities.
• Produces research reports, findings summaries, and design recommendations that guide UI designers, front-end engineers, and platform architects in developing intuitive and mission-aligned interfaces.
• Facilitates recurring research sessions with cross-domain user groups to validate design concepts, refine prototypes, and align interface improvements with WDP Core Integration's enterprise architecture and data visualization standards.
• Collaborates with development teams during Agile sprints to integrate user-centered design principles into dashboards, navigation models, workspace layouts, and visualization components.
• Advances WDP Core Integration program value by enabling measurable improvements in task completion speed, user satisfaction, cognitive load reduction, and operational decision-support effectiveness across all enclaves.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed