User Experience (UX) Lead (Remote)

United States Suitability/Public Trust Fully remote Project/Program Management Overview GovCIO is currently hiring for a User Experience (UX) Lead to support a large Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) digital product portfolio. This role will provide program-wide leadership for UX strategy, standards, and enablement, helping strengthen user-centered practices across product teams and improve the usability, adoption, and effectiveness of digital products supporting Veterans and clinical users. The UX Lead will serve as a central enablement function across the program, partnering with Product Managers, UI Designers, Human-Centered Design (HCD) teams, engineers, and government stakeholders to integrate UX earlier in the software development lifecycle, mature usability validation practices, and strengthen User Acceptance Testing (UAT) approaches. This position is fully remote located within the continental United States. Responsibilities Establish and govern UX standards, practices, and approaches across the program to promote consistency and scalable support Serve as an enablement function across product teams, advising on user-centered methods throughout the software development lifecycle Define lightweight approaches for user touchpoints, usability feedback, and iterative design validation early in the SDLC Partner with HCD teams to translate user insights and evaluation feedback into actionable product and design guidance Guide UAT design toward user-centered validation, including task-based scenarios and effective evaluation methods Coach and mentor Product Managers and UI Designers in UX methods, usability principles, and user-informed decision-making Advise where UX expertise is most needed based on complexity, user impact, and portfolio priorities Support product teams in identifying usability risks, synthesizing findings, and recommending improvementsContribute to accessibility, usability, and experience quality practices across the program Support executive briefings and strategic recommendations related to user experience, adoption, and product improvement Collaborate with program leadership to strengthen repeatable, flexible UX approaches proportionate to change complexity and user impact Qualifications Required Skills and Experience Bachelor’s degree in Design, Human Factors, Psychology, Information Science, Computer Science, Product Design, or related field (or equivalent experience) 8+ years of relevant UX, product design, service design, or related experience Experience establishing UX standards or leading UX practices across multiple teams or products Experience conducting or advising on usability testing, workflow validation, and user-centered evaluation methods Experience influencing product outcomes through partnership with product management, engineering, design, and stakeholders Strong facilitation, mentoring, and communication skills Experience synthesizing qualitative and quantitative user feedback into actionable recommendations Preferred Skills and Experience Experience supporting federal health, government digital services, or regulated environments Experience supporting enterprise or portfolio-level UX governance or similar functions Familiarity with accessibility standards and inclusive design principles Experience supporting UAT strategy or release validation activities Experience working alongside HCD practitioners and multidisciplinary product teams Knowledge of or experience supporting clinical workflows, healthcare operations, or digital health products Experience supporting the Department of Veterans Affairs, including familiarity with VA systems, products, or user environments strongly preferred Clearance Required Ability to obtain and maintain a Suitability/Public Trust clearance. Salary USD $140,000.00 - USD $160,000.00 /Yr. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. EOE, including disability/vets. #J-18808-Ljbffr