Associate User Experience Researcher Jobs in Iowa

RFA Engineering (www.rfamec.com) is an engineering service provider dedicated to delivering our clients with timely engineering support and expertise. We are seeking a growth-oriented candidate to become an integral part of our engineering team. The selected candidate will work with an experienced engineering staff using state-of-the-art engineering tools & processes. This position will operate onsite at our customer's world-class engineering and manufacturing facility.

This is a full-time position with a full benefit package listed below that includes opportunities for professional growth, direct hire by our customers, and additional opportunities within our own organization.

UX Engineer

UX Engineer will support the development and improvement of operator experiences for off-highway equipment. In this role, you will work closely with engineering, product management, and development teams to enhance operator interfaces, displays, controls, and in-cab systems. You will apply user-centered design, human factors, and ergonomics principles to ensure products deliver intuitive, efficient, and engaging user experiences.

Responsibilities

• Apply usability, human factors, and ergonomic principles to influence the design and development of operator stations, displays, controls, and user interfaces.
• Support the development of user-centered requirements for operator-facing systems and machine features.
• Evaluate and improve the user experience of control interfaces, displays, infotainment systems, and other operator interactions.
• Plan, coordinate, and execute validation activities to assess usability, functionality, and operator satisfaction.
• Collaborate with product management, engineering, software development, and other stakeholders throughout the product development lifecycle.
• Translate customer and operator needs into actionable design recommendations and product requirements.
• Support the development and adoption of display strategies and operator interface standards across multiple machine platforms.
• Conduct user research, usability assessments, and workflow evaluations to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Utilize UX metrics, customer feedback, and validation results to influence product decisions and enhance user experiences.
• Create and communicate user flows, prototypes, storyboards, and other UX artifacts to support design and development efforts.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of UX processes, tools, and best practices.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Human Factors, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, or a related technical field; equivalent experience will also be considered.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience applying User-Centered Design (UCD) principles to complex product or interface development challenges.
• Minimum of 4 years of experience working with cross-functional teams including engineering, software development, product management, and business stakeholders.
• Experience participating in technology and product development processes from concept through validation.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills with the ability to guide teams through user-centered design methodologies.
• Ability to analyze user needs and translate findings into product requirements and design recommendations.
• Experience planning and executing validation activities for hardware, software, or integrated systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with design collaboration and prototyping tools such as Figma or Sketch.
• Experience working with construction, agriculture, off-highway, or heavy equipment products.
• Knowledge of human factors engineering, ergonomics, operator environments, and machine controls.
• Experience using UX metrics, customer research, and usability testing to influence product development decisions.
• Experience creating user flows, storyboards, prototypes, and other UX deliverables to support design validation.
• Familiarity with operator displays, machine controls, HMI systems, or embedded user interfaces.
• Demonstrated ability to balance user needs, technical requirements, and business objectives in product development.

Portfolio Requirement

A portfolio demonstrating the ability to design intuitive user experiences, create task flows, develop wireframes and prototypes, and deliver polished user interface solutions is required as part of the application process. Portfolio submissions may be provided as a website URL or attachment.

Visa sponsorship is NOT available for this position.

Pay Range: $80,000-$130,000 – Commensurate with experience

About RFA Engineering

RFA Engineering has provided product development and engineering services to industry leading customers since 1943. Our primary focus is the development of off highway equipment including agricultural, construction, mining, recreational, industrial, and special machines. Our work includes concept development, product design, documentation, problem-solving, simulation, optimization, and testing of components, systems and complete machines. Our engineering staff is located at our Engineering Center in Minneapolis, branch office in Dubuque, IA, and at numerous customer sites throughout the U.S.
Competitive Benefits

• Health and Dental Insurance
• Health Savings Account
• TelaDoc: Virtual Health Care
• Vision Insurance
• Company Paid / Supplemental Life Insurance
• Company Paid Long-Term Disability
• Supplemental Short-Term Disability
• Retirement Savings Account (Traditional 401k & Roth 401k)
• Flexible Spending Plan Dependent Care
• Bonus Plan (Exempt Employees Only)
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Paid Holidays
• Bereavement Leave
• Employee Assistance Programs (EAP)
• Education Assistance

Equal Opportunity and Veteran Friendly