Senior UX Designer - Remote | Reston, VA, USA

Below is a quick‑reference summary of the Senior UX Designer – Remote role at ICF, followed by a checklist of what the hiring team is looking for and some practical tips on how to position yourself (or a candidate) for success.

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1️⃣ Role Snapshot

Item	Details
Title	Senior UX Designer (Remote)
Employer	ICF – global advisory & technology services firm
Industry	Federal government healthcare IT (HHS, CMS)
Location	United States (remote, but work must be performed from a U.S. IP address)
Employment type	Full‑time, W‑2 (public‑trust eligible)
Salary range	$98,614 – $167,644 per year (depends on experience, location, etc.)
Key tech/tools	Figma, Adobe Creative Cloud, Sketch; Agile tools; design‑system libraries
Compliance focus	WCAG 2.0 AA / Section 508 (preferred)
Clearance	Public‑trust eligibility required; prior CMS/HHS clearance a plus

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2️⃣ Core Responsibilities

#	What you’ll be doing
1	Support UX vision & strategy – align design work with project leadership and business goals.
2	Human‑Centered Design (HCD) – conduct user research, persona creation, journey mapping, service blueprints, data visualizations, etc.
3	User research & participatory design – plan, execute, and synthesize qualitative & quantitative data to validate concepts.
4	Ideation & problem solving – generate concepts, sketch, wireframe, prototype, and iterate based on feedback.
5	High‑fidelity deliverables – produce mockups, interactive prototypes, and design specifications for dev hand‑off.
6	Collaboration – work with product owners, researchers, QA, and developers; answer design questions; ensure implementation fidelity.
7	Data‑driven prioritization – help leadership rank projects by impact using research insights.
8	Stakeholder communication – clearly articulate design rationale, process, and outcomes to internal & external audiences.
9	Agile participation – attend stand‑ups, sprint planning, retrospectives; deliver in short, iterative cycles.
10	Design‑system adherence – leverage existing UI kits, style guides, and accessibility patterns.

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3️⃣ Minimum (Basic) Qualifications

Requirement	Why it matters
B.S. (or equivalent) in Design, HCI, CS, Business, etc.	Formal grounding in design thinking or related discipline.
8+ years of applied UX design in software	Proven depth of practice; ability to lead complex projects.
8+ years of HCD expertise (research, personas, workflows, feedback loops)	Demonstrates mastery of the end‑to‑end user‑centered process.
Portfolio showing process & deliverables (wireframes → functional prototypes)	Tangible proof of skill; hiring managers will scrutinize this first.
U.S. residency (3 of last 5 years) & eligibility for Federal public‑trust	Legal requirement for federal contracts.
Ability to work remotely from the U.S. (no VPNs, IP‑blocking compliance)	Security policy of ICF.

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4️⃣ Preferred (Nice‑to‑Have) Qualifications

Preference	How it boosts your candidacy
WCAG 2.0 AA / Section 508 knowledge	Directly aligns with federal accessibility mandates.
10+ years total professional experience	Signals senior‑level leadership potential.
M.S. in Design/HCI/related	Shows deeper academic expertise.
Federal contracting or healthcare‑IT experience	Reduces onboarding ramp‑up time.
Current or prior clearance for CMS/HHS	Immediate eligibility for sensitive projects.

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5️⃣ Core Professional Skills (as listed)

• Agile methodology fluency
• Ability to meet deadlines within a cross‑functional team
• Design‑system & style‑guide compliance
• Accessibility‑first mindset
• Mastery of Figma, Adobe CC, Sketch (or comparable tools)
• Strong written, visual, and verbal communication
• Remote collaboration across distributed teams

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6️⃣ How to Tailor Your Application

📄 Resume Tweaks

Section	Action
Header	Include “U.S. citizen – eligible for Federal public‑trust” (or “Public‑trust clearance – active/pending”).
Professional Summary	2‑3 lines: “Senior UX Designer with 9+ years delivering human‑centered, WCAG‑AA compliant experiences for federal healthcare platforms. Proven track record of leading research‑driven design from discovery to high‑fidelity prototype in Agile environments.”
Core Competencies (bullet list)	• Human‑Centered Design • Accessibility (WCAG 2.0 AA, Section 508) • Agile/Scrum • Figma, Adobe CC, Sketch • Service Blueprinting • User Research (qualitative & quantitative) • Design Systems
Experience	For each role, use the CAR (Challenge‑Action‑Result) format and mirror the language from the posting. Example: Challenge: Legacy CMS portal had 30 % task‑completion failure for providers. Action: Conducted contextual interviews (n=45), created personas & journey maps, iterated low‑fi wireframes in Figma, validated with remote usability testing (N=12). Result: Reduced task‑completion errors by 22 % and increased Net Promoter Score by 15 pts after launch.
Portfolio	Host a live site (e.g., Behance, personal domain) with case studies that explicitly show: research methods, personas, journey maps, low‑fi → high‑fi progression, accessibility checks, and hand‑off artifacts. Include a short video walkthrough for each project.
Education & Certifications	List degree(s) and any relevant certifications (e.g., NN/g UX Certification, IAAP Certified Professional in Accessibility).
Clearance / Eligibility	If you have an active clearance, list it (e.g., “Public Trust – active (Oct 2023)”). If not, note “Eligible for public‑trust clearance; U.S. citizen, 5‑year residency.”

📧 Cover Letter Blueprint

1. Opening – Mention the exact title and that you’re excited about contributing to federal healthcare IT.
2. Why ICF – Reference ICF’s mission (“help the federal government work better”) and your alignment with their collaborative, data‑driven culture.
3. Fit with Core Requirements – Pick 3‑4 bullet points from the “Key Responsibilities” and give a concise example for each (research, prototyping, stakeholder communication, Agile delivery).
4. Accessibility & Compliance – Highlight any WCAG/Section 508 work you’ve done; quantify impact if possible.
5. Clear‑Trust Eligibility – State your citizenship, residency, and clearance status up front.
6. Closing – Reiterate enthusiasm, invite them to view your portfolio, and thank them for consideration.

🎙️ Interview Prep

Topic	Sample Question	How to Answer (STAR)
Human‑Centered Design	“Walk us through a project where user research changed the direction of the product.”	Situation: Legacy benefits portal. Task: Redesign to improve enrollment. Action: Conducted 30 + in‑depth interviews, created empathy maps, pivoted from wizard‑style flow to a dashboard. Result: 18 % increase in completed enrollments within 2 months.
Accessibility	“How do you ensure WCAG 2.0 AA compliance in your designs?”	Explain systematic checklist, color‑contrast tools, screen‑reader testing, collaboration with dev QA, and documentation in design system. Provide a metric (e.g., passed 100 % of automated accessibility audits).
Agile Collaboration	“Describe your role in a sprint that delivered a new feature.”	Highlight daily stand‑ups, backlog grooming, rapid prototyping, design‑review sessions, and hand‑off using Figma specs; mention iteration speed (e.g., 2‑week sprint).
Stakeholder Management	“Give an example of gaining buy‑in from a skeptical senior leader.”	Show how you built a data‑driven prototype, presented usability metrics, and aligned with business KPIs to secure approval.
Federal Experience	“What challenges are unique to designing for CMS/HHS?”	Discuss security constraints, compliance timelines, multi‑agency stakeholder coordination, and the need for clear documentation.

📦 Portfolio Checklist

• Case Study Structure: Problem → Research → Ideation → Prototyping → Testing → Impact.
• Artifacts: Personas, journey maps, service blueprints, wireframes, high‑fidelity mockups, interactive prototype link, accessibility audit screenshots.
• Tools: Show Figma files (or embed), Sketch symbols, Adobe XD flows.
• Metrics: Include quantitative results (e.g., “Reduced error rate by 27 %”, “Increased task completion time from 2 min to 45 sec”).
• Accessibility Evidence: Highlight contrast ratios, ARIA labeling, keyboard navigation tests.

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7️⃣ Quick “Yes/No” Eligibility Checklist

✅ Requirement	✔️ You have it?
U.S. citizen / permanent resident (or eligible)
Resided in U.S. ≥ 3 of last 5 years
Eligible for Federal public‑trust (no disqualifying record)
8+ years UX design (software)
8+ years HCD research & design
Portfolio with end‑to‑end process
Remote work from U.S. IP (no VPN)
Familiarity with WCAG 2.0 AA (preferred)
Experience in federal healthcare IT (preferred)
Active or prior CMS/HHS clearance (preferred)

If any of the mandatory boxes are unchecked, you’ll need to address the gap (e.g., note “Will obtain public‑trust clearance upon offer”).

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8️⃣ Final Takeaways

1. Show the process, not just the final UI. ICF’s hiring team will scrutinize how you research, iterate, and validate.
2. Speak the language of the posting. Mirror terms like “human‑centered design,” “service blueprint,” “WCAG 2.0 AA,” and “Agile.”
3. Quantify impact. Numbers (conversion uplift, error reduction, time saved) make your achievements concrete.
4. Make eligibility crystal‑clear. Put citizenship, residency, and clearance status front‑and‑center to avoid any “disqualify” filters.
5. Accessibility is a differentiator. Even if it’s only “preferred,” demonstrating solid WCAG compliance will set you apart from other senior designers.

Good luck! If you’d like a more detailed resume rewrite, a custom cover‑letter draft, or feedback on a specific portfolio case study, just let me know and I can help you craft it. 🚀