Product designer

We are Skyward.

That is, a love for people, for improvement, for human advancement through information technology. We are a people-centered business with a desire to serve others. We are diverse and unified; creative and collaborative; a collection of complementary, not competing talents. And though on the surface we remain relaxed, beneath, a torrent of energy links us to our civic tech mission.

We stand by our values, and we won’t compromise on any of them.

• Integrity: We’re conscientious, intentional, and empathetic. Our words and actions align. That’s our character. Please don’t ask us to play another part, we’re poor actors.
• Compassionate: If we may borrow a quote from Theodore Roosevelt: “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” Because our team is thoughtful and supportive, caring deeply for each other, our clients, and our work, this comes naturally.
• Inquisitive: We remain students by failing openly and turning lessons into solutions.
• Unconventional: For us, life isn’t what happens outside of work. Work happens inside of life and our culture erases the line often dividing the two.
• Authentic: Made possible only because we embody the values listed above. We’re relaxed and fun yet intensely curious and driven. Team members are placed with thought, care, and precision to ensure that Trust, Truth, and Transparency continue to represent our brand.

Because of that, we continue Onward, Upward, and Skyward.

We need a Product Designer.

Do you get a little thrill from turning a tangle of requirements and research into a screen so clean it feels obvious? The kind where users just… get it? Are you the designer who sweats the spacing, the hierarchy, and the one-word label that makes a confusing flow finally click? You lead with craft, you back it with evidence, and you’re not happy until the pixels earn their place.

If you love designing the answer (and know how to prove it’s the right one), please apply. Let’s go Skyward together.

What you'll do:

• Design the experience. Own the UX and UI for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service’s (CMS) enterprise AI platform, and for CMS’s AI products, from concept to polished, high-fidelity, USWDS-aligned designs in Figma that are intuitive, elegant, and ready to build.
• Make it tangible fast. Move from sketches to wireframes to interactive prototypes, iterating quickly so stakeholders can see and feel the solution, not just read about it.
• Build and extend the design system. Create and maintain reusable components, patterns, and standards so the product stays consistent and scalable as it grows.
• Design with evidence. Plan and run lightweight research (usability sessions, interviews, feedback loops) and fold what you learn straight back into the design (design-primary, research-informed).
• Map the experience. Build user flows, journey maps, and service blueprints that show how people move through AI services and where the friction lives.
• Make accessibility non-negotiable. Design to Section 508 and WCAG from the first frame so what ships works beautifully for every user.
• Partner across the team. Work shoulder-to-shoulder with engineers, the AI team, and CMS stakeholders in a badgeless, one-team culture, handing off designs that developers love to build.

What we’d like you to have:

• A bachelor’s degree and 5+ years in UX/product design (with hands-on research exposure) or a closely related field.
• A standout portfolio that shows strong visual and interaction design — real products you took from concept to polished, shipped UI.
• Deep Figma fluency: high-fidelity design, prototyping, and building/maintaining design systems and component libraries.
• A solid grasp of UX fundamentals: information architecture, interaction patterns, and usability principles, plus the ability to run lightweight research to validate your work.
• Familiarity with the USWDS and federal CX mandates.
• Genuine accessibility awareness. 508 and WCAG are part of how you design, not an afterthought.
• Deep research chops to complement your design. You can lead the discovery as confidently as the design.

What would blow us away:

• Front-end familiarity (HTML/CSS, or designing closely with React teams) so your handoffs are build-ready.
• Experience designing data-heavy or AI-driven products (dashboards, search, chat, or knowledge tools).
• You previously supported CMS or another federal agency.

Even if you don’t meet 100% of the qualifications, we encourage you to apply. At Skyward, we’re focused on hiring individuals with the right skills and passion to grow, not just checking off every box.

And now the important part. What we offer you:

• Medical, dental, vision insurance
• 15 days of paid leave
• 7 days of sick leave
• 2 days bereavement leave
• 11 paid Federal holidays
• Up to 40 hours for jury duty
• 401K with 4% employer contribution (and no vesting period)
• Up to 4 weeks of paid paternity and maternity leave
• Company provided laptop
• $5,000 per year for professional development
• $600 per year for technical supplies and equipment
• $2,000 referral bonus
• Life and disability insurance
• HSA and FSA
• Legal Shield and ID Shield Voluntary Benefits
• Opportunity to work in a collaborative, motivated team focused on modernizing government services with cutting-edge technology and innovative solutions. Who says government work can’t be exciting!

$100,000 - $130,000 semi monthly

We believe great work deserves great pay. That’s why we ensure our compensation is not only competitive but also fair and transparent, as required by Maryland law. Expect a salary that matches your skills, experience, and the value you bring to the table — because you’re worth it!

At Skyward, we support flexible working hours and remote opportunities to help maintain a healthy work-life balance for all employees.

Offers of employment with Skyward are contingent upon acceptable results of a background investigation.

Applicants must have the ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust security clearance due to the nature of our work as a government contractor.