Leidos is seeking a Human-Centered Design (HCD) Lead and UI/UX Researcher to guide user-centered research and design efforts for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Contact Center CRM modernization program. This role is based in Baltimore, Maryland and supports an end-to-end HCD approach across planning, requirements, design, and iterative delivery.
Responsibilities
- Lead Human-Centered Design (HCD) activities across the CRM modernization lifecycle, including requirements, design, and iterative sprint cycles.
- Collect stakeholder input from CCOG SMEs, CSRs, supervisors, and other system users using interviews, workshops, surveys, focus groups, and side-by-side observations.
- Translate business processes into actionable insights by analyzing user needs and pain points, and supporting the definition of detailed requirements for the modernized CRM.
- Elicit business goals and user needs from CMS stakeholders and facilitate customer discovery sessions.
- Create Conceptual Models, Journey Maps, Personas, and Scenarios of Use for CSR, supervisor, and beneficiary/consumer interactions.
- Develop and refine screen prototypes and mock-ups for stakeholder validation prior to development, aligned with the Unified CSR Workspace vision.
- Design and conduct formative user research using methods such as user interviews, contextual inquiry, card sorting, and usability testing in both formal and informal settings.
- Document user requirements, screen designs, and design recommendations with clear, testable acceptance criteria to support Agile user stories.
- Prepare and present research findings, usability results, and design recommendations to CMS stakeholders and Leidos leadership in small and large group settings.
- Partner with the Product Manager, Solution Architect, and Agile delivery teams to translate HCD insights into prioritized backlog items and sprint deliverables.
- Support Proof of Concept (PoC) demonstrations to ensure CSR workspace, case management, and AI-assisted workflows reflect validated design decisions.
- Ensure designs and prototypes comply with Section 508 accessibility standards and CMS/HHS accessibility policies.
- Facilitate usability testing and design reviews through PI planning, sprint reviews, and User Acceptance Testing (UAT) to validate business function continuity.
- Support design for AI-enabled guided workflows, knowledge recommendation surfacing, and CSR coaching interfaces aimed at intuitive, low-burden user experiences.
- Collaborate with the Training and Content team to align design decisions with CSR onboarding, training materials, and change management activities.
- Maintain a repository of research artifacts, personas, journey maps, and design decisions to support requirements traceability and design consistency across releases.
- Analyze usability metrics and CSR feedback to guide continuous improvement of the CRM workspace, knowledge management, and AI-assisted features.
- Build an HCD culture across the program by coaching Agile teams and CMS stakeholders on user-centered design methods and best practices.
- Contribute to executive-level briefings, design walkthroughs, and stakeholder demonstrations that communicate modernization vision and user experience strategy.
- Coordinate with Quality Assurance and Independent Quality Assurance (IQA) stakeholders to help ensure designs support consistent, high-quality CSR interactions.
- Support change management and adoption activities, including training content and communications related to design changes for end users.
- Participate in planning sessions, requirements gathering, design sessions, Agile modeling sessions, and other events supporting CRM modernization.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 6-8 years of relevant experience in UX research and design, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Minimum of 4 years of direct Interaction/Interface design experience using User-Centered Design (UCD) methods and user analysis.
- Minimum of 3 years designing and conducting formative usability tests and user research in both formal and informal settings.
- Strong oral and written communication skills, including experience presenting research findings and design recommendations to technical and non-technical stakeholders; must provide a digital portfolio of design work for review.
- Ability to obtain Public Trust.
Technologies
- Pega
- Salesforce CRM
- Section 508
- Unified CSR Workspace vision
- AI-assisted workflows
- AI-enabled guided workflows
- Card sorting
- Usability testing
- User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience using prototyping software.
- Experience with Pega and/or Salesforce CRM platforms.
- Experience with Agile/Scrum or SAFe delivery methodologies.
- Understanding of responsive design and omnichannel (voice, chat, web) user experience.
- Understanding of Section 508 accessibility requirements as they relate to design.
- Prior experience supporting CMS or other federal health/human services agencies.
- UX certifications.
Compensation and Location
- Location: Baltimore, MD (onsite)
- Salary: USD 107,900 to 195,050 per year
The Leidos pay range is a general guideline for this job level and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Offer decisions may consider responsibilities, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, along with internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreements (if any), or other law.
Benefits
- Health and Wellness programs
- Income Protection
- Paid Leave
- Retirement
Posting Date
Original posting: September 24, 2026.
For U.S. positions, Leidos reasonably anticipates the requisition will remain open for at least 3 days, with an anticipated close date no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date listed above, subject to business needs.
