HX Lead Strategist

Federal Requirements:  

• Must be a citizen of the United States.  
• Ability to obtain a U.S. Federal position of Public Trust clearance designation.  
• Must reside in and be able to perform work in the United States.  
• Must have lived in the United States for 3 of the last 5 years.  

Required Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree 
• 8+ years of experience as a lead strategist, product designer, or researcher, supporting human-centered digital products and services. 
• 8+ years of experience developing product strategy, including vision, goals, objectives, strategic planning, and road maps. 
• Proven ability to develop strategic and research plans, engage stakeholders effectively, and communicate complex insights clearly. 
• Experience collaborating with product and technology teams to plan, strategize, and leverage research insights in decision-making for product evolution. 
• Experience as a consultant or in a client facing role where you guide others toward better user experience outcomes. 
• Comfort with ambiguity and the ability to meet clients where they’re at  
• Demonstrated expertise in qualitative and quantitative research methods, using data-driven insights to generate actionable recommendations for diverse audiences. 
• Leadership experience in guiding teams of researchers and designers, managing client expectations, workloads, project requirements, and delivery timelines. 
• Proficiency in agile frameworks, including Scrum, Kanban, and the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe). 
• Experience in the Federal and Civic Technology space, with a strong understanding of its unique challenges and opportunities. 
• Deep familiarity with federal guidelines—such as M-23-22 on Digital-First Public Experience, the Executive Order on Federal Customer Experience, Section 280 on Service Delivery, and 508 compliance—and the ability to translate these for stakeholders at varying levels of buy-in. 
• Expertise in designing, organizing, developing, and facilitating workshops for diverse audiences to drive alignment and shared understanding. 
• Demonstrated experience in establishing human-centered design (HCD) processes and advocating for their value with a range of stakeholders. 
• In-depth understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusive (DEI) principles and how to integrate them into meaningful, user-focused work. 
• Strong capability in designing accessible, empowering, and user-friendly B2B and B2C services and products. 

Additional Qualifications: 

• Samples of work that can show your familiarity with the above services and deliverables for strategy, research, and design are required to be considered for this opportunity, this can be in the form of a presentation, case studies, readouts, etc. 

Responsibilities: 

• Understand both client business processes, agency mission, and legislative and policy requirements and the needs of the civil servants who use the client’s systems and the public they impact. 
• Help clients understand the value of considering the users’ experience and advocate for user experience best practices with the client. 
• Mentor, coach and teach clients about user research and human centered design. 
• Proactively identify innovation opportunities and initiate activities that advance product development. 
• Consult with clients and provide strategic insights to help clients define and refine product, service, and organizational vision to ensure alignment with user needs and business objectives, creating a holistic experience across all touchpoints.   
• Work closely with product managers, designers, technologists, and other team members to integrate human-centered insights into product and service strategies.  
• Conduct and oversee qualitative and quantitative research, analyzing findings to develop actionable insights that drive product and experience improvements. 
• Present research findings, strategies, and design rationale to a range of stakeholders, ensuring alignment and buy-in across teams, clients, and executive leadership. 
• Help clients create and manage strategic, user centric, roadmaps that outline key milestones, goals, and objectives, ensuring that each aligns with long-term business and user needs.   
• Develop human-centered design (HCD) processes and best practices, advocating their value with stakeholders and promoting a culture centered on user experience. 
• Organize and lead workshops for diverse audiences to align on project goals, define user journeys, and generate innovative design solutions. 
• Provide leadership, mentorship, and support to teams of researchers and designers, managing project requirements, client expectations, and delivery timelines.   
• Oversee the integration of federal guidelines, including M-23-22, Executive Orders, Section 280, and 508 compliance, ensuring that products and services meet regulatory standards. 
• Develop and track experience-related KPIs, assessing the impact of design strategies and adjustingto optimize user and business outcomes. 
• Apply DEI principles across all aspects of design, ensuring that products and services are accessible, inclusive, and representative of diverse user groups. 
• Operate within agile methodologies, including Scrum, Kanban, and SAFe, to ensure seamless delivery of research and design outputs that align with product release cycles.  
• Use research insights to support iterative product enhancements, collaborating with product and technology teams to make strategic, data-driven decisions. 

Benefits and Perks:

• 65%-75% company-sponsored (including dependents) premiums for medical, dental and vision insurance. For eligible plans and tiers, we provide 100% company-paid medical insurance. 100% employer sponsored STD, LTD and life insurance (min $100K). Voluntary life insurance option available.
• Retirement 401(k) plan with employer matching. Immediate vesting. 
• Vacation and sick leave. 
• Maternity and parental leave.  
• Discretionary bonuses, spot awards, gifts, and tenure-based rewards. 
• Company-sponsored role-based training and certifications.  
• Monthly DoordashDashPass subscription. 
• Group discounts via LifeMart ADP