UX Researcher - Remote

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: UX Researcher - Remote

Company: ICF

Location: Nationwide Remote Office (US99)

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: User Experience Research / Design Operations

Date Posted: 2026-04-17

Experience Level: Mid-Level (3+ years)

Remote Status: Fully Remote (US-based)

🚀 Role Summary

• Conduct comprehensive quantitative and qualitative UX research to advocate for end-user needs within federal government projects.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to inform and validate product design decisions, ensuring user-centricity throughout the development lifecycle.

• Translate complex research findings into actionable insights and compelling narratives to influence product strategy and enhance user experiences.

• Support the development and modernization of enterprise software applications, focusing on creating simple, intuitive, and satisfying user interfaces.

• Engage in Agile development processes, contributing to rapid iteration and continuous improvement of product prototypes and features.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role emphasizes a strong blend of research methodology, user advocacy, and cross-functional collaboration within the federal government and healthcare IT sectors. The "Nationwide Remote Office (US99)" designation indicates that candidates must be US-based, but the specific state or time zone may not be a strict limitation, offering broad geographical flexibility within the US.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Develop and execute research plans, including defining research questions, hypotheses, and methodologies to uncover user insights and inform product and design decisions.

• Conduct user interviews, surveys, usability testing, persona development, and other qualitative and quantitative research methods to understand user behaviors, needs, and pain points.

• Synthesize secondary research and study results into clear, unbiased reports and presentations, effectively illustrating user stories and data-driven insights.

• Participate in ideation sessions, concept validation, and rapid testing to support the discovery and development of user-centered UX solutions.

• Facilitate user feedback sessions and conduct iterative testing to ensure solutions are usable and accessible, incorporating findings to refine designs.

• Advocate for user needs and contribute to the UX vision and strategy established by project leadership, ensuring alignment with business objectives.

• Ensure all research activities and deliverables adhere to research ethics, best practices, and data privacy standards (e.g., informed consent, PII handling, NDAs).

• Collaborate effectively with designers, developers, product managers, and other stakeholders in a distributed, remote, and cross-functional Agile team environment.

• Support efforts to ensure product accessibility and compliance with relevant standards such as WCAG 2.0 Level AA and Section 508.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a hands-on approach to UX research, requiring the candidate to manage the entire research process from planning to reporting. The emphasis on federal government projects, particularly in healthcare IT, suggests a need for understanding complex user groups and regulatory environments.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree required.

Experience:

• Minimum of 3 years of applied UX research experience within the software industry.

• 10+ years of overall professional experience is preferred.

• Experience in federal contracting or healthcare IT is highly preferred.

Required Skills:

• Demonstrated expertise in conducting both quantitative and qualitative UX research methodologies.

• Proven ability to develop personas, conduct user interviews, and perform usability testing.

• Strong understanding of research ethics, best practices, and data privacy principles (e.g., informed consent, PII handling).

• Familiarity with usability and accessibility standards, including heuristic evaluation and expert methods.

• Excellent written, visual, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex findings clearly and persuasively.

• Experience working within an Agile development process and collaborating with cross-functional teams.

• Ability to work effectively in a distributed, remote, and diverse team environment.

• Must reside in the US, be authorized to work in the US, and perform work within the US.

Preferred Skills:

• Knowledge of WCAG 2.0 Level AA and Section 508 compliance.

• Experience or active clearance related to CMS or HHS projects.

• Proficiency in data analysis and synthesis to derive actionable insights.

• Familiarity with prototyping tools and methods for concept validation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements clearly distinguish between essential qualifications and preferred attributes, with a strong emphasis on practical experience and a portfolio demonstrating research process and deliverables. The US residency and work authorization requirements are critical.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A portfolio showcasing a minimum of one robust case study demonstrating the candidate's end-to-end UX research process, from problem definition to actionable insights and impact.

• Detailed examples of research deliverables, including but not limited to: research plans, interview guides, survey instruments, personas, journey maps, usability test reports, and synthesized findings.

• Evidence of how research insights directly informed product or design decisions and contributed to measurable improvements in user experience or business outcomes.

Process Documentation:

• Ability to document research processes clearly, including methodology choices, participant recruitment strategies, data collection methods, and analysis techniques.

• Experience in creating user journey maps, empathy maps, and other artifacts that visually communicate user understanding to stakeholders.

• Examples of how research findings were translated into actionable recommendations for design iteration and product development within an Agile framework.

• Documentation of how research was conducted ethically, including adherence to informed consent, data privacy, and participant protection protocols.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for case studies is standard for UX roles, but for this position, it should specifically highlight research conducted for complex systems or government clients, demonstrating an understanding of user needs in regulated or enterprise environments.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $81,499.00 - $167,644.00 USD per year.

Benefits:

ICF typically offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support employees' well-being and professional growth. While specific details may vary, common benefits for full-time employees often include:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance: Robust health coverage options.

• Retirement Savings Plan: Such as a 401(k) plan with company matching.

• Paid Time Off: Including vacation days, sick leave, and holidays.

• Life and Disability Insurance: Providing financial security.

• Professional Development Opportunities: Including training, certifications, and tuition reimbursement.

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): For confidential support services.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time work hours are typically 40 hours per week.

• Given the remote nature of the role and its embedded project structure, flexibility may be required to accommodate project deadlines and team collaboration across different time zones, though core hours are expected.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is broad, reflecting the potential for variation based on experience, qualifications, and specific project demands within the federal contracting space. Candidates should be prepared to negotiate within this range. The benefits package is inferred based on industry standards for a company of ICF's size and scope in the US.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: ICF operates as a global advisory and technology services provider, with significant engagement in the government sector, particularly in areas like federal government services, healthcare IT, environmental, energy, and transportation. This role specifically supports clients in the federal government, focusing on healthcare IT.

Company Size: ICF is a large enterprise, likely employing thousands of individuals globally, which offers stability and a wide range of resources and opportunities. This size implies a structured environment with established processes and potential for specialized career paths.

Founded: ICF was founded in 1969. This long history suggests a well-established company with deep industry expertise and a strong track record, particularly in government contracting and complex problem-solving.

Team Structure:

• The UX Researcher will likely be part of a dedicated UX/design team, which is itself embedded within larger project teams supporting federal clients.

• Reporting structure will probably involve a UX Lead or Design Manager, with direct collaboration with Project Managers, Product Owners, Developers, and other subject matter experts on client projects.

Methodology:

• ICF's approach often involves leveraging data analytics and deep domain expertise to solve complex client challenges.

• For UX research, this translates to a data-driven methodology that prioritizes user insights derived from robust qualitative and quantitative research.

• Workflow planning and optimization are inherent in the role, as research aims to improve user workflows and system efficiency.

• Automation and efficiency practices are likely employed in research tools and data analysis where applicable.

Company Website: https://www.icf.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Working for ICF in a federal government-focused role means operating within a structured, compliance-oriented environment. The company's scale suggests opportunities for professional development and exposure to a wide array of projects and technologies.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This UX Researcher role is positioned at a mid-level, requiring 3+ years of dedicated experience. It involves independent execution of research tasks and contribution to broader UX strategy under guidance. The role is crucial for informing product development and demonstrating user value.

Reporting Structure: The UX Researcher will report to a UX Lead or Design Manager within a project team. They will work closely with product managers, developers, and client stakeholders, requiring strong communication and collaboration skills to navigate project dynamics and influence decisions.

Operations Impact: The UX Researcher's impact is directly tied to enhancing the usability, accessibility, and effectiveness of software systems used by federal agencies and the public. By advocating for users, this role directly influences product adoption, user satisfaction, and the efficiency of government services, contributing to mission success and ROI for client investments.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Advancement: Deepen expertise in specialized research methodologies (e.g., generative research, longitudinal studies), accessibility standards, and specific federal domain knowledge (healthcare IT).

• Leadership Potential: Progress to a Senior UX Researcher role, leading research initiatives, mentoring junior researchers, and contributing more heavily to UX strategy and client-facing discussions.

• Domain Specialization: Become a recognized expert in healthcare IT UX research within the federal government sector, leading specialized projects and contributing to ICF's thought leadership.

• Cross-functional Exposure: Gain experience in product management, design strategy, and broader technology consulting through project work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The career path for a UX Researcher at ICF, especially within government contracts, often involves specializing in particular domains like healthcare IT and developing deep expertise in navigating client requirements and regulatory landscapes.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This is a fully remote position within the United States. While ICF has physical offices (e.g., Reston, VA), this role is designated as remote, allowing employees to work from their home office.

Office Location(s): While the role is remote, ICF has numerous office locations across the US, including Reston, VA, which is listed as a derived location. This implies that while the candidate can work remotely, they might be assigned to a project team that has a primary physical hub or client presence in a specific region.

Workspace Context:

• The remote work environment necessitates strong self-discipline, effective time management, and proactive communication.

• Access to standard office technology (reliable internet, computer) is essential. ICF likely provides necessary software licenses and collaboration tools.

• Opportunities for team interaction will primarily occur through virtual meetings, instant messaging, and collaborative online platforms, fostering a distributed yet connected team culture.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time (40 hours/week). While remote work offers flexibility, researchers may need to adjust their schedules to accommodate user interviews, team meetings, and project deadlines, especially when collaborating with teams or users in different time zones.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Nationwide Remote Office (US99)" designation strongly suggests that the primary requirement is US residency and authorization to work, with flexibility on the specific state. Candidates should confirm any specific state-based requirements or limitations with the recruiter.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: HR or Recruiter screens applications for basic qualifications, including degree, years of experience, and US residency/work authorization.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion with the hiring manager to assess overall fit, experience, understanding of UX research principles, and alignment with team needs. This stage may involve behavioral questions.

• Portfolio Review & Technical Interview: A dedicated session where the candidate presents 1-2 UX research case studies from their portfolio. This is a critical stage to evaluate research methodology, problem-solving skills, communication clarity, and ability to translate insights into action. Expect in-depth questions about your process, decisions, and impact.

• Team/Client Interview: Potentially an interview with team members or client representatives to assess collaboration style, communication skills, and ability to integrate into a project team environment.

• Final Interview/Offer: A final discussion to confirm details and extend an offer.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 1-2 case studies that best showcase your end-to-end research process, problem-solving skills, and impact, ideally relevant to government or complex enterprise software.

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly outline: the problem/challenge, your role, the research questions, the methodology used (and why), key findings, how insights informed decisions, and the resulting impact or outcomes.

• Highlight Your Process: Emphasize your thought process, decision-making rationale behind methodology choices, and how you navigated challenges or constraints.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the tangible results of your research (e.g., improved task completion rates, reduced error rates, increased user satisfaction scores).

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your methods, participant recruitment, analysis techniques, and how you synthesized findings.

Challenge Preparation:

• Mock Presentations: Practice presenting your case studies aloud, focusing on clarity, conciseness, and engagement. Time yourself to ensure you stay within allocated limits.

• Anticipate "Why": Be ready to explain the rationale behind every decision you made in your research projects.

• Understand ICF's Context: Research ICF's work in federal government and healthcare IT. Think about how your research skills can address the specific challenges within these domains.

• Ethics and Accessibility: Be prepared to discuss your understanding and application of research ethics and accessibility standards (WCAG, Section 508).

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio review is paramount. Candidates should treat this as an opportunity to demonstrate not just what they did, but how they did it and why it mattered. Given the federal focus, highlighting experience with complex systems or regulatory environments will be advantageous.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Research Platforms: Tools for surveys, interviews, and usability testing (e.g., Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey, UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze).

• Collaboration Tools: For remote teamwork and communication (e.g., Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom).

• Documentation & Synthesis Tools: For organizing research data and insights (e.g., Dovetail, Miro, Mural, Notion, Confluence).

• Design & Prototyping Tools (Familiarity): While not a design role, understanding tools like Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD is beneficial for reviewing prototypes and collaborating with designers.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Data Analysis Software: Proficiency in tools for analyzing qualitative data (e.g., NVivo, Atlas.ti) and quantitative data (e.g., Excel, SPSS, R, Python for statistical analysis).

• Presentation Software: For creating compelling reports and delivering findings (e.g., PowerPoint, Google Slides, Keynote).

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly managing CRM systems, an understanding of how user data is collected and utilized within enterprise systems (potentially CRMs or custom government platforms) can be beneficial. Familiarity with how research insights feed into product roadmaps and development pipelines is key.

📝 Enhancement Note: While specific tools aren't mandated, a strong command of common UX research platforms and data synthesis tools is expected. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their proficiency and how they leverage these tools to drive research efficiency and impact.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and advocating for the needs and experiences of end-users in all product development efforts.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Relying on rigorous research and analysis to inform strategy, validate hypotheses, and measure impact.

• Collaboration and Transparency: Working effectively with cross-functional teams, sharing insights openly, and fostering a collaborative environment.

• Continuous Improvement: Embracing Agile principles to iterate quickly, learn from feedback, and consistently enhance product quality and user satisfaction.

• Integrity and Ethics: Upholding the highest standards of research ethics, data privacy, and professional conduct, especially critical in government work.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Actively engaging with designers, developers, product managers, and client stakeholders to ensure research findings are understood and integrated into the development lifecycle.

• Process Review Culture: Participating in regular team meetings, feedback sessions, and retrospectives to review processes, share learnings, and identify areas for improvement.

• Knowledge Sharing: Proactively sharing research insights, best practices, and user knowledge across the team and organization to build collective understanding and expertise.

📝 Enhancement Note: ICF's culture, particularly within its government services division, likely emphasizes professionalism, reliability, and a commitment to client success. The remote nature requires a proactive and communicative approach to collaboration.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Federal Bureaucracy: Understanding and working within the complex procurement, compliance, and stakeholder landscapes of federal government projects.

• Data Synthesis Complexity: Synthesizing findings from diverse research methods and large datasets to derive clear, actionable insights for complex systems.

• Remote Collaboration: Maintaining effective communication and strong working relationships with a distributed team and potentially geographically dispersed users.

• Balancing User Needs with Constraints: Advocating for user needs while navigating technical, budget, and timeline constraints inherent in government projects.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Specialized Training: Opportunities to attend industry conferences, workshops, or pursue certifications in advanced UX research techniques, accessibility, or specific government domain knowledge.

• Mentorship: Access to experienced UX researchers and design leaders within ICF for guidance and career development.

• Project Diversity: Gaining exposure to a wide range of federal projects, allowing for skill diversification and development of deep domain expertise.

• Internal Knowledge Sharing: Participating in internal communities of practice, webinars, and knowledge-sharing sessions to stay abreast of industry trends and best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are common in government contracting roles but are also opportunities for significant professional growth and development, particularly for those interested in long-term careers in public sector technology.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to advocate for a user need that conflicted with stakeholder priorities. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your communication, negotiation, and data-driven advocacy skills.)

• "Walk us through a complex UX research project from start to finish. What were the key challenges, your methodology, and the ultimate impact of your work?" (Prepare a detailed case study from your portfolio.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about working for ICF, particularly on federal government projects in healthcare IT?" (Demonstrate research into ICF's mission, clients, and your alignment with their work.)

• "How do you approach collaboration with a distributed, cross-functional team, especially when working remotely?" (Highlight your communication strategies, proactive engagement, and experience with remote tools.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling: Frame each case study as a narrative with a clear beginning (problem), middle (your research journey), and end (solution/impact).

• Visuals: Use clear, concise visuals (e.g., screenshots, diagrams, key data points) to illustrate your points. Avoid overwhelming slides with text.

• Focus on Process: Dedicate significant time to explaining how you conducted your research and why you made certain choices.

• Engage Your Audience: Pause for questions, solicit feedback, and make it a two-way conversation. Be enthusiastic and passionate about your work.

📝 Enhancement Note: Be prepared to discuss your understanding of federal contracting nuances, accessibility standards (WCAG, Section 508), and how you translate research into tangible improvements for government services.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this UX Researcher position:

• Submit Your Application: Complete the online application thoroughly, ensuring all fields are accurately filled.

• Tailor Your Resume: Optimize your resume to highlight your 3+ years of UX research experience, specific methodologies used, relevant projects (especially government or healthcare IT if applicable), and key skills mentioned in the job description. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Prepare Your Portfolio: Ensure your portfolio is polished, accessible (e.g., a link to a personal website or a well-organized PDF), and contains at least one detailed case study showcasing your research process and impact.

• Practice Your Presentation: Rehearse presenting your portfolio case studies, focusing on clarity, conciseness, and addressing potential interview questions.

• Research ICF: Familiarize yourself with ICF's mission, values, and recent work in the federal government and healthcare IT sectors. Understand their commitment to serving clients and the public.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.