Product Designer , (consultant, Experience & Design) with Security Clearance

Job Requirements Product Designer (C onsultant, Experience & Design) Fearless is seeking a Product Designer to support the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in designing and improving digital experiences across the CMS web ecosystem. As part of a cross-functional, you will collaborate with product managers, engineers, designers, and CMS subject matter experts to design user-centered solutions for large scale platforms. You will help translate research, business needs, and user requirements into intuitive, accessible digital experiences while applying modern design practices and contributing to the implementation of CMS design systems to support scalable, consistent, and high-quality public-facing services. At Fearless, the Consultant combines expertise in Content Design, Content Strategy, Product Design, Service Design, User Research, and UX leadership. This role will possess the necessary skills at an advanced level of proficiency for setting the vision, strategy, and systems that guide cross-functional design teams in creating scalable, impactful, and user-centered solutions. The role requires a balance of strategic foresight, design mentorship, and hands-on expertise to deliver high-quality products and services that meet user, customer, and organizational needs. At Fearless, the consultant ensures that products and services are intuitive, accessible, and meet the needs of diverse users. This role will possess and/or develop the skills to be able to span the domains of Content Design, Product Design, Service Design, Content Strategy, and User Research at a practical application level of proficiency. This Consultant role will work on projects that allow them to implement evidence-based solutions that balance organizational goals with user needs, while fostering inclusive and sustainable design practices across the organization. Your Responsibilities in this Role: * Collaborate with Product Owners, Engineers, Designers, and other team members to conceptualize and prioritize product features, user flows, and user interfaces that align with customer goals, user needs, and business objectives.
* Translate business, technical, and user requirements into effective design solutions, including personas, journey maps, storyboards, scenarios, and user flows.
* Design wireframes, low- and high-fidelity mockups, and interactive prototypes that support intuitive, accessible, and responsive user experiences.
* Conduct and synthesize user research and stakeholder insights to inform design decisions and recommend improvements to products and systems.
* Communicate research findings, design concepts, prototypes, and rationale clearly to stakeholders and team members to support decision-making.
* Assess and improve product usability through rapid prototyping, usability testing, and iterative design.
* Apply and maintain design systems, style guides, and component libraries to ensure consistency and scalability across products.
* Work closely with engineers and technical leads to ensure designs are feasible, meet technical constraints, and are implemented according to design specifications.
* Identify and communicate design and technical constraints while navigating trade-offs to deliver effective solutions.
* Provide feedback on design artifacts and support teammates in maintaining high standards for design quality and accessibility.
* Collaborate with subject matter experts and cross-functional teams to design and deliver minimum viable products (MVPs) that support new digital experiences. The Impact You Will Create in this Role: Fearless Impact: * Collaborates with cross-functional teams * Earn the trust of your customers and teammates by delivering world-class services. * Be reliable in completing assigned objectives on time. * Alert your teammates and supervisor immediately when you think a deliverable is at risk. * Gather intelligence and listen to what your client, other people within the customer's organization and other contractors say about your project, and report back to your Fearless teammates and supervisor (whether it's good, bad or just informational). Fearless Customer Impact: * Deliver expected outcomes that are intuitive, accessible, and aesthetically compelling * Offer and implement innovative solutions that include design best practices, tools, and research methods * Serve as a trusted advisor in your area of expertise Work Experience PROJECT SPECIFIC SKILL AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS * 5+ years of experience in UX/UI or product design delivering user-centered digital products.
* Experience working on large-scale public sector digital services, preferably within CMS, Medicare.gov, or similar government platforms.
* Experience implementing design systems across complex web platforms and collaborating with centralized design system teams.
* Strong proficiency in Figma, including interface design, responsive layouts, prototyping, and documenting specifications for engineering teams.
* Experience interpreting and applying style guides, component libraries, and design systems, including establishing or maintaining reusable design patterns.
* Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams including product management, engineering, and research.
* Experience translating insights from quantitative and qualitative research into actionable design improvements.
* Experience implementing Section 508 accessibility standards and accessibility best practices.
* Experience gathering and analyzing quantitative data using tools such as Adobe Customer Journey Analytics.
* Experience collecting qualitative research through user surveys and research tools such as Qualtrics.
* Familiarity with Drupal (frontend or backend environments).
* Experience working with Storybook or similar tools for documenting and developing UI components.
* Experience working in Agile environments, including familiarity with tools such as Jira and Confluence.
* Experience working with government clients or organizations with complex stakeholder and policy-driven environments.
* Ability to obtain and maintain public trust clearance
* Bachelors degree or higher Fearless Skills and Competencies * Analytical Thinking: The ability to observe and interpret information, break down complex problems into parts, identify patterns/relationships, and draw logical conclusions to develop effective solutions. * Synthetic Thinking: The ability to combine different ideas, information, or concepts to create a new, complex understanding or solution by integrating disparate elements into a new, meaningful whole. * Adaptability: Comfort with change, flexibility in the face of shifting demands and resilience to setbacks. * Ownership & Accountability: Committed to taking responsibility for outcomes, ensuring that all commitments are met with a focus on enhancing service delivery. * Consultative Advising: Identifies and articulates client challenges, scopes projects and aligns recommendations to business goals and client expectations. * Communicating with Influence: Capable of crafting and delivering clear, persuasive messages that integrate data insights and structured narratives, tailored to the strategic needs of diverse audiences to drive effective decision-making. * Environmental Awareness: Maintains awareness of external dynamics, power structures within client environments as well as regulatory trends and contract requirements that influence service delivery. Required Level of Proficiency: * Practical Application: You can complete tasks in the required competency/skill-based areas as requested. Help from an expert may be necessary from time to time, but you can usually perform the skill independently. Physical Requirements: * Ability to sit for extended periods while working on a computer or during meetings. * Must be able to travel occasionally to client sites or company meetings, which may involve driving or flying. * Ability to communicate effectively via phone, email, and in-person, requiring clear speech, listening, and written communication skills. * Ability to move within an office environment, including reaching for files, using office equipment, and occasional light lifting (up to 10 pounds). Benefits Life at Fearless We're a digital integration consultancy on a mission to build a better tomorrow. At Fearless, we combine technology, people, and organizational development to solve meaningful problems. Through iterative development, we deliver smart, user-friendly solutions that make tech work better-for everyone. But great tech is just part of the story. What really makes us Fearless is our Purple Culture. What Makes Us Purple? Being Purple means you: * Are valued as a whole person-not just a job title
* Get matched with work that plays to your strengths and passions
* Are supported by coaches, not micromanagers
* Have the autonomy and clarity to make decisions and drive impact
* Join a community that celebrates equity, curiosity, and innovation
* Do work that matters-every day
We believe in flexibility, growth, and balance. Our benefits and culture are designed to support you in doing your best work-while making space for what matters to you outside of it. We're proud to be an equal opportunity employer. At Fearless, we're building a workplace that welcomes and respects everyone-across race, gender, age, religion, identity, background, and ability. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Compensation at Fearless Fearless is committed to providing a competitive compensation package that will meet your current and future needs. Our philosophy is aimed at rewarding team member contributions, supporting long-term financial growth and security, and overall well-being. We believe in paying people fairly, so we've established a co