Senior Human Centered Design & UI/UX Engineer

BAE Systems’ Digital Architecture Team is seeking a Senior Human-Centered Design & UI/UX Engineer to lead end-to-end human-centered design and usability activities while shaping visual and interaction design strategy for mission-critical software experiences. The role focuses on delivering technically sound, usable, accessible, and standards-compliant solutions aligned to DoD human-factors requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Champion human-centered design and UI/UX best practices across the Digital Architecture Team, embedding user focus throughout the SAFe® development flow.
• Lead end-to-end user research, including contextual inquiries, interviews, surveys, and field observations, and use findings to define personas, journey maps, and design requirements.
• Drive interaction design deliverables such as low-fi wireframes, high-fi mock-ups, and interactive prototypes using tools including Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, and Axure to support sprint planning and stakeholder review.
• Own and govern the UI/UX design system by creating, maintaining, and applying component libraries, style guides, and accessibility standards to ensure consistency across DAT products.
• Conduct formative and summative usability testing (lab-based, remote, or in-the-field), analyze outcomes, document findings, and iterate designs to support the team’s Definition of Done and compliance with MIL-STD-1472 and Section 508.
• Partner with product owners, system architects, software engineers, and DevSecOps teams to ensure designs are technically feasible, secure, and aligned with the ART backlog and PI objectives.
• Integrate design artifacts (research insights, personas, user stories, and acceptance criteria) into JIRA for visibility and traceability throughout the sprint lifecycle.
• Maintain comprehensive design documentation, traceability matrices, and human-factors compliance evidence to support internal and external audits.
• Mentor junior designers and cross-functional team members on HCD methodologies, UI/UX tools, and usability testing techniques; lead design critiques and review sessions.
• Present research outcomes, design concepts, and usability findings to senior leadership, customers, and external stakeholders, translating feedback into actionable improvements.
• Identify and remove design-related impediments, and collaborate with the Release Train Engineer to surface systemic barriers that may affect user-experience delivery.
• Drive continuous improvement by capturing lessons learned from each iteration, updating the Definition of Done, and contributing to refinement of DAT’s Agile processes.
• Stay current on emerging UI/UX trends, human-factors research, and defense-industry standards, and apply relevant innovations to enhance usability and effectiveness.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human-Centered Design, Human-Factors Engineering, Interaction Design, Industrial Design, Cognitive Psychology, Computer Science, or a closely related discipline (or equivalent professional experience).
• 4+ years of professional experience in human-centered design, UI/UX, or related fields, including at least 2 years of leadership or lead-designer responsibility.
• 3+ years hands-on experience working in Agile/Scrum environments, including participation in sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and PI planning.
• Deep knowledge of defense-relevant human-factors standards and accessibility guidelines (including MIL-STD-1472, Section 508, and ANSI/HFES 100) with demonstrated experience applying them in design solutions.
• Strong experience building and governing design systems, including component libraries, style guides, and accessibility rules for consistency across multiple products.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret clearance (U.S. citizenship required).

Technologies

• SAFe®
• Figma
• Sketch
• Adobe XD
• Axure
• JIRA

Preferred Education, Experience, & Skills

• Master’s degree or advanced certification in Human-Factors Engineering, User Experience, Interaction Design, or a closely related discipline.
• Direct experience designing for defense, aerospace, or other high-security, safety-critical domains (e.g., DoD, NASA, aerospace OEMs).
• Demonstrated experience delivering UI/UX for large-scale, multi-team SAFe® Agile Release Trains across multiple Planning Intervals.
• Exposure to DevSecOps pipelines and security-by-design practices ensuring UI/UX components meet stringent security requirements.
• Active security clearance – Secret or higher.

Location & Employment Details

Location: Nashua, NH (onsite)

Work type: Full-Time

Compensation

Full-Time Salary Range: USD 97,008 - 164,914 per yearly

Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision insurance (for regular employees scheduled to work 20+ hours per week)
• Health savings accounts
• 401(k) savings plan
• Disability coverage
• Life and accident insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Legal plan
• Paid time off
• Paid holidays
• Paid parental, military, bereavement, and any applicable federal and state sick leave
• Employee recognition program to receive monetary or non-monetary recognition awards
• Discounts on things like home, auto, and pet insurance
• Other incentives may be available based on position level and/or job specifics