Lead Service Designer and Researcher

We are seeking a Lead Human-Centered Design (HCD) & Service Designer to support the Secure, Performant, Reliable, and User-Centered Experiences (SPRUCE) IDIQ contract with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This role will drive user research, service design, and experience strategy to improve the Veteran Transition Experience, ensuring transitioning service members (TSMs) and recently separated Veterans (RSVs) can easily access the benefits and services they need. The Lead HCD & Service Designer will collaborate with VA stakeholders, cross-agency partners, and product development teams to create intuitive, accessible, and effective digital experiences for Veterans and their families.

This is a full-time position contingent on contract award by our client, with a defined performance period of up to one year, with two one-year options. This role offers you a unique opportunity to make a meaningful impact on a project that aligns with Bixal’s mission of delivering innovative, human-centered solutions. While the role has a fixed duration, we are committed to transparency and collaboration, keeping you informed about contract updates and new opportunities. At Bixal, we support your professional journey, ensuring your experience reflects our inclusive, purpose-driven culture and prepares you for future success.

Responsibilities

• Lead user research, service blueprinting, and experience strategy for VA transition services.
• Conduct qualitative and quantitative research with Veterans, service members, caregivers, advocates, VA employees and other actors of the service eco – system.
• Synthesize insights to identify showcase pain points, unmet needs, and opportunities for service improvement.
• Create personas, journey maps, service blueprints, and design prototypes to guide product development.
• Apply human-centered design principles to ensure VA services are user-friendly and intuitive.
• Work closely with Veteran Experience Services (VES), Product Delivery Service (PDS), and Office of Information & Technology (OIT) to align service design efforts with VA’s mission.
• Collaborate with cross-agency partners (DoD, DoL, SBA, OPM) to integrate transition-related services beyond VA.
• Facilitate design thinking workshops, stakeholder and employee interviews, and co-creation sessions with VA teams and Veterans end-users.
• Advocate for a customer-first mindset, ensuring customer needs are prioritized in policy and technology decisions.
• Collaborate with Platform Analytics and Insights team to review and iterate on existing measurements and KPIs.
• Partner with Product Managers, Engineers, Data Analysts, Researchers and UX Designers to translate research insights into actionable product enhancements.
• Support iterative Agile development cycles, integrating user feedback into design refinements.
• Ensure adherence to VA’s Digital Services Playbook and VA Design System
• Promote evidence-based decision-making, using data and research to inform VA.gov enhancements.
• Identify opportunities to streamline benefit discovery and enrollment processes for Veterans and transitioning service members.
• Stay current on best practices in service design, human-centered research and design, and government digital transformation.
• Champion open-source, reusable, and scalable design solutions that can be applied across VA services.
• Contribute to organizational knowledge-sharing, mentoring junior designers and researchers.
• Perform other relevant duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree, plus at least five years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and/or experience.
• Strong expertise in design thinking, user research methodologies, and service blueprinting.
• Experience working in Agile environments, collaborating with product teams, engineers, and stakeholders.
• Ability to translate complex government processes into clear, intuitive, and user-friendly experiences.
• Familiarity with ethical research and familiarity with accessibility and principles in digital service design.
• Empathy & User Advocacy: Passion for improving Veteran experiences through research-driven insights.
• Communication & Storytelling: Ability to translate complex research findings into compelling narratives.
• Collaboration & Influence: Ability to build trust with stakeholders and navigate bureaucratic environments.
• Problem-Solving & Adaptability: Comfort with ambiguity, rapid iteration, and cross-functional teamwork.
• Leadership & Facilitation: Experience leading co-design workshops and research synthesis sessions.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance.

Nice to haves

• Experience working with VA, federal agencies, or public sector digital services.
• Familiarity with VA.gov development guidelines, VA Design System, and U.S. Digital Services Playbook.
• Background in behavioral science, accessibility research, or human-computer interaction (HCI).
• Proficiency in Figma, Miro, Adobe XD, or other design and prototyping tools.