Human-Centered Design (HCD) Lead, UI/UX Researcher

Leidos Inc; Baltimore (MD); On-site; USD 117,000 - 195,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos in Baltimore, MD seeks a Human-Centered Design Lead, UI/UX Researcher to drive user-centered research and design for the CMS CRM modernization project.

You will lead HCD activities, gather stakeholder input, create personas and journey maps, and translate findings into validated prototypes and backlog items for Agile delivery. The role emphasizes accessibility (Section 508) and collaboration with product teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 6–8 years of UX research/design experience.
• 4+ years of direct interaction/interface design using UCD methods.
• 3+ years of formative usability testing in varied settings.
• Strong communication skills and digital portfolio of design work.
• Ability to obtain Public Trust.

Responsibilities

• Lead HCD activities across the CRM modernization lifecycle.
• Gather input from CMS stakeholders via interviews/workshops/surveys.
• Derive business processes and define detailed requirements.
• Create personas, journey maps and scenarios for CSR workflows.
• Develop prototypes and mockups for stakeholder validation.
• Present findings and recommendations to CMS and Leidos leadership.
• Translate findings into prioritized backlog items for Agile teams.
• Ensure designs comply with 508 accessibility standards.

Skills

UX research

UI/UX design

Usability testing

Stakeholder communication

Interviews

Prototyping tools

Agile / SAFe

Responsive design

Education

Bachelor's degree in UX or related field

Tools

Pega

Salesforce CRM

Job description

Description

The Digital Sector at Leidos currently has an opening for a Human-Centered Design (HCD) Lead, UI/UX Researcher to work in our Baltimore, Maryland office. This is an exciting opportunity to use your experience helping the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) modernize its legacy Contact Center CRM platform through user-centered research, design, and usability practices.

Primary Responsibilities

The HCD Lead, UI/UX Researcher shall lead human-centered design activities for the CRM modernization effort, ensuring the modernized CRM reflects the real needs of CSRs, supervisors, and CMS stakeholders.

Responsibilities shall include, but are not limited to:

• Lead Human-Centered Design (HCD) activities across the CRM modernization lifecycle, including requirements, design, and iterative sprint cycles.
• Gather input from CCOG SMEs, CSRs, supervisors, and other system users through interviews, workshops, surveys, focus groups, and side-by-side observations.
• Derive business processes, analyze user needs and pain points, and assist in defining detailed requirements for the modernized CRM.
• Elicit business goals and user needs from CMS stakeholders and facilitate customer discovery sessions.
• Create Conceptual Models, Journey Maps, Personas, and Scenarios of Use representing CSR, supervisor, and beneficiary/consumer interactions.
• Develop and refine screen prototypes and mock-ups for stakeholder validation prior to development, in alignment with the Unified CSR Workspace vision.
• Design and conduct formative user research, including user interviews, contextual inquiry, card sorting, and usability testing, in both formal and informal settings.
• Document user requirements, screen designs, and design recommendations with clear, testable acceptance criteria to support Agile user stories.
• Prepare and present research findings, usability results, and design recommendations to CMS stakeholders and Leidos leadership in small and large group settings.
• Partner with the Product Manager, Solution Architect, and Agile delivery teams to translate HCD findings into prioritized backlog items and sprint deliverables.
• Support Proof of Concept (PoC) demonstrations, ensuring the CSR workspace, case management, and AI-assisted workflows reflect validated design decisions.
• Ensure all designs and prototypes comply with Section 508 accessibility standards and CMS/HHS accessibility policies.
• Facilitate usability testing and design reviews throughout PI planning, sprint reviews, and User Acceptance Testing (UAT) to validate business function continuity.
• Support design of AI-enabled guided workflows, knowledge recommendation surfacing, and CSR coaching interfaces to ensure intuitive, low-burden user experiences.
• Collaborate with the Training and Content team to ensure design decisions align with CSR onboarding, training materials, and change management activities.
• Maintain a repository of research artifacts, personas, journey maps, and design decisions to support requirements traceability and design consistency across releases.
• Analyze usability metrics and CSR feedback to inform continuous improvement of the CRM workspace, knowledge management, and AI-assisted features.
• Build a strong human-centered design culture across the program, coaching Agile teams and CMS stakeholders on user-centered design methods and best practices.
• Contribute to executive-level briefings, design walkthroughs, and stakeholder demonstrations that communicate the modernization vision and user experience strategy.
• Coordinate with Quality Assurance and Independent Quality Assurance (IQA) stakeholders to ensure designs support consistent, high-quality CSR interactions.
• Support change management and adoption activities, including training content and communication of design changes to end users.
• Actively participate in planning sessions, requirements gathering activities, design sessions, Agile modeling sessions, and other events supporting the CRM modernization effort.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and a minimum of 6-8 years of relevant experience in UX research and design, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Minimum of 4 years of direct Interaction/Interface design experience using User-Centered Design (UCD) methods and user analysis
• Minimum of 3 years of experience designing and conducting formative usability tests and user research in both formal and informal settings
• Strong oral and written communication skills, with demonstrated experience presenting research findings and design recommendations to technical and non-technical stakeholders; must provide a digital portfolio of design work for review
• Ability to obtain Public Trust

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience using prototyping software
• Experience with Pega and/or Salesforce CRM platforms
• Experience with Agile/Scrum or SAFe delivery methodologies
• Understanding of responsive design and omnichannel (voice, chat, web) user experience
• Understanding of Section 508 accessibility requirements as they relate to design
• Prior experience supporting CMS or other federal health/human services agencies
• UX certifications

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo - because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 - and moving faster than anyone else dares.

For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available at www.leidos.com/careers/pay-benefits.

Pay Range $107,900.00 - $195,050.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline onlyand not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.

About Leidos

Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.