Senior UX Designer, Research

Senior UX Designer, Research

State Affairs is the nation’s leading news and policy intelligence platform focused on state governments. We combine nonpartisan coverage of Statehouses across the country alongside state government data and AI-native tools into a singular platform.

Washington, DC (onsite, hybrid)

$140,000 to $160,000 per year.

We are hiring a Senior UX Designer, Research to join our team located in Washington, DC. The role is a hybrid UX Designer and Researcher – a generalist deeply passionate about grounding product decisions in user needs.

• Translate research findings into wireframes and prototypes.
• Leverage behavioral analytics such as funnel analysis and heatmaps to pinpoint friction and drive design improvements.
• Plan, recruit for, and moderate discovery interviews, usability tests, and competitive analyses to deliver actionable insights within short development cycles.
• Synthesize quantitative and qualitative data into compelling narratives and artifacts that directly influence the product roadmap and engineering priorities.
• Partner closely with Product Management, Engineering, and fellow designers to ensure user insights are implemented into usable and delightful product solutions.

• Bachelor’s degree in human-computer interaction, user experience, or a related field.
• 5+ years of professional work experience in software product design, with a specialized focus on user research, discovery, and validation.
• A strong portfolio demonstrating recent work experience.
• Proven ability to operate autonomously and contribute to product strategy beyond just execution.
• Experience working with data analysts or using analytics tools to inform design decisions.
• Ability to work in a fast‑paced, startup environment with a willingness to quickly discard ideas and pivot based on feedback.

• Excellent communication skills and the ability to engage customers during design and research sessions.
• Facilitation experience with enterprise customers.
• Proven proficiency with research tools and an excellent command of Figma for prototyping.
• Strong opinions, loosely held – you have conviction in your design decisions, but approach feedback and critique with humility.

State Affairs offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package to employees.

State Affairs is an equal‑opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit and business needs. State Affairs does not discriminate against applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic in accordance with federal, state, and local law.

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future company sponsorship.