Role Description

• Defense Unicorns is seeking a Product Designer for UDS Registry, a security-focused package management tool serving the Department of War.
• You'll shape the user experience for software delivery in airgap and high-security environments, designing for users ranging from application developers to security auditors to executive authorization officials.

Responsibilities

• The listed responsibilities are not exhaustive and additional responsibilities may be assigned based on the evolving needs of the organization.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to conceptualize and execute high-fidelity prototypes for mobile and desktop interfaces, translating concepts into user-friendly designs that align with our brand and business objectives.
• Conduct comprehensive UX research and testing methodologies to gather user feedback, identify pain points, and iterate on UI design solutions for optimal user satisfaction on both mobile and desktop.
• Help define early product concepts, flesh out the high-level workflow and micro-interactions of a feature, and execute on an effective visual design for mobile and desktop applications.
• Cultivate empathy for end-users across product teams & stakeholders by creating and maintaining user personas for registry users.
• Collaborate with developers to design and build data-centered tools with intuitive mobile and desktop interfaces that improve engineer and user experience.
• Create, collaborate, and iterate on user flows, site maps, user journeys, and other UI design artifacts for mobile and desktop.
• Plan iterative UI design improvements and deliver them to production regularly.
• Ensure a high-quality user experience and integrate feedback into the product's UI design.
• Document UI solutions and contribute to the team's shared component library.
• Work closely with other product teams and designers to ensure seamless cross-product integration with all other UDS platform products.
• Develop a deep understanding of the DevSecOps life cycle and its impact on software delivery.

Required Experience and Qualifications

• Portfolio requirement: Must demonstrate experience designing complex, multi-user enterprise applications with clear examples of:
• Information-dense interfaces that remain intuitive and accessible.
• Multi-step workflows with clear handoff points between different user types.
• Responsive design across device sizes.
• Core Design Capabilities
• 5+ years of product design experience with at least 2 years designing enterprise B2B or B2G applications.
• Expert proficiency in Figma (our primary design tool) and using shared libraries.
• Strong interaction design skills with proven ability to design complex, multi-step workflows.
• Deep understanding of accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 AA minimum).
• Proven track record facilitating design sprints or rapid prototyping sessions.
• Have experience leading user engagements fully remote (ex., interviews, usability testing, design workshops).
• Technical & Domain Knowledge
• Strong understanding of security concepts, including vulnerability management, compliance frameworks, authorization processes, and audit requirements.
• Familiarity with Tailwind CSS utility-first approach and constraints - enough to have informed conversations with engineers about feasibility and implementation.
• Understanding of DevSecOps practices and secure software delivery lifecycles.
• Understanding of open source software principles and open-core architecture.
• Work Style & Communication
• Excellent visual and verbal communication skills with the ability to articulate design decisions to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Proven ability to work independently and drive projects forward with minimal oversight.
• Strong facilitation skills for design workshops, and stakeholder alignment sessions.
• Comfort working in ambiguous problem spaces and turning vague requirements into concrete designs.
• Experience working fully remote with distributed teams across time zones.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience designing for government, military, or highly regulated industries.
• Understanding of DoW authorization processes (Authorization to Operate), Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) compliance, or FedRAMP requirements.
• Experience with security-focused products or cybersecurity tools.
• Knowledge of OCI registries, container technologies, or package management systems.
• Experience leveraging AI tools for accelerating UX processes without sacrificing quality.
• Experience designing for multiple deployment scenarios (cloud, on-premise, airgap).
• Strong data visualization skills for complex security and compliance metrics.
• Experience with progressive disclosure patterns and information architecture for dense datasets.