Lead Human Factors Engineer for High-Consequence Systems

Pacific Science & Engineering Group, Inc.; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Pacific Science & Engineering is seeking an experienced Human Factors Engineer to work with UI/UX designers, systems engineering, cognitive scientists and software teams to design complex, high-consequence systems.

The role emphasizes user-centered design, usability testing, personas, task analysis, and collaboration across multidisciplinary teams, with travel up to 25% and potential DoD security clearance.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Human Factors Engineering or a closely related field.
• 3+ years of applied industry experience.
• Mastery of and ability to apply human factors methods, standards, and measures.
• Experience with/knowledge in applied human factors research, to include usability testing and analysis.
• Experience conducting user-centered design of software systems and user interfaces.
• Ability to lead and collaborate in small multi-disciplinary teams.
• Proven track record of managing multiple successful Human Factors development initiatives.
• Excellent verbal, written and presentation skills.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a US Government DOD security clearance (US citizenship).
• Ability to commute to/from PSE office location and client sites (to include military installations).
• Ability to travel to domestic and international client sites up to 25 percent of the time.

Responsibilities

• Develop creative and evidence-based solutions to complex human factors challenges to develop new systems or improve existing ones.
• Lead or contribute within multi-disciplinary teams, working with end-users, cognitive scientists, designers, software developers, and program stakeholders.
• Plan and execute human factors research: personas, task analysis, workflows, user needs, UI design, usability testing, and training needs.
• Document research, analysis, findings and recommendations in human factors engineering artifacts and products.

Skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Presentation skills

User-centered design

Usability testing

Task analysis

User personas

Education

Master’s degree in Human Factors Engineering

Ph.D. in Human Factors Engineering

Tools

Figma

Adobe XD

Adobe Illustrator

Job description

At Pacific Science & Engineering, we’re designing human-centered solutions that allow humans to partner effectively and safely with leading edge, high-complexity and high-consequence military and commercial systems. Our work includes areas such as autonomous systems, information and decision support systems, data visualization, electric grid control, and training systems. Our science-driven approach to human factors engineering and design is unique and industry leading. We’re a diverse, multi-disciplined team of talented, energetic and innovative scientists, engineers, analysts, and designers working together in an inclusive and collaborative environment. We are an employee-owned corporation that provides a flexible work environment, competitive compensation, and incentives based on accomplishment and experience. If you’re excited to contribute to the future of successful human-technology partnership, Pacific Science & Engineering could be the perfect team for you.

Role

We are seeking an experienced Human Factors Engineer to perform collaboratively with UI/UX designers, systems engineering, cognitive scientists and software development teams to develop and improve the design of complex, computer-based and automated systems for use in high-consequence environments. Candidates should be capable of working flexibly in multi-disciplinary teams on several concurrent projects, with minimal supervision. Excellent verbal, written, and technical communication skills are necessary.

Responsibilities

• Develop creative and evidence-based solutions to complex, applied human factors challenges to develop new systems or improve existing ones
• Lead or contribute within multi-disciplinary teams, accomplishing human factors engineering activities involving representative end-users of systems, cognitive scientists, designers, software developers, and program stakeholders
• Plan and execute human factors research efforts to develop user personas, analyze user tasks to articulate workflows, identify user needs and requirements, design user interfaces, perform usability and user testing, and identify training needs
• Document research, analysis, findings, and recommendations in human factors engineering artifacts and products

Required Qualifications, Skills and Experience

• Master’s degree in Human Factors Engineering or a closely related field
• 3+ years of applied industry experience
• Mastery of and ability to apply human factors methods, standards, and measures
• Experience with/knowledge in applied human factors research, to include working with users in operational environments, usability testing and analysis, creation of user personas, articulation and analysis of complex tasks and workflows, system and user requirements definition
• Experience conducting user-centered design of software systems and user interfaces
• Ability to lead and work collaboratively in small multi-disciplinary teams
• A proven track record of managing multiple successful Human Factors development initiatives simultaneously
• Excellent verbal, written and presentation skills
• 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)
• Ability to travel to domestic and international client sites up to 25 percent of the time

Preferred Qualifications, Skills and Experience

• Ph.D.degree in Human Factors Engineering or a closely related field
• 5+ years or more years of applied industry experience
• 2+ years of Department of Defense (DoD) or other government field experience
• Experience working with UI/UX designers
• 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 with Department of Defense (DoD) Human Systems Integration (HSI) policy, processes, standards, and best practices
• Familiarity with user interface and graphic design tools (e.g., Figma, Adobe XD or Adobe Illustrator)
• Familiarity with Department of Defense (DoD) programs, domains, and technologies