About this Product Designer (1099 Contract) | Active Secret Clearance Required role at DEFCON AI
ABOUT DEFCON AI
RESILIENCE IN THE FACE OF DISRUPTION. DEFCON AI is an insights company that leverages artificial intelligence, mathematical optimization, data analytics, and software engineering for resilient optimization of complex systems.
In today’s dynamically changing world, DEFCON AI’s technology aligns outcomes with operational goals, better decision making, and empowers customers to anticipate assess, and mitigate the impacts of disruptions.
About the Role
We're hiring a mid-level Product Designer to own end-to-end design on one or more product areas. You will work directly with engineers, product, and subject-matter experts to turn ambiguous operational problems into interfaces that are dense, fast, and legible. This is a hands-on role: you will be in Figma, in the design system, and in code review conversations, not just in strategy decks.
You will work in a small team with a short distance between design and shipped software and direct contact with the people who use what we build. Designers have meaningful ownership of their product areas and are expected to bring informed opinions to the work.
This is a 1099 contract opportunity, with expected 40 hours per week. A Secret Clearance is required.
Key Responsibilities
- Own the design of features from discovery through shipped implementation — problem framing, flows, wireframes, high-fidelity UI, and design QA.
- Design for complexity: data-dense tables, map and timeline views, simulation outputs, and multi-role workflows where information hierarchy is the whole job.
- Contribute to and extend our design system (@defcon/ui) — build components in Figma, define tokens and variants, and partner with engineering on the React/TypeScript implementation.
- Run lightweight discovery with SMEs and end users, working within the access constraints of government environments. Translate what you learn into shared artifacts the team actually uses.
- Design the unglamorous but critical parts of government software: authentication flows (CAC/PIV), role-based access control, permissions, empty and error states, and audit-friendly interactions.
- Meet accessibility requirements as a baseline, not a cleanup pass — WCAG 2.1 AA and Section 508 compliance.
- Give and receive critique. Present work clearly to non-designers, including customers and program stakeholders.
Required Qualifications
- 4–5 years of product design experience shipping software, supported by a portfolio that demonstrates your process and decision-making, not just final screens.
- Strong proficiency in Figma, including components, variants, auto-layout, and variables.
- Hands-on experience building and maintaining a design system, including defining tokens and component APIs, documenting usage, communicating version changes, managing deprecations, and keeping the design library aligned with its coded implementation.
- Experience designing complex, information-dense applications, such as enterprise, analytics, logistics, or operational tools. Portfolios focused exclusively on consumer products may be less aligned with this role.
- Working knowledge of front-end concepts, including component structure, state, responsive behavior, and design tokens, with the ability to collaborate effectively with engineers and identify implementation drift.
- Experience using discovery, user research, or competitive analysis to inform design decisions and solve product problems.
- Strong cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management skills, including the ability to translate business goals into functional design solutions, explain trade-offs, and respectfully challenge decisions when needed.
- Ability to work independently through standard design challenges while recognizing when to seek guidance on complex architectural or system-scaling decisions.
- Strong storytelling, presentation, written, and asynchronous communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate design rationale and build alignment across teams, time zones, and security boundaries.
- Active Secret clearance and U.S. citizenship required.
Preferred Qualifications
- A clearance above Secret (Top Secret or TS/SCI).
- Prior work on defense, government, or other regulated or compliance-heavy products.
- Experience contributing code to a design system or front-end codebase (React, TypeScript, CSS).
- Familiarity with map-based interfaces, scheduling and timeline UI, or simulation and modeling tools.
- Experience designing for classified or air-gapped environments, or working within FedRAMP and IL5 constraints.
Compensation: This is a 1099 independent contractor position. Compensation will be determined based on experience, qualifications, scope of work, and anticipated level of effort.
- Managing and administering your application throughout the hiring process;
- Verifying the accuracy and authenticity of application materials, including by cross-referencing information you provide against publicly available sources and proprietary databases;
- Identifying indicators of potentially fraudulent, fabricated, or materially misleading application content, including but not limited to discrepancies between submitted materials and publicly available professional profiles, geographic anomalies, and fabricated work histories.
