Senior UX Designer
Location: Columbia, MD (Hybrid – up to 2 days telework per week)
Salary Range: $135,000 – $165,000
Clearance Required: TS//SCI with Polygraph

At Shadow Strategies, you will join a culture defined by innovation, purpose, and meaningful impact. We seek driven individuals ready to bring their unique strengths to a dynamic team dedicated to solving critical challenges. If you're inspired by complexity, motivated by clarity, and committed to excellence, we invite you to become part of something exceptional.

Shadow Strategies is seeking a Senior UX Designer to help shape intuitive, engaging, and human-centered digital experiences for a highly visible national security program. In this role, your design decisions will directly impact user efficiency, satisfaction, and mission success.

As part of the UX team, you’ll apply your creative problem-solving skills and technical know-how to ensure the tools not only function well but feel effortless to use. If you're a designer with a passion for innovation and a proven ability to bring clarity to complexity, we want to hear from you.

What You’ll Do

• Lead user research efforts to map workflows, user profiles, tasks, and scenarios

• Design and iterate on modern, user-centered interfaces for web and software applications

• Conduct usability testing, interpret feedback, and refine solutions to enhance the user experience

• Partner with developers and engineers to ensure designs translate effectively into functioning products

• Develop and present detailed mockups and prototypes for new features and system enhancements

Required Skills & Experience

• Strong portfolio demonstrating UX/UI work across multiple software platforms

• Extensive experience across the full usability and software development lifecycle

• Deep understanding of human-centered design principles and interaction models

• Skilled in Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe XD, PenPot, and related prototyping tools

• Excellent collaboration skills—especially with developers and product teams

Preferred Qualifications

• Certifications in Human Factors Engineering or Human-Centered Computing

• Familiarity with Section 508 compliance and accessibility design principles

Years of Experience and Degree Requirements
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Human-Centered Design, or a related field with 10+ years of user experience design
OR
14+ years of user experience design without a degree

Why Shadow
Based in Columbia, MD, with up to 2 days of telework per week
Team-oriented and mission-focused work environment
Opportunities for continued learning, creative freedom, and leadership

What Comes With It
You’ll have what you need to do your best work:

• Fully covered health insurance – medical, dental, vision

• Paid parental leave – 16 weeks if you give birth, 4 if your partner does

• Flexible leave – 36 days (25 PTO + 11 holidays)

• 401(k) – for your future

• Short- and long-term disability – because life happens

• Annual health stipend – if you opt out of our insurance

Elite talent deserves elite support. Our benefits empower you to excel professionally and personally, recognizing your value through comprehensive health coverage, disability protection,
and meaningful well-being initiatives. By investing in you, we ensure you have the tools, resources, and support you need to thrive—inside and outside of work. See our benefit plan here.
 

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Shadow Strategies is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating a workplace that values diversity and fosters inclusion. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to location, the individual’s particular combination of education, knowledge, skills, competencies, and experience, as well as contract-specific affordability and organizational requirements. 

https://www.shadowstrategies.io/