Senior Human-Centered Design (HCD) Subject Matter Expert

Everforth ECS is seeking a Senior HCD Subject Matter Expert to work in our Arlington, VA (Hybrid) office.  

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.

This 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.

1. → 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.

1. → 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.

1. → 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.

1. → 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.