Strategic Design & Experience Lead

FWI is building a team to establish and sustain an efficient Outreach and Engagement (O&E) program that delivers timely, innovative solutions ensuring quality-of-life information reaches military audiences while providing IT, cybersecurity, and data operations services to support the Military Community and Family Policy (MC&FP) enterprise operations. This position will serve as the Government's primary design thought partner and customer experience strategist, bridging O&E and IT/Cybersecurity/Data operations to drive innovation in service delivery. The SDEL will champion human-centered design principles, guide creative and brand strategy, interpret customer insights to inform design decisions, and ensure the military community receives modern, accessible, and intuitive digital experiences that enhance their quality of life.

FWI has been recognized as a Top Workplace by the Washington Post in 2024 and 2025, offering excellent growth opportunities in a collaborative environment.

**Position is contingent upon contract award**

Work Schedule and Location:

Remote: This full-time remote position will work Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm with occasional travel and onsite work in Alexandria, VA.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Design Leadership
  
  • Serve as the Government's primary design thought partner and customer experience strategist for MC&FP enterprise initiatives
  • Bridge Outreach & Engagement with IT/Cybersecurity/Data teams to create cohesive, user-centered solutions
  • Provide design vision and innovation strategies to senior leadership, ensuring alignment with mission objectives
  
  Customer Experience & Innovation
  
  • Champion human-centered design methodologies across all digital platforms and services
  • Transform customer feedback, user insights, and behavioral data into actionable design improvements
  • Guide creative and brand strategy to ensure consistent, impactful experiences for military families
  
  UX Strategy & Implementation
  
  • Develop comprehensive UX strategies incorporating journey mapping, usability testing, and iterative design
  • Oversee UI/UX testing, evaluation, and optimization for web and mobile applications
  • Ensure full compliance with accessibility standards (Section 508/WCAG) across all digital experiences
  
  Data-Informed Design
  
  • Enable data-driven decision making by interpreting user analytics and performance metrics
  • Apply modern design practices and emerging technologies to enhance service delivery
  • Create scalable design frameworks that support enterprise-wide consistency and innovation

Qualifications

Required:

• 5+ years shaping and delivering strategic design, customer experience, and/or brand innovation initiatives for Government or large-scale enterprise systems
• 5+ years with human-centered design, analysis of user feedback and behavioral data, and/or creative/brand strategy
• 3+ years providing design vision and innovation strategies to senior leadership, PMs, and product owners that align with organizational goals
• 3+ years applying modern design practices, accessibility standards (Section 508/WCAG), and digital UX principles, including:
  • Managing UI/UX testing, evaluation, and optimization
  • Developing UX strategies with journey mapping, usability testing, and iterative design
  • Working in agile website and application development environments
  • Supporting native mobile application design
• Active Secret clearance required.

Desired:

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Marketing, Human-Centered Design, Business, or related field
• Experience working with or interpreting user-centered data, digital performance metrics, or customer feedback to inform strategic goals
• Professional certifications in one or more of the following:
  • Usability or UX design (e.g., Nielsen Norman Group, HFI, Google UX)
  • Project/Program leadership (e.g., PMI PMP or PgMP)
  • Human-centered design (e.g., IDEO, Design Thinking)
  • Analytics/Marketing (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics)
• Experience with DoD or military community audiences
• Familiarity with AWS GovCloud environments and federal compliance requirements

FWI is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/vets.

Why Join Our Team

At FWI, we place the highest importance on creating an exceptional employee experience. You'll have opportunities to achieve your career aspirations through internal promotions, professional development, and other recognition and rewards programs. Join our team and take advantage of the many benefits we offer, including:

• Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Long-term and Short-term Disability Insurance
• Life Insurance
• 401(k) Plan
• Holiday Pay
• Paid Time Off

Pay Range

Negotiable