UI/UX Designer

Lynker Corporation is hiring a UI/UX Designer to help support the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) through a focused overhaul of spaceweather.gov. This hybrid role is centered on UX design, research, visual communication, and design system management, with an emphasis on delivering production-ready UI designs and specifications for engineering teams.

What you’ll do

• Restructure navigation, user flows, and site hierarchy so diverse personas, from commercial airline dispatchers to casual skywatchers, can quickly locate critical alerts and data.
• Design visual layouts, dashboards, maps, and chart interfaces for real-time space weather information, including K-index scales, aurora oval predictions, and solar image feeds.
• Create low-fidelity sketches, high-fidelity mockups, and interactive Figma prototypes to test feature concepts prior to developer handoff.
• Run user interviews, surveys, and usability testing with key stakeholders such as power grid operators, pilots, emergency managers, and researchers to understand operational workflows.
• Refine designs using analytics, feedback loops, and usability findings to reduce friction in high-stress monitoring environments.
• Build and maintain a unified Figma component library aligned with the US Web Design System and NOAA brand standards.
• Design inclusive interfaces that adhere to WCAG 2.1 AA, supporting accessibility through color choices, visual hierarchy, and graph concepts that translate for all users.
• Provide clean, pixel-precise design specifications, redlines, asset exports, and interaction notes for software engineers.
• Perform a visual and structural audit of spaceweather.gov key user paths and compile a research summary of user pain points.
• Establish a standardized Figma design library consistent with USWDS guidance for future web products.
• Deliver fully specified UI designs and interactive prototypes for updated high-priority alert and aurora forecasting pages, ready for engineering implementation.

What you bring

• 3+ years of experience in UI/UX design, visual design, or product design.
• Portfolio evidence of UI/UX projects, design systems work, data visualization mockups, and user research processes.
• Proficiency in Figma (components, auto-layout, interactive prototyping) or equivalent tools such as Adobe XD, Sketch, or Illustrator.
• Strong knowledge of WCAG 2.1 AA visual design practices, including contrast ratios, readable typography, and colorblind-friendly data palettes.
• Ability to explain design decisions clearly to scientists, program managers, and engineering teams.
• Experience designing UI for scientific, meteorological, geospatial, or complex data monitoring dashboards.
• Experience applying or adapting component-based design systems, particularly USWDS.

Hybrid schedule

• Work 2 days per week in the office in Boulder, CO and 3 days per week from home.

Compensation

USD 77,000 - 120,000 per year.

Tools and standards

• Figma, US Web Design System (USWDS), WCAG 2.1 AA
• Adobe XD, Sketch, Illustrator
• Section 508

Benefits

• Comprehensive healthcare for the employee at no monthly cost (medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision)
• Personal Time Off (PTO) policy plus paid holidays
• Highly competitive compensation plan regularly calibrated against industry and location benchmarks
• 401(k) retirement plan with company matching
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
• Flexible spending accounts
• Employee assistance program (EAP)
• Short- and long-term disability insurance
• Life and accident insurance
• Tuition assistance/Training/Workforce improvement reimbursement per year
• Spot bonuses for exceptional performance
• Annual Employee Recognition Awards with bonuses
• Employee Referral Program
• Free centralized, self-directed Learning Management System
• Personalized career growth plans for every employee