UX Designer (Public Sector)

• 1-year contract, renewable • Hybrid work arrangement • Government project Position Overview We are seeking a hands-on Senior UX Designer who can move between products while creating coherent user experiences across related systems. This role is designed for a versatile design practitioner who executes delivery while thinking holistically—someone who can design individual features while ensuring consistency across connected applications within the same service pillar. You'll work embedded within the Information Technology Group (ITG), designing experiences spanning various part of social services, family support, and community programs. Your assignment may focus on one product for several months, then rotate to another based on organizational needs. The goal is both delivery excellence on individual products AND design coherence across related systems. This role balances hands-on execution with cross-system design thinking. You'll execute design work directly—wireframes, prototypes, and specifications—while identifying patterns across related systems. You'll move between products within service pillars (e.g., case management systems, disbursement platforms, early childhood tools) to ensure cohesive user experiences, working at pace to deliver production-ready designs while building reusable patterns that benefit multiple systems. Primary Responsibilities Execution-Focused Design Delivery • Design end-to-end user experiences for assigned products—from discovery and research through to implementation and refinement • Produce wireframes, prototypes, high-fidelity designs, and UI specifications that developers can implement with minimal clarification • Conduct lean user research (interviews, usability testing, contextual inquiry) to validate design decisions efficiently • Work directly with vendors to ensure design implementation fidelity • Deploy to products based on organizational priorities—sometimes focusing on one major system, other times supporting 2-3 related initiatives Cross-System Design Harmonization • Identify shared patterns across systems within the same pillar (e.g., case management workflows, disbursement processes, registry interfaces) • Design with awareness of related systems • Build lightweight, pragmatic component libraries and design patterns that can be reused across similar applications • Recommend design decisions that balance individual product needs with broader service coherence • Share insights and patterns across product teams working on related systems Embedded Team Collaboration • Integrate into product teams alongside product leads and development teams • Participate in agile ceremonies across assigned products while maintaining connection to related systems • Translate business requirements and user needs into actionable design solutions • Present design rationale to stakeholders—explaining both product-specific decisions and cross-system thinking • Coordinate with product leads when design decisions affect multiple systems in the same pillar Practical Design Improvement • Champion accessibility and inclusive design pragmatically across all systems you touch • Identify quick wins and incremental improvements based on user feedback and analytics • Balance product delivery timelines with opportunities to improve broader design consistency Key Requirements Experience & Expertise • 6+ years of hands-on UX/UI design experience with demonstrated ability to deliver across diverse product types • Portfolio showing end-to-end design execution across at least 5 different products or systems • Evidence of creating design consistency across multiple related products or features within a product ecosystem • Experience balancing individual product delivery with broader design system thinking • Track record of effective collaboration with developers and successful design implementation Technical Skills • Expert-level proficiency in Figma (our primary design tool) • Strong understanding of component-based design and creating reusable patterns • Practical knowledge of responsive design, web accessibility (WCAG 2.1), and design systems • Familiarity with HTML/CSS sufficient to communicate effectively with developers and assess implementation feasibility • Experience conducting user research using standard methods (interviews, usability testing, surveys) Working Style & Mindset • Systems thinker who can zoom between detailed execution and broader pattern recognition • Self-directed and able to work with ambiguity—you can identify what needs harmonizing without being told • Pragmatic about design decisions—you know when consistency matters and when local optimization is acceptable • Comfortable with fluidity—moving between products while maintaining design coherence across your work • Strong communicator who can explain both product-specific rationale and cross-system implications • Collaborative team player who builds relationships across multiple product teams Work Environment • Typically work on 1-3 systems simultaneously, often within the same service pillar • Product assignments vary—from focused 2-3 month enhancements to longer 6-12 month system redesigns • Balance immediate product delivery needs with opportunities to harmonize design across related systems • Hybrid work arrangement with expectation of in-office presence for workshops, user research, and vendor coordination • Collaborate across 2 ITG departments (ITD and SSICT) and work with external vendors • You'll typically be the primary UX resource for your assigned products, with flexibility to consult across related systems The Ideal Candidate Beyond the listed qualifications, we are looking for someone who: • Balances tactical execution with strategic design thinking—not pure delivery nor pure strategy • Sees opportunities to create coherent experiences across related systems without sacrificing product momentum • Thrives on variety—rotating through different service domains while building expertise in specific areas • Is genuinely curious about social services, policy, and public sector challenges • Demonstrates empathy for both end users (citizens, social workers, educators) and internal stakeholders • Values impact over perfection—understanding that timely delivery often matters more than perfect solutions in government service delivery • Finds satisfaction in seeing their design patterns adopted across multiple systems, multiplying their impact • Is comfortable operating with ambiguity and establishing practices in a maturing design function What Success Looks Like: In your first 6 months, you will have delivered design work for 1-2 systems demonstrating quality execution, identified and/or implemented at least 2-3 shared design patterns that benefit multiple related systems, built productive relationships with product leads and developers across multiple teams, demonstrated ability to balance product delivery timelines with cross-system design thinking, and contributed to measurable improvements in user experience based on research insights.