Customer ResearchHuman Centered Design Lead

ICF is seeking an experienced Customer Research / Human Centered Design Lead to guide user and stakeholder research in support of mission-critical systems serving Federal land management agencies including USFS USDA DOI and BLM. This role ensures that products and services reflect real operational workflows across diverse field and office environments improving usability adoption and mission effectiveness. The ideal candidate brings deep experience in human-centered design and applied research translating insights from users and stakeholders into actionable recommendations that inform product strategy and system development.

Job Location: This position requires that the job be performed in the United you accept this position you should note that ICF does monitor employee work locations and blocks access from foreign locations/foreign IP addresses and also prohibits personal VPN connections.

• You may be asked to travel once a quarter to an office.
• Our core work hours are 10am - 4pm Eastern Time with the option to start earlier or work later depending on your time zone.

What You Will Do:

• Lead and execute user and stakeholder research initiatives to inform product strategy design decisions and mission outcomes.
• Develop and implement research strategies and study plans using qualitative and quantitative methods including interviews field studies surveys and usability testing.
• Conduct research across diverse operational environments including both field-based and office-based users to understand workflows constraints and mission needs.
• Synthesize research findings into actionable insights personas journey maps and design recommendations that guide product and system development.
• Collaborate closely with Product Owners designers and engineering teams to translate research insights into clear requirements and design improvements.
• Lead iterative usability testing and validation activities to ensure solutions reduce user burden and improve system adoption.
• Prepare and present research findings recommendations and reports to program leadership and Government stakeholders.
• Guide and mentor multidisciplinary research teams while promoting human-centered design practices across the program.

What You Will Bring With You:

• Bachelors degree in Human Factors Human-Computer Interaction Psychology Sociology Public Policy or related field.
• 8 years of experience conducting applied research human-centered design UX research or service design including at least 3 years leading research programs or multidisciplinary research teams.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance; must reside in and be authorized to work in the United States.

What We Would Like You To Bring With You:

• Masters degree in Human Factors Human-Computer Interaction Psychology Sociology Public Policy or related discipline.
• Experience supporting Federal agencies or public sector programs.
• Experience conducting field-based research with operational users in complex mission environments.
• Familiarity with human-centered design approaches used in digital services enterprise systems or mission support applications.
• Experience translating research insights into product requirements design improvements and program strategy recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate research findings and recommendations to executive or Government audiences.

Professional Skills:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities with the ability to synthesize complex qualitative and quantitative data into clear insights.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present research findings and recommendations to both technical teams and non-technical stakeholders.
• Proven ability to collaborate across multidisciplinary teams and drive alignment between research insights product strategy and system development.
• Ability to manage multiple research initiatives while maintaining high standards of methodological rigor and stakeholder engagement.

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We can only solve the worlds toughest challenges by building a workplace that allows everyone to thrive. We are an equal opportunity employer.Together our employees are empowered to share theirexpertiseand collaborate with others to achieve personal and professional goals. For more information please read ourEEOpolicy.

We will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Reasonable Accommodations are available including but not limited to for disabled veterans individuals with disabilities and individuals withsincerely heldreligious beliefs in all phases of the application and employment process. To requestan accommodationplease emailand we will be happy toassist. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extentto provide needed reasonable accommodations.

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