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 SummaryThis 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
- 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.
