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, Interaction Design to join our team located in Washington, DC.
We’re hiring a Senior UX Designer, Interaction Design who wants to define a category, not decorate one. Design is central to how we win, and this role is key to making that happen. You’ll own the interaction layer across web and mobile, set the vision for where our pro-tools should go, and have the autonomy to find the right problems to solve. You’ll work directly with a principal-level designer who is invested in growing the person in this seat toward the same.
As the Senior UX Designer, Interaction Design you will:
- Set the vision. Define what our pro-tools should become — cohesive interaction models and experiences that don’t exist in this category yet.
- Invent, don’t assemble. Explore original interaction concepts through prototyping, rather than executing predetermined specs. We want the idea nobody else on the team would have had.
- Own the interaction layer. Define and validate complex user flows, information architecture, and interaction models across multiple products on web and mobile.
- Drive product strategy. Partner closely with Product and Engineering to turn vague, high-level goals into clear, shippable features — balancing speed-to-market with real user value.
- Prototype for clarity. Use advanced Figma and AI prototyping to communicate functionality, interaction detail, and motion so engineers and stakeholders can feel the design, not just read about it.
- Ship quality, then improve it. Work closely with engineers to ensure what launches matches the design intent, and use quantitative and qualitative data to make the next version better.
This role is for you if:
- You’re energized by ambiguous, undefined problems and want to shape what gets built.
- You hold strong design opinions you can defend, and change them when the evidence says so.
- You move fast, discard ideas without ego, and iterate toward an experience customers are eager to use.
- You want to reshape how people (and companies) understand and interact with state governments.
Essential Qualifications for this position include:
- 5+ years designing software products, with real depth in interaction design and user experience.
- A portfolio with a point of view — projects where you defined the problem worth solving, not just executed a brief.
- Evidence you've set a design direction others followed, based on research, metrics and a strong intuition.
- Fluency in Figma and modern prototyping (including AI tools), and comfort using quantitative and qualitative data to sharpen your work.
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 [email protected]
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.
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Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in human-computer interaction, user experience, or related field
- 5+ years professional experience in software product design, interaction design, and user experience
- Strong portfolio demonstrating recent design experience
- Advanced prototyping skills in Figma to communicate functionality and motion
- Ability to operate autonomously and contribute to product strategy
- Ability to work in a fast-paced, startup environment and pivot based on feedback
- Onsite work at Washington, DC office
- Authorized to work in the United States without company sponsorship
- Experience contributing to and maintaining design systems
- Experience using data analytics to optimize designs
- Openness to feedback; strong opinions but loosely held
What We Do
The definitive platform for news, analysis and intelligence software that state leaders, policymakers and engaged citizens rely upon.
