Senior UX Designer

About the Engagement

Focus Consulting is seeking a senior-level UX/UI Designer to join an active digital services engagement with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Education (EOE). You'll be embedded on a cross-functional agile team; alongside engineers, a product manager, and a lean design team, working to build and iterate on a Family Portal and Case Management System that supports families applying for child care financial assistance.

This is a long-term engagement (minimum 12 months) supporting a system used by real families, caseworkers, and child care providers across Massachusetts. The work is meaningful and fast-paced. Accessibility is a core requirement.

Note: This role requires a background check (CORI) and credentialing review prior to system access, per Massachusetts state requirements.

What You'll Do

• Own UX and UI designs from concept to handoff — wireframes, flows, high-fidelity mockups, and interactive prototypes that stakeholders can react to quickly
• Build and maintain components within an evolving design system
• Translate complex workflows (case management, eligibility, intake) into clear, accessible, and usable interfaces
• Collaborate directly with engineers to ensure designs are implemented accurately — and adjust thoughtfully when technical constraints require it
• Support accessibility reviews and contribute to WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance; experience producing or contributing to VPATs is a strong plus
• Participate in sprint ceremonies, design reviews, and stakeholder demos
• Partner with a lean team — you'll need to be comfortable operating with some autonomy and picking up adjacent tasks as needed

What We're Looking For (Required)

• 5+ years of UX and UI design experience, with a portfolio that demonstrates strong visual design sensibility and systems thinking
• Meaningful experience launching and maintaining digital products with a team; worked with front-end developers to know what agile implementation feels like and what’s technically feasible
• Working knowledge of accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 AA) and how to design for them, not around them
• Proficiency in Figma (components, auto-layout, prototyping)
• Comfort in agile environments with iterative feedback cycles
• Strong communication skills — you can present a design rationale to a non-designer audience without losing the room
• Experience designing for public services/benefits

Strongly Preferred

• Experience on government or civic tech projects (federal, state, or local)
• Familiarity with VPAT documentation or Section 508 compliance
• Experience designing multilingual or multi-audience platforms
• Familiarity with design systems at a component/token level
• Experience with case management workflows
• Familiarity with trauma-informed design or research

The Environment

You'll be working on a lean design team currently without dedicated user research support, so resourcefulness matters. The client responds well to visuals and needs to see things to react to them; rapid prototyping and a "show don't tell" instinct will serve you well here. Engineering is strong and collaborative. When something gets implemented differently than designed, the expectation is problem-solving, not friction.