UI-UX Designer - TS/SCI with Polygraph

Orchard LLC; McLean (VA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Orchard LLC in McLean, VA seeks an experienced UI/UX Designer to lead end-to-end UX/UI design for mission-critical government-enabled applications. You will conduct user research, craft personas and journeys, and deliver accessible, high-quality visuals.

The role centers on collaborative work with product managers and engineers, applying secure and compliant research practices for government environments while staying current with design systems and prototyping tools.

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance with required polygraph and U.S. citizenship.
• Minimum of 5 years of professional UI/UX design experience.
• Experience conducting UX research, analysis, and synthesis.
• Ability to work onsite full time in McLean, VA.

Responsibilities

• Plan and conduct user research including interviews and usability tests.
• Synthesize findings into personas, journeys, and workflow maps.
• Lead design systems, component libraries, and design docs.
• Create interactive prototypes and high-fidelity UI designs with WCAG accessibility.

Skills

UX research

Design systems

Figma

Adobe XD

Prototyping

User-centered design

Accessibility WCAG

Cross-functional collaboration

Documentation of research

Education

Bachelor's degree in Design or related field

Tools

Figma

Adobe XD

Job description

UI/UX Designer - TS/SCI and polygraph Onsite - McLean, VA TS/SCI and poly required@Orchard is retained by a top geospatial technology company in their search for a UI/UX Designer to work in their Intel sector advancing the national security mission through cutting edge technology. For this role, you must have a passion for keeping pace with rapidly evolving technology advancements and leveraging your knowledge on a highly collaborative team to deliver state-of-the-art capabilities. We are seeking an experienced UI/UX Designer to lead human-centered design efforts for mission-critical applications supporting government users. This role is responsible for end-to-end UX and UI design, from user research and analysis through interaction design, prototyping, and delivery. The ideal candidate brings a strong balance of research-driven UX practice and high-quality visual/UI design and is comfortable operating within the constraints of government environments. This role works closely with product managers, engineers, and stakeholders to ensure designs are grounded in real user needs, validated through research, and translated into intuitive, accessible interfaces.

Key Responsibilities:

• Plan and conduct user research activities including interviews, usability testing, and feedback sessions with diverse user groups (e.g., analysts, SMEs, managers, data scientists).
• Analyze and synthesize research findings into actionable insights, personas, user journeys, and workflow maps.
• Document research findings and recommendations to support stakeholder understanding and buy-in, particularly in government settings.
• Apply ethical, secure, and compliant research practices appropriate for classified or sensitive environments.

UX Strategy & Design Systems

• Lead UX and UI efforts Define, maintain, and evolve design systems and component libraries in collaboration with engineering teams.
• Create service blueprints and end-to-end experience maps to align cross-functional teams.

UI Design & Prototyping

• Develop interactive prototypes using tools such as Figma, Adobe XD, or similar, to explore concepts and validate user flows.
• Produce high-fidelity UI designs that are accessible, usable, and visually consistent.
• Ensure designs align with accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) and applicable government design guidelines.
• Document interaction behaviors, design rationale, and micro-copy to support implementation.

Skills & Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance with required polygraph U.S. Citizenship required Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Computer Science, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in UI/UX design.
• Demonstrated experience conducting UX research, analysis, and synthesis (not UI-only).
• Strong proficiency with design and prototyping tools such as Figma, Adobe XD, or equivalent.
• Experience collaborating closely with product managers and engineering teams.
• Ability to clearly articulate design decisions and research findings to stakeholders.
• Willingness to work onsite full time in McLean, VA.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Portfolio (website, case studies, or work samples) demonstrating UX research methodology, analysis, and UI design quality.
• Experience designing for mission-critical or government systems.
• Familiarity with accessibility standards (WCAG) and inclusive design practices.
• Experience contributing to or managing design systems.
• Familiarity with modern front-end frameworks and design constraints (e.g., component-based development).
• Experience supporting data-heavy or analytical user workflows.

For pay transparency, this role will fall in the $150K- $200K range, based on experience.