Senior UX Designer

Who we are:

Raft (https://TeamRaft.com) is a customer-obsessed non-traditional small business with a purposeful focus on Distributed Data Systems, Platforms at Scale, and Complex Application Development, with headquarters in Reston, VA. Our range of clients includes innovative federal and public agencies leveraging design thinking, cutting-edge tech stack, and cloud-native ecosystem. We build digital solutions that impact the lives of millions of Americans.

We’re looking for an experienced Senior UX Designer to support our customers and join our passionate team of high-impact problem solvers.

About the role:

The Senior User Experience Designer is adept at harnessing Human-Centered Design principles, actively shaping product design and playing an integral role in cultivating our user-centric mindset. Immersed in an agile working environment, they apply Lean UX principles to mold minimum viable products (MVPs) through deliberate prototyping and testing, emphasizing tangible impact and success metrics. Engaging deeply in the continuous discovery process, they explore both qualitative and quantitative aspects of user behavior and articulately convey pertinent feedback and design decisions to the team and stakeholders.

What we are looking for:

• 5+ years of relevant work experience in UX and/or product design
• Experience creating flow diagrams, wireframes, prototypes, and visual comps all demonstrated in your portfolio
• Proficient experience across the UX method spectrum
• Lead responsibility for planning, facilitating discovery, framing, and ideation
• Competence in delivering end-to-end user experience designs
• Robust visual design skills and the ability to create engaging interfaces
• Experience collaborating with a cross-functional team, participating in UX strategy, and building an understanding and empathy for users
• Aptitude for balancing user feedback with technical constraints and stakeholder objectives
• Demonstrated adherence to design and accessibility standards and usability best practices
• Intellectual curiosity, empathy, and strong communication skills

Highly preferred:

• Experience with frontend development
• Experience includes User Centered Design (UCD) methods
• Experience providing input on product decisions through user research, customer development, and iterative feedback loops
• Experience in Agile work environment
• Experience with Service Design 
• BA/BS or higher in experience design, industrial design, HCI, or other relevant degree/ experience

Clearance Requirements:

• Ability to obtain and maintain a public trust security clearance

Work Type: 

• Remote
• May require up to 10% travel

What we will offer you:

• Highly competitive salary
• Fully covered healthcare, dental, and vision coverage
• 401(k) and company match
• Unlimited PTO + 11 paid holidays
• Education & training benefits
• Annual budget for your tech/gadgets needs
• Monthly box of yummy snacks to eat while doing meaningful work
• Remote, hybrid, and flexible work options
• Team off-site in fun places!
• Generous Referral Bonuses
• And More!

Our Vision Statement: 

We bridge the gap between humans and data through radical transparency and our obsession with the mission. 

Our Customer Obsession: 

We will approach every deliverable like it's a product. We will adopt a customer-obsessed mentality. As we grow, and our footprint becomes larger, teams and employees will treat each other not only as teammates but customers. We must live the customer-obsessed mindset, always. This will help us scale and it will translate to the interactions that our Rafters have with their clients and other product teams that they integrate with. Our culture will enable our success and set us apart from other companies.

How do we get there? 

Public-sector modernization is critical for us to live in a better world. We, at Raft, want to innovate and solve complex problems. And, if we are successful, our generation and the ones that follow us will live in a delightful, efficient, and accessible world where out-of-box thinking, and collaboration is a norm. 

Raft’s core philosophy is Ubuntu: I Am, Because We are. We support our “nadi” by elevating the other Rafters. We work as a hyper collaborative team where each team member brings a unique perspective, adding value that did not exist before. People make Raft special. We celebrate each other and our cognitive and cultural diversity. We are devoted to our practice of innovation and collaboration.