StaffPrincipal Service Designer, Technical (HHS)

About Skylight

Skylight is a digital consultancy using design and technology to help government agencies deliver better public services. Were at the forefront of a civic movement to reinvent how all levels of government serve families patients and many others in todays digital world.

If you want to play a part in driving this critical movement forward wed love for you to join our growing team of public interest technologists. The work we do matters.

About the job

At Skylight service designers connect human digital and organizational interactions to improve how government delivers services. They frame problems uncover opportunities and create practical solutions that bring measurable outcomes for the public.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is launching one of the most ambitious transformations in government and this is a rare chance to be part of it. Youll join a high-impact team of product managers researchers designers engineers and security experts working side-by-side with HHS leadership to modernize the systems people rely on to access healthcare strengthen cybersecurity that protects personal data launch digital services used by tens of millions every day and integrate data and AI responsibly into daily work across the department so teams at every level can make smarter safer decisions.

As a service designer on this project youll work across disciplines to translate strategy into real improvements. Youll conduct research synthesize insights and create service blueprints that guide implementation. Just as importantly youll prepare federal teams to sustain these improvements by sharing knowledge and practices that last from training and enablement to reusable tools like templates playbooks and decision records.

What youll do

• Lead service design strategy and planning to shape high-impact engagements
• Conduct research and synthesize findings into actionable insights and service blueprints
• Generate and test ideas through prototyping and experimentation to validate outcomes
• Partner with product engineering design and data teammates to turn concepts into implemented solutions
• Ensure accessibility security and compliance are embedded from the start including Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 508) standards
• Define success measures and make progress visible with clear metrics and reporting
• Facilitate workshops create toolkits and coach government partners to sustain improvements
• Help federal teams sustain improvements by delivering training and enablement and by leaving behind reusable resources such as templates playbooks and decision records

What were looking for

Minimum qualifications

• Experience applying service design methods to improve services and organizations
• Ability to conduct and synthesize research to uncover needs and guide design
• Experience creating artifacts such as service blueprints prototypes or workflows to translate insights into implementation
• Familiarity with accessibility requirements such as Section 508 and inclusive design practices
• Strong facilitation and collaboration skills to influence stakeholders and align teams
• Clear communication skills with executives stakeholders and delivery teams
• Commitment to equipping federal teams with documentation training and mentoring so improvements last beyond the contract
• Ability to work effectively in a professional services environment
• Passion for improving public outcomes through great government services
• A mindset and work approach that align with our core values
• Ability to spend time on-site at HHS in Washington DC either by being based locally or by traveling regularly for in-person work when its important

Nice-to-have qualifications

• Experience delivering modernization in civic tech government or other highly regulated sectors
• Familiarity with security and compliance contexts such as Authority to Operate (ATO) processes
• Experience working effectively on hybrid or distributed teams

Dont meet 100% of the criteria but think you can do the job Wed love to chat anyway! Were on a mission to build diverse teams and studies have shown that women and marginalized folks are less likely to apply to jobs if they dont check every box.

Other requirements

• All work must be conducted within the U.S. excluding U.S. territories. Some federal contracts require U.S. citizenship to be eligible for employment.
• You must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. now and in the future without sponsorship.
• As a government contractor you may be required to obtain a public trust or security clearance.
• You may be required to complete a company background check successfully.
• Some of our available roles are on federal contracts that require a degree or additional years of experience as a substitute.

Position type

This is a full-time exempt position.

Location

This role requires some in-person time in Washington DC. Candidates based in the DC area should be able to work on-site at HHS periodically. Candidates outside the area are also welcome to apply as long as they can travel to DC frequently for on-site collaboration. A relocation incentive of up to $10000 is available.

Care package

Salary

We want to give you the most competitive salary possible. After all you deserve it! To that end we use the results of our interview process to determine what salary is most appropriate given your current level of seniority. For a Service Designer at Skylight the current salary ranges are as follows:

• Associate Service Designer: $90000$125000
• Service Designer I: $120000$140000
• Service Designer II: $135000$160000
• Senior Service Designer: $150000$185000
• Staff Service Designer: $170000$203000
• Principal Service Designer: $180000$230000

Benefits

Your well-being is important to us so we focus on supporting you in a variety of ways:

• Medical insurance dental insurance vision insurance
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance
• Life and AD&D insurance
• Dependent care FSA healthcare FSA health savings account
• Dollar-for-dollar 401(k) match up to 10% of your salary with no vesting period
• Flexible paid-time-off policy (generally around 25 days per year) plus 11 paid federal holidays
• Up to 12 weeks paid-time-off for all eligible new birth adoption or foster parents
• Performance rewards including annual salary increase annual performance bonus spot bonuses and stock options
• Business development / sales bonuses
• Referral bonuses
• Annual $2000 allowance for professional development
• Annual $750 allowance for tech-related purchases
• Annual swag budget of $100 to display your Skylight pride with some merchandise (hoodies hats and more)
• Dollar-for-dollar charity donation matching up to $500 per year
• Flexible remote-friendly work environment
• An environment that empowers you to unleash your superpowers for public good

Interview tips

We want you to have a great interview experience with us! Here are some tips to help you prepare for a successful interview:

• Please include a portfolio of 12 work samples with your application. Your portfolio can be anything from a website to a slide deck whatever best showcases your work. We suggest choosing work samples that highlight your skills and experience in relation to the qualifications outlined in the job posting. Unless specified in the job requirements your portfolio doesnt need to be tied to any particular industry or field just select samples that best represent your expertise. To ensure we can review your application promptly please remove any access passwords on your portfolio or provide access details.
  Visit our join page to learn more about how our interview process works.
• Check out our Career Pathways framework to learn more about the different roles within Skylight and the skills needed to do them.
• Please include a portfolio of 12 showcase projects with your application. Your portfolio can be anything from a website to a slide deck (whatever works for you). So that we can prioritize your application for consideration please ensure that you either remove your access password to your portfolio or provide access details.
• If youd like to request reasonable accommodations during the application or interviewing process please contact our recruiting team at .

We participate in E-Verify and upon hire will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that youre authorized to work in the U.S.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color national origin sex religion age disability veteran status or any other category protected by applicable law.