Manager Human-Centered Design (HCD) & Test

Lockwood Hill is seeking a mid-to-late-career Human-Centered Design (HCD) Manager to join the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative's research, development, and deployment team. The HCD team serves as a support function for ADL leadership and product managers, ensuring the development of high-quality solutions.

The (HCD) Manager will lead and advocate for user-centered design principles across product development initiatives. This role is responsible for integrating HCD best practices into research, development, and deployment efforts. In addition, the HCD team manager is responsible for government acceptance testing prior to operational fielding ensuring that solutions are not only intuitive, efficient, and aligned with user needs, but ensures operational readiness of systems before deployment. The HCD Manager will collaborate with cross-functional teams, oversee HCD methodologies, and drive the strategic vision for human-centered innovation.

To join our team of outstanding professionals, apply today!

Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Management

• Leads, mentors, and manages an HCD team (typically 5-7 members) with diverse expertise - including UIUX, Quality Assurance / Test, graphics, web design, learning engineering, data science and analytics.
• Defines team objectives, assigns tasks, and oversees performance evaluations.
• Fosters a culture of continuous learning and professional development within the team.
• Advocates for HCD methodologies throughout the product lifecycle, from research and ideation to deployment.
• Collaborates with vendors and contractors, ensuring alignment with HCD and developmental and operational test best practices.
• Maintains HCD team operating standards, ensuring consistency in process and execution.

Technical Oversight and Individual Contributions

• Provides subject matter expertise as needed in the conduct of user research, usability testing, and stakeholder interviews to identify key user needs.
• Provides feedback on design artifacts, wireframing, prototyping, and user interface (UI) design.
• Reviews and refines testing protocols, and product demonstrations.
• Analyzes user feedback and performance metrics to enhance design decisions.

Cross-Team Collaboration & Influence

• Works closely with engineering, project management, and research teams to ensure seamless integration of HCD principles.
• Collaborates with external stakeholders, government sponsors, and industry partners to align efforts with best practices.
• Influences product roadmaps and acquisition decisions through human-centered insights.
• Advocate for HCD awareness and training across departments.

Work Culture orientation

• Demonstrates ownership of work tasks.
• Typically resolves complex problems or problems where precedent may not exist.
• Relies on extensive experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals.
• Works independently with minimal guidance, however, communicates key information with manager and team.
• Balances priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrates a wide degree of creativity and flexibility.

Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. citizen able to obtain and maintain a government clearance if one is required.
• Bachelor's or master's degree in human-Centered Design, UX/UI Design, Human Factors, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Cognitive Science, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in HCD, UX design, or user research.
• 5+ years of experience in operational testing in support of product deployment.
• 2+ years in a product development leadership role.
• Proven experience applying HCD methodologies and best practices in agile development environments.
• Strong ability to lead teams, manage projects, and collaborate with stakeholders at all levels.
• Experience with digital product development, including cloud-based platforms and enterprise applications.
• Strong problem-solving, negotiation, and strategic decision-making skills.
• Familiarity with IEEE data standards such as: IEEE P9274.1 Experience API (xAPI) 2.0; P2881 Standard for Learning Metadata; IEEE 1484.20.3 Sharable Competency Definitions; IEEE 2997 standard for Learner Records.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms, particularly Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience working with government, military, or defense-related projects.
• Familiarity with Capabilities-Based Acquisition (CBA) principles.
• Certifications in Scrum Master, UX Design, or HCD-related disciplines.

Job ID

2025-16824
Work Type

Remote
Pay Range

$165,000 - $180,000 annually
Benefits

Regular - The company offers a comprehensive benefits program, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401(k) and a range of other voluntary benefits. Paid Time Off (PTO) is offered to regular full-time and part-time employees.
Company Description

Work Where it Matters

Lockwood Hills, an Akima company, is not just another federal contractor. As an Alaska Native Corporation (ANC), our mission and purpose extend beyond our exciting federal projects as we support our shareholder communities in Alaska.

At Lockwood Hills, the work you do every day makes a difference in the lives of our 15,000 Iupiat shareholders, a group of Alaska natives from one of the most remote and harshest environments in the United States.

For our shareholders, Lockwood Hills provides support and employment opportunities and contributes to the survival of a culture that has thrived above the Arctic Circle for more than 10,000 years.

For our government customers, Lockwood Hills delivers mission critical support services for federal, civilian, and military operations around the world.

As a Lockwood Hills employee, you will be surrounded by a challenging, yet supportive work environment that is committed to innovation and diversity, two of our most important values. You will also have access to our comprehensive benefits and competitive pay in addition to growth opportunities and excellent retirement options.