Hiring Senior UX Designer / Researcher – Accessibility Specialist

Hiring Senior UX Designer / Researcher – Accessibility Specialist

Job Title: Senior UX Designer / Researcher – Accessibility Specialist

Location: Iowa – Local/Regional Candidates Preferred

Employment Type: Contract

Key Responsibilities

• Plan and conduct formal UX research to understand user needs, behaviors, and workflow challenges.
• Design and moderate usability testing sessions and usability labs.
• Conduct heuristic evaluations and identify usability issues.
• Create user journeys, personas, workflows, and behavioral models.
• Develop information architecture for complex, data-heavy applications.
• Conduct card sorting and other research techniques to organize information effectively.
• Create wireframes, prototypes, and responsive interface designs using Figma.
• Translate research findings into practical, data-driven design recommendations.
• Apply accessibility principles throughout the UX design and research process.
• Ensure designs align with WCAG 2.2 Level AA requirements.
• Evaluate and improve keyboard navigation, focus management, color contrast, and other accessibility considerations.
• Collaborate with UX architects, product owners, developers, and agency stakeholders.
• Document design decisions, research findings, workflows, and recommendations.
• Communicate complex UX and accessibility findings clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Help establish and scale UX research and accessibility practices across multiple state initiatives.

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional experience in UX Design, UX Research, or a related field.
• Strong experience conducting UX research and usability testing.
• Demonstrated expertise in:
• Usability testing
• Usability labs
• Heuristic evaluation
• User journey mapping
• Persona development
• Information architecture
• Card sorting
• Wireframing
• Interactive prototyping
• Advanced proficiency with Figma.
• Strong knowledge of WCAG 2.2 Level AA accessibility standards.
• Hands-on experience with:
• Accessibility auditing
• Focus management
• Keyboard navigation
• Color contrast requirements
• Strong understanding of user-centered design and design-thinking methodologies.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to collaborate with technical teams, developers, product owners, and government stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Hotjar, Crazy Egg, or similar heat-map/analytics tools.
• Experience analyzing user behavior and developing data-driven design recommendations.
• Nielsen Norman Group (NN/g) training or certification.
• Google UX Design Certification.
• Formal education in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), UX Design, or a related discipline.
• Graduates of an Iowa State University (ISU) HCI program are highly preferred.
• Experience with the U.S. Web Design System (USWDS).
• Knowledge of semantic HTML5 and responsive CSS/SASS.
• Experience integrating UX designs into Angular or MVC/.NET environments.

Technical Skills

UX & Research:

UX Research, User Research, Usability Testing, Usability Labs, Heuristic Evaluation, User Journey Mapping, Persona Development, Information Architecture, Card Sorting

Design:

Figma, Wireframing, Interactive Prototyping, Responsive Web Design, User-Centered Design, Design Systems

Accessibility:

WCAG 2.2 Level AA, Accessibility Auditing, Focus Management, Keyboard Navigation, Color Contrast

Analytics:

Hotjar, Crazy Egg, Heat Maps, User Behavior Analysis, Data-Driven Design

Additional:

USWDS, HTML5, CSS/SASS, Angular, MVC/.NET

Work Arrangement

• Primarily a UX research and design role.
• No coding is expected for the core position.
• Local or regional Iowa candidates are preferred.
• Candidate must be available for occasional in-office meetings.
• Travel and related expenses will not be reimbursed.

Interview Process

Interviews are scheduled for September 14th and 15th, 2026. Candidates should be available to interview on one of these dates.

Important Candidate Requirements

Candidates must be willing to complete the required background check, fingerprinting, and associated DOM documentation prior to starting.

Candidates must also agree to the applicable State of Iowa contractor requirements and confirm their availability for the interview dates.