UX Researcher

Society of Defense Financial Management; Vienna (VA); Hybrid; USD 115,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Disability coverage

Retirement savings

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

SteerBridge seeks a UX Researcher in Vienna, VA with hybrid work flexibility to support a defense aviation platform. You will study operational workflows in aviation readiness and translate insights into usable product experiences for federal customers.

You will collaborate with designers, engineers, data scientists, and domain experts to align user needs with system architecture, turning research into prototypes and product improvements throughout the lifecycle.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional UX research experience supporting software or digital product development.
• Ability to translate research into clear user insights and actionable product requirements.
• Experience with complex enterprise or government software systems.

Responsibilities

• Plan and conduct qualitative and quantitative UX research, including user interviews, contextual inquiries, surveys, workflow analysis, and observation of operational environments.
• Conduct usability testing on prototypes and production systems and synthesize findings into actionable insights that inform product and design decisions.
• Develop personas, journey maps, workflow models, and other research artifacts that capture user needs, behaviors, operational constraints, and decision-making patterns.
• Translate research findings into wireframes, prototypes, interaction models, and research-informed concepts that improve user workflows and experiences.
• Collaborate with product designers to refine concepts, support information architecture and interaction design decisions, and validate solutions through iterative usability testing.
• Partner with engineers, data teams, Product Owners, and subject matter experts to align user needs and operational workflows with system architecture and technical constraints.
• Participate in backlog refinement, design reviews, and design-to-development handoffs, providing clear research findings and documentation to support implementation.
• Conduct domain and competitive research on aviation logistics and sustainment systems, tools, and operational practices to inform product strategy and direction.

Skills

UX research

Interviews

Usability testing

Workflow analysis

Research synthesis

Written communication

Verbal communication

Tools

Figma

Job description

UX Researcher

Vienna, VA / Corporate – Tech / Full-time / Hybrid

SteerBridge is a modern technology company delivering innovative, mission-focused solutions to the U.S. Government and private sector. Leveraging deep expertise in federal acquisition, digital transformation, and emerging technologies, we deliver agile, commercial-grade capabilities that accelerate operational effectiveness and drive measurable mission success.

At the core of SteerBridge is our people—especially the veterans whose leadership, problem-solving mindset, and commitment to excellence elevate every project we support. We don’t simply hire exceptional talent; we cultivate it, creating meaningful career pathways for veterans, military spouses, and professionals who share our passion for advancing technology and strengthening the missions we serve.

Position Overview

SteerBridge is seeking a UX Researcher to support a mission-critical Defense Aviation platform used by federal customers. This role focuses on understanding operational workflows in aviation readiness and sustainment environments and translating those insights into usable product experiences.

The researcher will work directly with designers, engineers, data scientists, and domain experts to ensure the system supports fleet readiness monitoring, maintenance planning, logistics coordination, and operational decision-making.

Unlike traditional or academically focused research roles, this position requires demonstrated experience applying UX research within a software product development environment. The researcher must be able to move beyond research findings and translate user insights into actionable product requirements, workflow improvements, interface concepts, and prototypes that can be implemented by design and engineering teams.

The ideal candidate has worked directly within multidisciplinary software teams and understands how UX research contributes throughout the product development lifecycle—from discovery and requirements definition through design, prototyping, usability validation, iteration, and implementation.

SteerBridge applies proven design patterns such as Medallion Architecture to structure, validate, and operationalize data within aviation analytics platforms. UX research ensures these architectural patterns translate into clear, usable, and decision-ready experiences for operators working in high-consequence environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Plan and conduct qualitative and quantitative UX research, including user interviews, contextual inquiries, surveys, workflow analysis, and observation of operational environments.
• Conduct usability testing on prototypes and production systems and synthesize findings into actionable insights that inform product and design decisions.
• Develop personas, journey maps, workflow models, and other research artifacts that capture user needs, behaviors, operational constraints, and decision-making patterns.
• Translate research findings into wireframes, prototypes, interaction models, and research-informed concepts that improve user workflows and experiences.
• Collaborate with product designers to refine concepts, support information architecture and interaction design decisions, and validate solutions through iterative usability testing.
• Partner with engineers, data teams, Product Owners, and subject matter experts to align user needs and operational workflows with system architecture and technical constraints.
• Participate in backlog refinement, design reviews, and design-to-development handoffs, providing clear research findings and documentation to support implementation.
• Conduct domain and competitive research on aviation logistics and sustainment systems, tools, and operational practices to inform product strategy and direction.

Required Qualifications

• Eligibility requirements: U.S. citizenship is required for this position under applicable federal contract requirements. Candidate must also be able to obtain and maintain the security clearance required for the role.
• 3+ years of professional UX research, human factors, or applied product research experience supporting software or digital product development.
• Strong command of UX research methodologies, including interviews, usability testing, workflow analysis, and research synthesis.
• Ability to analyze complex operational environments and translate research findings into clear user insights and actionable product requirements, workflows, interface concepts, prototypes, or product improvements.
• Experience working with complex enterprise or government software systems.
• Experience collaborating effectively with multidisciplinary teams, including engineers, designers, data scientists, Product Owners, and other stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly present research findings and recommendations to technical and non-technical audiences.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with aviation, defense, logistics, or fleet management systems.
• Experience supporting enterprise analytics or decision-support platforms.
• Familiarity with data-driven interfaces, including dashboards and operational planning tools.
• Experience with Figma or similar prototyping and design tools.

$115,000 - $135,000 a year

The posted compensation range reflects the scope and requirements of this position. A final offer will be determined based on the candidate’s relevant experience, skills, education, certifications, and work location, along with the responsibilities of the position. Where applicable, contract requirements, wage determinations, and federal contract labor categories may also inform the offer.

SteerBridge also offers benefits that may include health and life insurance, paid time off, paid holidays, disability coverage, retirement savings, and professional development opportunities. Benefits vary by position and eligibility.

SteerBridge Strategies is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where all qualified applicants and employees are treated with respect and dignity—regardless of race, color, gender, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We also provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities in accordance with applicable laws. If you require assistance during the application process, we encourage you to reach out so we can support your needs.