Lead UX Designer Washington DC

Job Description

As a Lead UX Designer for a premier Randstad client in the transportation sector, you will spearhead the creation of intuitive, custom applications that empower operations staff to keep the Northeast Corridor running efficiently. Based in Washington, D.C., you will bridge the gap between complex backend systems and user-friendly interfaces, working within a SAFe Agile environment to deliver high-fidelity designs in Figma.

This role requires a proactive leader who is comfortable conducting on-site research—including travel on trains and to field locations—to deeply understand the operational environment and translate those insights into scalable components for an enterprise-level design system.

• Design Leadership: Oversee the end-to-end design process, delivering interactive, high-fidelity Figma mockups that are accessible and visually consistent.
• Stakeholder Advocacy: Act as a strong voice for the user by defending design decisions and pushing back on requirements that compromise the user experience.
• Agile Integration: Lead design activities during PI Planning and participate in daily stand-ups to ensure design sequencing aligns with development cycles.
• Design System Management: Build and refine reusable components and patterns to ensure scalability and consistency across all digital products.
• Field Research & Testing: Conduct usability testing and contextual inquiries on-site (including on-train travel) to gather real-world requirements from operations staff.
• Technical
  
  Collaboration:
  
  Create detailed specifications and documentation in Jira and Confluence to facilitate seamless handoffs and accurate implementation by engineering teams.

• Experience: 5+ years of UX design experience with a portfolio showcasing complex, high-density application design (enterprise or internal tools preferred).
• Proximity: Must be local to the Northeast Corridor (D.C. area) and willing to travel up to 25% for on-premise workshops and field research.
• Technical
  
  Skills:
  
  Expert-level proficiency in Figma, Fig Jam, Jira, and Confluence
  .
• Methodology: Strong background in Agile/SAFe environments and a proven track record of managing design cadences for development teams.
• Design Systems: Direct experience building and maintaining component libraries and design tokens.
• Soft Skills: Exceptional communication skills with the confidence to advise Product Owners and advocate for user-centered principles.
• Preferred: Familiarity with the rail industry, complex operational software, and accessibility standards (WCAG).