Applied Cognitive Scientist

HFES Technical Group; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

HFES Technical Group seeks an Applied Cognitive Scientist to analyze, create, and improve the design of software-based systems and user interfaces for high complexity, high consequence environments. You will work with human factors engineers, UI/UX designers, and software teams in collaborative multi-disciplinary projects.

We encourage applications from recent graduates to seasoned professionals. The role emphasizes applying cognitive science methods, documenting findings, presenting analyses to

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Cognitive Science, Cognitive or Perceptual Psychology, Engineering Psychology, Human Factors, or a closely related field
• Ability to learn quickly, reason critically, and think analytically to understand the scope of a problem, identify user challenges, and propose and evaluate solutions
• Ability to work collaboratively in, and when needed lead, multi-disciplinary teams
• Excellent verbal, written and presentation skills
• Proficiency with MS Office suite or equivalent
• Ability to obtain and maintain a US Government DOD security clearance as required by DOD government contracts (DOD security clearance requires US citizenship)
• Ability to commute to/from home to PSE office location and client sites (to include military installations)

Responsibilities

• Identify user task needs and design user interface solutions through the application of cognitive science and human factors methods and literature
• Document research, analysis, findings, and recommendations in industry-standard formats
• Present project plans and user-centered design methods, analyses, results and solutions to users, software development teams, customers, and acquisition communities
• Lead and contribute to project proposals and business development

Skills

Critical thinking

Collaborative teamwork

Communication skills

MS Office

Adaptability

Education

Advanced degree in Cognitive Science or related field

Tools

JavaScript (DataTables, D3)

R (ggplot2, Shiny)

Job description

Role

We are seeking an Applied Cognitive Scientist to analyze, create, and improve the design of software-based systems and user interfaces for high complexity, high consequence systems. The candidate will work in collaborative teams with human factors engineers, UI/UX designers, and systems engineering and software development teams. We encourage applications from any range of experience, from recent graduates to those with extensive resumes.

Responsibilities

• Identify user task needs and design user interface solutions through the application of cognitive science and human factors methods and literature
• Document research, analysis, findings, and recommendations in industry-standard formats
• Present project plans and user-centered design methods, analyses, results and solutions to users, software development teams, customers, and acquisition communities
• Lead and contribute to project proposals and business development

Required Qualifications, Skills, and Experience

• Advanced degree in Cognitive Science, Cognitive or Perceptual Psychology, Engineering Psychology, Human Factors, or a closely related field
• Ability to learn quickly, reason critically, and think analytically to understand the scope of a problem, identify user challenges, and propose and evaluate solutions
• Ability to work collaboratively in, and when needed lead, multi-disciplinary teams
• Excellent verbal, written and presentation skills
• Proficiency with MS Office suite or equivalent
• Ability to obtain and maintain a US Government DOD security clearance as required by DOD government contracts (DOD security clearance requires US citizenship)
• Ability to commute to/from home to PSE office location and client sites (to include military installations)

Preferred Qualifications, Skills, and Experience

• PhD in Cognitive Science, Cognitive or Perceptual Psychology, Engineering Psychology, Human Factors, or a closely related field
• 3 or more years of experience solving applied problems with complex systems in real-world work domains
• Experience conducting user-centered design of software systems and user interfaces
• Knowledge of the applied human factors and cognitive science literature, including areas such as human decision-making, human attention, human- automation interaction, spatial comprehension, and information display
• Experience with experiment design and the measurement of human performance in applied or laboratory environments
• Experience planning and leading workshops with the representative end-users of target systems
• Experience creating innovative information visualizations and/or coding interactive software prototypes in languages such as JavaScript (DataTables, D3) or R (ggplot2, Shiny)
• Experience with computational modeling and simulation, automation/algorithm development, and/or applications of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (e.g., for classification, anomaly detection, and clustering)
• Familiarity with user interface and graphic design tools (e.g., Adobe XD or Adobe Illustrator)
• Familiarity with Department of Defense (DoD) programs, domains, and technologies
• Occasional travel to user, collaboration, and client sites (both domestic and international)