Senior UX/UI Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX/UI Designer

Company: Steampunk

Location: McLean, Virginia, United States

Job Type: Other

Category: UX/UI Design & Product Experience

Date Posted: 2026-05-26

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead government clients through the Design Intelligence™ framework, applying human-centered design (HCD) methodologies to solve complex user experience challenges.

• Drive all phases of the UX/UI lifecycle, from initial discovery and user research to prototyping, visual design, and comprehensive user and accessibility testing.

• Serve as the primary advocate for the end-user, ensuring their needs and pain points are thoroughly understood and addressed within proposed digital solutions.

• Collaborate effectively within cross-functional, agile teams to integrate user insights and design solutions seamlessly into technical sprints and project roadmaps.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the raw input lists "OTHER" for employment type, the Senior UX/UI Designer role, coupled with the company's description as a growing entity in government contracting and design, strongly suggests a full-time, permanent position. The emphasis on client leadership and deep project involvement further supports this.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Spearhead the discovery process for government clients, deeply understanding their mission, goals, stakeholder landscapes, user ecosystems, current state journeys, user segments, and program objectives.

• Facilitate workshops and conduct interviews to define pain points, identify opportunities, validate hypotheses, and articulate a compelling user experience vision.

• Leverage artifacts such as journey maps, service blueprints, personas, and ecosystem maps to strategically craft and refine the user experience.

• Execute robust user research and testing methodologies, translating complex user needs into practical and implementable digital solutions.

• Integrate research findings and design iterations into technical sprints within an Agile delivery framework, actively contributing to user stories and story pointing.

• Design intuitive, elegant, and accessible interfaces, employing a test-and-learn approach to ensure continuous improvement and optimal user outcomes.

• Ensure the highest quality of all design deliverables across a diverse range of projects, adhering to client requirements and Steampunk's Design Intelligence™ standards.

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including service designers, technologists, data scientists, engineers, solution architects, and change managers, to deliver holistic solutions.

• Understand and operate within the technical and operational constraints of various platforms and environments, ensuring feasible and effective designs.

• Champion accessibility standards and 508 compliance throughout the design process, ensuring inclusive and usable digital products for all users.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Contributions" section of the raw job description was interpreted as the core responsibilities. The responsibilities were expanded to include more explicit actions and outcomes relevant to a