Senior Human-Centered Design (HCD) Subject Matter Expert

ECS; Arlington (VA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Everforth ECS in Arlington, VA (Hybrid) seeks a Senior HCD Subject Matter Expert to serve as the voice of the user within the Service Design & Governance Branch, supporting the CISA contract.

You will deploy contextual inquiry, usability testing, and co-design sessions to validate service utility, translate findings into actionable requirements, and reduce risk before code is written.

Qualifications

• US citizenship with ability to obtain DHS Suitability (EOD).
• TS/SCI clearance.
• 7+ years of experience conducting and synthesizing user research, usability studies, and stakeholder analysis.
• Deep expertise in HCD methodologies, including interaction design, service design, information architecture, and content strategy.
• Expert facilitation of co-design workshops and management of diverse stakeholder groups.
• Ability to create professional-grade personas, journey maps, and blueprints.
• Strong collaboration and communication across multi-disciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Customer-Centric Research & Analysis: Conduct deep-dive user research to identify pain points across the CISA service portfolio.
• Engage with stakeholders to validate service utility and ensure alignment with verified user needs.
• Translate qualitative research findings into actionable insights for technical requirements.
• Co-Design & Facilitation: Lead participatory design sessions with diverse teams.
• Bridge between engineers and end-users to integrate diverse perspectives into service improvements.
• Perform usability testing to validate design solutions and iterate based on feedback.
• Artifact Creation & Strategy: Develop high-fidelity artifacts (journey maps, service blueprints, personas, segmentations).
• Collaborate to integrate artifacts into the broader Common Operating Picture of the service lifecycle.
• Technical Debt Mitigation: Identify debt caused by misalignment and propose mitigation strategies.

Skills

User research

Usability testing

Stakeholder analysis

Facilitation

Service design

Interaction design

Information architecture

Content strategy

Personas

Journey maps

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Job description

Job Description

Everforth ECS is seeking a

Everforth ECS is seeking a Senior HCD Subject Matter Expert to work in our Arlington, VA (Hybrid) office. This position is contingent upon award. ECS is seeking a Senior HCD Subject Matter Expert to support the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). In this role, you will serve as the "voice of the user" within the Service Design & Governance Branch, working in tandem with our Senior Service Design Strategist. While the Strategist focuses on the macro-level operating picture and governance bridges, your focus is on the micro-level validation: ensuring we build the right things. You will use rigorous research and participatory design to reduce technical debt and operational risk before code is ever written.

Position Summary

This is not a graphic design role; it is a requirements engineering and risk reduction role. You will deploy HCD methodologies—including contextual inquiry, usability testing, and co-design sessions—to validate service utility. Your primary goal is to ensure that engineering efforts on the TESS contract are grounded in verified user needs rather than assumptions.

Key Responsibilities

• Customer-Centric Research & Analysis
• Conduct deep-dive user research to identify key pain points across the CISA service portfolio.
• Engage directly with stakeholders to validate service utility, ensuring alignment with verified user needs.
• Translate qualitative research findings into actionable insights that inform technical requirements and reduce the risk of re-work.
• Co-Design & Facilitation
• Facilitate participatory design sessions and workshops with diverse, cross-functional teams (users, engineers, policy makers).
• Act as a bridge between technical teams and end-users, ensuring diverse perspectives are integrated into service improvement initiatives.
• Perform usability testing to validate design solutions and iterate rapidly based on feedback.
• Artifact Creation & Strategy
• Develop high-fidelity HCD artifacts, including User Journey Maps, Service Blueprints, User Personas, and Segmentations to guide decision-making.
• Partner with the Senior Service Design Strategist to ensure these artifacts integrate into the broader "Common Operating Picture" of the service lifecycle.
• Create frameworks and design standards for portfolio-wide service offerings to ensure consistency.
• Technical Debt Mitigation
• Identify sources of technical debt caused by poor user alignment and propose strategies to mitigate these risks.
• Advocate for CX best practices within the organization to influence culture and shift the focus from "output" to "outcome".

Salary Range: $140,000 - $160,000

General Description Of Benefits

Required Skills

• Bachelors degree or equivalent experience
• US citizenship with the ability to obtain and maintain DHS Suitability (EOD).
• TS/SCI Clearance
• 7+ years of experience conducting and synthesizing user research, usability studies and stakeholder analysis
• Methodology Expert: Deep expertise in HCD methodologies, including interaction design, service design, information architecture, and content strategy.
• Research Synthesis: Proven experience conducting and synthesizing user research, usability studies, and stakeholder analysis into clear reports.
• Facilitation: Exceptional skills in leading co-design workshops and managing diverse stakeholder groups.
• Risk & Debt Fluency: In-depth knowledge of technical debt management and operational risk—you must be able to explain the cost of bad design to leadership.
• Artifact Proficiency: Experience creating professional-grade personas, journey maps, and blueprints.
• Collaboration: Strong communication abilities with a track record of aligning multi-disciplinary, product-centric teams.

Desired Skills

#EverforthECS1

ECS Federal LLC is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate or allow discrimination on the basis any characteristic protected by law. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local jurisdiction law.

Everforth ECS is the federal segment of Everforth

A $4B global organization with over 10,000 employees. Our nearly 3,500 professionals deliver advanced technology solutions in data and AI, cybersecurity, and enterprise transformation, serving defense, intelligence, and federal civilian agencies. Our work powers mission-critical outcomes, strengthens technology partnerships, and creates meaningful opportunities for our people. We are defined by a commitment to excellence in delivery, a culture of innovation, and an environment where talent can thrive and grow.

We Value

• Attracting and developing top talent and high-performing teams
• Fostering a culture that is engaging, accountable, and mission-driven

Meet the challenge. Make a difference with Everforth ECS!