Defense Digital Service - User Experience Designer

Application Deadline: 28 January 2025

Department: Defense Digital Service

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Remote

Description

Defense Digital Service - User Experience Designer JOA: CDAO-2024-000248  Pay Scale:  $142,488-$195,200Open Date:14 January 2025Close Date: 28 January 2025
Come do impactful work with a brilliant, motivated team.
About Defense Digital Service
Defense Digital Service (DDS) transforms how the Department of Defense (DoD) designs, builds, and deploys technology to improve products and services to the warfighter. Our work touches on a wide range of issues — from cybersecurity and energy security for department infrastructure to human resources and crisis response. We tackle these complex challenges head-on by recruiting exceptional tech talent from industry and government to our talented team for a two-year term (with the option to renew for a second term). 
We are solving a diverse set of problems, and we need a diverse team to do it. DDS is not like other workplaces. The work that you do here will directly contribute to national security, improve the lives of those who serve, and make an impact that spans the globe. If you are thinking to yourself — I’m not a government person, or I’m not a military person – whatever that means to you, consider the possibilities. The impact you can make here is truly phenomenal. If that excites you and you have the skills, you should apply. 
About the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office
The Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) is responsible for the acceleration of the adoption of data, analytics, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to generate decision advantage across the Department of Defense (DoD). The CDAO enables the Military Departments and Services, Joint Staff, Combatant Commands (CCMDs), Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), and other DoD Components, to swiftly introduce new capabilities and effectively experiment with new operational concepts in support of DoD warfighting missions.
About Design at DDS
At DDS, Designers are problem solvers and scope-shapers with a high degree of autonomy. You will get the opportunity to help define project scope and be leaders. You will make a real difference by providing expertise to help the Department and our country improve products, services, and practices. You will work closely with other members of our multidisciplinary team to define problems, conduct research, and craft thoughtful, enduring solutions. 
You aren’t here to slap a coat of design on a project, or to check off a design task at the end of a waterfall process. You aren’t here for micromanagement, executive gatekeeping, marketing analytics, or creative decision through committee.You’ll join a Design Guild composed of friendly, whip-smart designers with diverse backgrounds. In our flat organization, you’ll be hands-on with all aspects of product discovery and design, contributing directly to impactful outcomes.
This role will close for submissions on January 28th at 11:59:59pm or when our application pool reaches 150 candidates. Candidates are required to provide an e-portfolio, project samples, etc. to their submission package to be considered for Design openings within DDS. 

What you'll do:

• Fix outdated, broken, and frustrating government technology. You’ll truly make a difference.
• Own the end-to-end user experience and design on projects by leveraging UX best practices and design execution to create user-focused, intuitive products and services.
• Understand and document existing user flows and propose improvements — they might be for products, and they might be for services, but whatever they are, you’ll put the user first.
• Conduct field research to understand how peoples’ tools, environment, and work culture impact their job. You’ll learn when to push against unnecessary barriers, and when to work within constraints.
• Translate user research into actionable insights and effective design solutions through the use of workshops, writing, graphics, and anything else in your toolkit that’s appropriate. 
• Lead usability testing for your projects.
• Contribute visual design, copywriting, production, and anything else that your projects need. No job here is too big or too small. We sweat the details and we think big.
• Analyze and present research insights to shape product/service roadmap and design decisions.
• Work collaboratively with engineers, product managers, data scientists and procurement specialists throughout all stages of the product life cycle.
• Be an advocate for human centered design through