Senior UX Designer, Research

State Affairs is the nation’s leading news and policy intelligence platform focused on state governments. We combine nonpartisan coverage of Statehouses across the country alongside state government data and AI-native tools into a singular platform. 

We inform and empower decision makers, policy professionals and citizens through our award-winning journalism and data – delivering profound insights to help our customers decode and act on state politics and  policy. We’re building a category-defining business that will reshape America as we strengthen visibility into what’s happening and why at the state level.

We are hiring a Senior UX Designer, Research to join our team located in Washington, DC. 

For this role, we are seeking a hybrid UX Designer and Researcher - a generalist who is deeply passionate about grounding product decisions in user needs. You will drive the strategic application of mixed-method research to inform and validate design work across the product lifecycle in a fast-paced, iterative environment.

As the Senior UX Designer, Research you will:

• Bridge Design & Discovery: You won't just hand off research findings; you will translate them into wireframes and prototypes. 
• Manage application analytics: Leverage behavioral analytics such as funnel analysis and heatmaps to pinpoint areas of friction and drive design improvements.  
• Conduct rapid, high-impact studies: Efficiently plan, recruit for, and moderate discovery interviews, usability tests, and competitive analyses to deliver actionable insights within short development cycles.
• Translate insights into action: Synthesize quantitative data and qualitative feedback into compelling narratives and artifacts that directly influence the product roadmap and engineering priorities.
• Act as a strategic partner: Partner closely with Product Management, Engineering, and fellow designers to ensure user insights are implemented into usable and delightful product solutions.

Essential Qualifications for this position include:

• Bachelor’s degree in human-computer interaction, user experience, or a related field 
• 5 years of professional work experience in software product design, with a specialized focus on user research, discovery, and validation
• A strong portfolio demonstrating recent work experience 
• Proven ability to operate autonomously and contribute to product strategy beyond just execution
• Experience working with data analysts or using analytics tools to inform design decisions
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, startup environment with a willingness to quickly discard ideas and pivot based on feedback

Preferred Qualifications for this position include: 

• Excellent communication skills, the ability to engage customers during design and research sessions
• Facilitation experience with enterprise customers
• Proven proficiency with research tools and an excellent command of Figma for prototyping
• Strong opinions, loosely held – you have conviction in your design decisions, but approach feedback and critique with humility.

This is an onsite work opportunity and our teams operate from the Washington, DC office (located at L and 15th St. NW). State Affairs offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package to employees.

The annual salary range for this role as it is posted is $140,000 to $160,000 for candidates working from the State Affairs office in Washington, DC. The final job level and annual salary will be determined based on the education, qualification, knowledge, skills, ability, and experience of the final candidate(s), and calibrated against relevant market data and internal team equity.  Benefits listed in this posting may vary depending on the nature of your employment with State Affairs.

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future company sponsorship.

State Affairs is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit and business needs.  State Affairs does not discriminate against applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic in accordance with federal, state, and local law.

State Affairs is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities as they go through our job application and interview process. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at jobs@stateaffairs.com

By submitting your application, you affirm the content contained therein is true and accurate in all respects. Please note that prior to employment, State Affairs will obtain background checks for employment purposes that may include, where permitted by law, the following: identify verification, prior employment verification, personal and professional references, educational verification, and criminal history. For certain roles, further background checks covering additional information and activities may be initiated.

"By clicking "Submit Application" you are consenting to the use and retention of the information you have provided as set forth in the State Affairs Privacy Policy.