UX Researcher

ICF; Charlotte (NC); Remote; USD 81,000 - 139,000; Full time

Job summary

ICF is seeking a UX Researcher to advance human-centered design across federal data and analytics platforms. You will conduct qualitative and quantitative research, synthesize insights, and advise product, service, and operations teams to reduce friction and improve outcomes.

Working with cross-functional teams in a federal context, you will create personas, journey maps, and experience assessments, while advocating for accessibility and inclusive design throughout the lifecycle.

Qualifications

• U.S. Citizenship is required due to federal contract requirements.
• Bachelor’s degree in Human-Centered Design, UX Research, Psychology, or related field; or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 3 years of relevant UX research experience aligned to the responsibilities.
• Experience with qualitative and quantitative research methods and synthesis.

Responsibilities

• Support the UX vision and strategy in alignment with project goals and business objectives.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to frame the problem, develop hypotheses, and create research plans.
• Conduct qualitative and quantitative research, including interviews, usability tests, surveys, and journeys.
• Develop personas, journey maps, and experience assessments.
• Analyze feedback to identify needs and opportunities for improvement.
• Synthesize findings into clear, actionable insights and recommendations.
• Communicate research outcomes clearly to diverse audiences.
• Advise on service design, product, and workflow improvements through research.

Skills

Mixed-method research

Personas

Journey maps

Experience artifacts

Communication skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Human-Centered Design, UX Research, Psychology, or related field

Master’s degree may substitute for 2 years of experience

Tools

Miro

Figma

UserZoom

Qualtrics

SurveyMonkey

Dovetail

Microsoft Forms

Job description

The Work

At ICF our Digital Modernization Division is an information technology and management consulting organization that delivers integrated, strategic solutions to federal clients. We bring expertise in cloud, cybersecurity, enterprise architecture, data modernization, and digital transformation to support mission-critical government programs.

Join a team accelerating the modernization of a large federal agency’s enterprise data and analytics ecosystem. This cloud-based platform provides data storage, analytics, governance, and AI/ML capabilities that enable thousands of users to transform data into actionable insights. As demand continues to grow, the team is focused on migrating legacy workloads, streamlining onboarding and support, expanding platform capabilities, and helping organizations across the enterprise adopt modern data and AI solutions at scale.

We seek a talented human-centered UX Researcher to help ensure services and customer experiences are grounded in a deep understanding of user needs, behaviors, and challenges. Applying human-centered design and evidence-based research practices, this role conducts and synthesizes qualitative and quantitative research to uncover insights, reduce customer friction, validate design decisions, and inform product, service, and operational improvements. Working closely with cross-functional teams, the UX Researcher translates findings into actionable recommendations and helps shape solutions that are useful, usable, accessible, and aligned with both customer and organizational goals.

Job Location: Remote, however, strong preference for candidates who live in the Washington DC Metro Area. There will be occasional onsite meetings on the client site in Washington, DC.

*If you accept this position, you should note that ICF does monitor employee work locations, blocks access from foreign locations/foreign IP addresses, and prohibits personal VPN connections.

What You Will Do:

• Support the UX vision and strategy in alignment with project goals and business objectives.




• Collaborate with stakeholders to frame the problem, develop hypothesis, and create research plans.




• Conduct qualitative and quantitative research, including discovery interviews, usability testing, contextual inquiry, surveys, and journey-based research.




• Develop and maintain research artifacts such as personas, journey maps, and experience assessments.




• Analyze customer feedback to identify needs, pain points, and opportunities for improvement.




• Synthesize research findings into clear, actionable, insights and recommendations.




• Communicate research findings and user outcomes clearly, objectively, and persuasively.




• Evaluate intake, onboarding, and enablement experiences to reduce customer friction and improve outcomes.




• Inform service design, product , CRM/workflow improvements, training needs, and continuous-improvement priorities, through research-driven recommendations.




• Partner with UX design, service design, product, engineering, and other cross-functional stakeholders to support decision-making and solution development.




• Advocate for user needs and ensure users are involved throughout the design and validation process.




• Apply human-centered design, accessibility, and federal service design principles to improve customer experiences.




• Document research activities, findings, decisions, risks, and supporting evidence to ensure traceability and continuous improvement.

Basic Qualifications:

• U.S. Citizenship is required due to federal contract requirements.




• Candidate must reside in the U.S., be authorized to work in the U.S., and all work must be performed in the U.S.




• Candidate must have lived in the U.S. for three (3) full years out of the last five (5) years.




• Bachelor’s degree in Human-Centered Design, UX Research, Psychology, Human Factors, Anthropology, Sociology, Design Research, Information Science, or related field; or a high school diploma with four (4) additional years of relevant experience in lieu of a bachelor’s degree.




• Minimum 3 years of relevant experience aligned to the responsibilities of this role.




• Master’s degree in related field may substitute for two (2) years of relevant experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience supporting Federal government, healthcare, or other highly regulated environments.




• Active or past clearance to work with Veterans Affairs.




• Experience working in Agile, cross-functional delivery teams.




• Understanding of accessibility, inclusive design, Section 508 compliance, and human-centered design principles.




• Experience supporting federal service design, analytics platforms, or enterprise technology modernization initiatives.

Professional Skills:

• Strong mixed-method research (qualitative, quantitative, surveys), synthesis, and presentation skills.




• Experience developing personas, journey maps, service blueprints, empathy maps, and customer experience artifacts that inform product and service design decisions.




• Experience utilizing research and collaboration tools such as Miro, Figma, UserZoom, Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey, Dovetail, Microsoft Forms, or similar platforms.




• Understanding of research ethics and best practices to protect participants and control bias, including informed consent, personally identifiable information, NDAs, and related concepts.




• Understanding of usability and accessibility including heuristic and expert methods.




• Highly effective analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.




• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across technical and non-technical audiences.




• Strong organization, attention to detail, and the ability to prioritize and manage multiple responsibilities.




• Collaborative cross-functional approach with a commitment to quality, accountability, and continuous improvement.




• Complete tasks effectively and on schedule as part of a broader development team.




• Participate in Agile process to learn quickly and iterate on the user experience.

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Working at ICF

ICF is a global advisory and technology services provider, but we’re not your typical consultants. We combine unmatched expertise with cutting-edge technology to help clients solve their most complex challenges, navigate change, and shape the future.

We can only solve the world’s toughest challenges by building a workplace that allows everyone to thrive. We are an equal opportunity employer. Together, our employees are empowered to share their expertise and collaborate with others to achieve personal and professional goals. For more information, please read our EEO policy.

We will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Reasonable Accommodations are available, including, but not limited to, for disabled veterans, individuals with disabilities, and individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs, in all phases of the application and employment process. To request an accommodation, please email [e-mail] and we will be happy to assist. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodations.

Read more about workplace discrimination rights or our benefit offerings which are included in the Transparency in (Benefits) Coverage Act.

Candidate AI Usage Policy

At ICF, we are committed to ensuring a fair interview process for all candidates based on their own skills and knowledge. As part of this commitment, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to generate or assist with responses during interviews (whether in-person or virtual) is not permitted. This policy is in place to maintain the integrity and authenticity of the interview process.

However, we understand that some candidates may require accommodation that involves the use of AI. If such an accommodation is needed, candidates are instructed to contact us in advance at [e-mail]. We are dedicated to providing the necessary support to ensure that all candidates have an equal opportunity to succeed.

Pay Range

There are multiple factors that are considered in determining final pay for a position, including, but not limited to, relevant work experience, skills, certifications and competencies that align to the specified role, geographic location, education and certifications as well as contract provisions regarding labor categories that are specific to the position.

The pay range for this position based on full-time employment is:

$81,499.00 - $138,549.00

Nationwide Remote Office (US99)