UX Designer - Contingent

Public Trust Eligibility Required

This is a contingent position, meaning employment is dependent upon the successful award of the associated contract to Aretum and completion of any required background investigation or security clearance verification. 

About Aretum
Aretum is a mission-driven organization committed to delivering innovative, technology-enabled solutions to our customers across defense, civilian, and homeland security sectors. Our teams work at the intersection of strategy, technology, and transformation, helping agencies solve their most critical challenges. We believe in investing in our people and creating a culture where collaboration, inclusion, and professional growth are at the forefront.

Job Summary 

Aretum is seeking a highly skilled and motivated UX Designer to join our team. As a UX Designer, you'll employ user-centered design principles to complete the end-to-end design process. The focus for this position is creating wireframes and prototypes working within a design system. Additionally, you will perform usability testing and accessibility audits to ensure that the end products meet user needs and expectations.  

Due to the nature of our work as a federal consulting organization, employees may be expected to handle Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and must adhere to applicable safeguarding and compliance requirements. 

Responsibilities

• Conduct user research through interviews, surveys, and data analysis to gather insights from end-users, stakeholders, and existing data
• Identify opportunities, requirements, and constraints to inform design decisions, following a user-centered design (UCD) process
• Create wireframes, storyboards, process flows, and interactive prototypes to visualize solutions for applications/system features
• Coordinate, define, design and maintain Design System components, libraries, utilities, and patterns
• Ensure consistency across projects by implementing shared UX templates and global components
• Work closely with SCRUM teams, federal Product Owners, developers, and other stakeholders to ideate solutions, address pain points, and refine designs through iterative feedback
• Participate in Agile ceremonies like sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and retrospectives
• Perform usability testing, accessibility audits, and validation sessions to evaluate designs, iterating based on user feedback
• Ensure all deliverables comply with Section 508 (Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. 794d) and WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards for intuitive, efficient user experiences
• Maintain robust documentation, demos, and the Design System website/Figma toolkit library
• Advise teams on best practices for using design system components and enterprise features
• Support cross-functional agile development in a SAFe framework, contributing to program increments, roadmaps, and velocity goals
• Mentor SCRUM teams on UX-related topics, promote user-centered principles, and contribute to continuous improvement in DesignOps processes

• 5 years of applicable experience
• Bachelor's degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Graphic Design, Computer Science, or a related field (or 3 years of additional experience)
• Proficiency in UX design tools, including Figma (preferred), Sketch, Adobe XD, or similar, with hands-on experience in creating wireframes, prototypes, and design systems
• Strong expertise in user-centered design (UCD) processes, including discovery (e.g., user research, stakeholder interviews, competitive analysis), definition (e.g., personas, journey maps, problem statements), ideation (e.g., workshops, brainstorming), prototyping, and validation (e.g., usability testing)
• Expertise with accessibility standards, particularly Section 508 compliance and WCAG guidelines, with experience conducting accessibility audits and ensuring inclusive designs
• Familiarity with front-end technologies such as HTML/CSS, JavaScript, Angular, and Bootstrap for implementing and integrating designs into development workflows
• Experience collaborating in cross-functional teams, including developers, architects, and federal stakeholders, with excellent communication skills for presenting designs, facilitating workshops, and documenting processes
• Solid understanding of agile methodologies (SCRUM, SAFe) and tools like Jira and Confluence, with the ability to participate in sprint ceremonies and adapt to iterative development
• Ability to create and maintain design documentation, such as user research reports, summary docs for UCD phases, and design system libraries

Preferred Qualifications 

• Experience with federal government contracts, including compliance with FAR regulations, ATO processes, and working on mission-critical systems or regulatory platforms

• Certification in UX/UI design (e.g., Nielsen Norman Group), Agile (e.g., Certified ScrumMaster), or accessibility (e.g., IAAP CPACC)
• Certification, coursework, or workshops in UX accessibility
• Background in content-heavy enterprise systems, with skills in advanced prototyping tools or DesignOps practices
• Proficiency in mentoring teams on UX best practices and contributing to large-scale design systems

Travel Requirements 
This is a remote position; however, occasional travel may be required based on project needs, client meetings, team collaboration events, or training sessions. Travel is expected to be less than 10% and will be communicated in advance whenever possible. 

EEO Statement
Aretum is committed to fostering a workplace rooted in excellence, integrity, and equal opportunity for all. We adhere to merit-based hiring practices, ensuring that all employment decisions are made based on qualifications, skills, and ability to perform the job, without preference or consideration of factors unrelated to job performance. 

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Aretum complies with all applicable federal, state, and local employment laws. 

We are proud to support our nation’s veterans and military families, providing career opportunities that honor their service and experience. 

If you require reasonable accommodation during the hiring process due to a disability, please contact [email protected] for assistance. 

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled 

U.S. Work Authorization
Applicants must be U.S. citizens or currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. This position supports a federal government contract and requires the ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust or Suitability Determination, depending on the agency’s background investigation requirements. Sponsorship is not available. 

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)  

• Retirement Plan (401k) 

• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)  

• Paid Time Off 

• Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)  

• Short Term & Long-Term Disability  

• Training & Development