UX Researcher

UX Researcher

Vienna, VA

Corporate - Tech /

Full-time /

Hybrid

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SteerBridge is a modern technology company delivering innovative, mission-focused solutions to the U.S. Government and private sector. Leveraging deep expertise in federal acquisition, digital transformation, and emerging technologies, we deliver agile, commercial-grade capabilities that accelerate operational effectiveness and drive measurable mission success.

At the core of SteerBridge is our people-especially the veterans whose leadership, problem-solving mindset, and commitment to excellence elevate every project we support. We don't simply hire exceptional talent; we cultivate it, creating meaningful career pathways for veterans, military spouses, and professionals who share our passion for advancing technology and strengthening the missions we serve.

Position Overview

SteerBridge is seeking a UX Researcher to support a mission-critical Defense Aviation platform used by federal customers. This role focuses on understanding operational workflows in aviation readiness and sustainment environments and translating those insights into usable product experiences.

The researcher will work directly with designers, engineers, data scientists, and domain experts to ensure the system supports fleet readiness monitoring, maintenance planning, logistics coordination, and operational decision-making.

Unlike traditional or academically focused research roles, this position requires demonstrated experience applying UX research within a software product development environment. The researcher must be able to move beyond research findings and translate user insights into actionable product requirements, workflow improvements, interface concepts, and prototypes that can be implemented by design and engineering teams.

The ideal candidate has worked directly within multidisciplinary software teams and understands how UX research contributes throughout the product development lifecycle-from discovery and requirements definition through design, prototyping, usability validation, iteration, and implementation.

SteerBridge applies proven design patterns such as Medallion Architecture to structure, validate, and operationalize data within aviation analytics platforms. UX research ensures these architectural patterns translate into clear, usable, and decision-ready experiences for operators working in high-consequence environments.

Key Responsibilities

User Research and Discovery

• Plan and conduct qualitative and quantitative UX research including interviews, contextual inquiries, surveys, and workflow analysis
• Observe operational environments to understand real-world constraints and decision-making patterns
• Conduct usability testing on prototypes and production systems
• Synthesize research findings into insights that guide product decisions
• Develop personas, journey maps, and operational workflow models

Research-Driven Design and Prototyping

• Translate research findings into prototype concepts that demonstrate improved workflows
• Create wireframes and interaction models to visualize research-informed solutions
• Collaborate with product designers to refine design concepts
• Support information architecture and interaction design decisions
• Validate design concepts through iterative usability testing

Systems and Product Collaboration

• Work closely with engineers and data teams to ensure system architecture aligns with user workflows
• Partner with product owners and subject matter experts to balance operational needs with technical constraints
• Participate in backlog refinement and design reviews
• Support design-to-development handoffs with clear research documentation

Domain and Competitive Research

• Conduct domain analysis of aviation logistics and sustainment systems
• Analyze competing tools and operational practices to inform product direction

Required Qualifications

• U.S. Citizenship required
• 3+ years of professional UX research, human factors, or applied product research experience supporting software or digital product development.
• Strong command of research methodologies including interviews, usability testing, and research synthesis
• Ability to translate complex operational environments into clear user insights
• Experience working with complex enterprise or government software systems
• Experience collaborating with multidisciplinary teams including engineers, designers, and data scientists
• Strong communication skills with the ability to present insights to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Demonstrated experience applying UX research within a software product development environment, including translating research findings into actionable product requirements, workflows, interface concepts, prototypes, or implemented product improvements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with aviation, defense, logistics, or fleet management systems
• Experience supporting enterprise analytics or decision-support platforms
• Familiarity with data-driven interfaces such as dashboards or operational planning tools
• Experience with Figma or similar prototyping tools

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Life Insurance
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with matching
• Paid Time Off
• Paid Federal Holidays

$115,000 - $135,000 a year

Annually, commensurate with experience and location.

SteerBridge Strategies is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where all qualified applicants and employees are treated with respect and dignity-regardless of race, color, gender, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We also provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities in accordance with applicable laws. If you require assistance during the application process, we encourage you to reach out so we can support your needs.

If you would like information about how your application is processed, please contact us.

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