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Usability Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

Steampunk

Prompt Engineer

Mclean, VA · On-site

$115K - $140K/yr

Design, iterate, and optimize prompts, templates, and prompt chains that improve the accuracy, reasoning, and usability of generative AI outputs. * Develop context management strategies, including ...

Steampunk

Prompt Engineer

Mclean, VA · On-site

$115K - $140K/yr

Design, iterate, and optimize prompts, templates, and prompt chains that improve the accuracy, reasoning, and usability of generative AI outputs. * Develop context management strategies, including ...

AVER

User Experience Specialist

Washington, DC

This individual will conduct user research and usability assessments, develop wireframes and prototypes, establish enterprise design standards and patterns, and identify opportunities to improve the ...

Guidehouse

UI/UX Designer

Rockville, MD · On-site

This role emphasizes Section 508 compliance, usability, form design, stakeholder engagement, and continuous improvement of public-facing Grants.gov capabilities. As a UI/UX Designer, you will design ...

Guidehouse

UI/UX Designer

Rockville, MD · On-site

This role emphasizes Section 508 compliance, usability, form design, stakeholder engagement, and continuous improvement of public-facing Grants.gov capabilities. As a UI/UX Designer, you will design ...

Guidehouse

UI/UX Designer

Mclean, VA · On-site

This role emphasizes Section 508 compliance, usability, form design, stakeholder engagement, and continuous improvement of public-facing Grants.gov capabilities. As a UI/UX Designer, you will design ...

AVER

User Experience Specialist

Washington, DC · On-site

This individual will conduct user research and usability assessments, develop wireframes and prototypes, establish enterprise design standards and patterns, and identify opportunities to improve the ...

Guidehouse

UI/UX Designer

Mclean, VA · On-site

This role emphasizes Section 508 compliance, usability, form design, stakeholder engagement, and continuous improvement of public-facing Grants.gov capabilities. As a UI/UX Designer, you will design ...

C2 Technologies

Quality Assurance Specialist

Arlington, VA · On-site

$50K - $100K/yr

The role involves ensuring that products meet usability standards, function properly across delivery platforms, and comply with government policies regarding PII and accessibility. This is an onsite ...

Ibility

Human Factor Engineer

Washington, DC · On-site +1

Conduct workflow observations, usability assessments, and user feedback sessions to support user experience & insight integration, identifying opportunities to improve workflow efficiency, system ...

Ibility

Human Factor Engineer

Washington, DC · Remote

Conduct workflow observations, usability assessments, and user feedback sessions to support user experience & insight integration, identifying opportunities to improve workflow efficiency, system ...

Ibility

Human Factor Engineer

Washington, DC

Conduct workflow observations, usability assessments, and user feedback sessions to support user experience & insight integration, identifying opportunities to improve workflow efficiency, system ...

Ibility

Human Factor Engineer

Washington, DC · On-site

$90 - $130/hr

Conduct workflow observations, usability assessments, and user feedback sessions to support user experience & insight integration, identifying opportunities to improve workflow efficiency, system ...

System One

UX Designer

Washington, DC · On-site

Conduct user research (interviews, surveys, workshops, usability studies) with Soldiers, HR professionals, and commanders to capture pain points and requirements. * Create user personas and journey ...

System One

UX Designer

Washington, DC · On-site

Conduct user research (interviews, surveys, workshops, usability studies) with Soldiers, HR professionals, and commanders to capture pain points and requirements. * Create user personas and journey ...

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Showing results 21-40

All JobsUsability JobsUsability Jobs in Washington

Usability information

See Washington salary details

$28.9K

$85.4K

$116.1K

How much do usability jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 23, 2026, the average yearly pay for usability in Washington is $85,390.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $65,100.00 and $111,600.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is usability in the context of design and technology?

Usability refers to how easy, efficient, and satisfying it is for users to interact with a product, system, or service. It encompasses factors like learnability, efficiency, memorability, error frequency, and user satisfaction. In design and technology, usability ensures that products meet the needs of real users and are accessible to as many people as possible. Usability testing and user feedback are crucial steps in identifying and addressing potential issues, leading to better user experiences.

How does a usability specialist typically collaborate with product designers and developers during a project?

Usability specialists work closely with product designers and developers throughout the product lifecycle. They often participate in cross-functional meetings to share user research insights, help define user requirements, and conduct usability testing on prototypes or live products. By providing actionable feedback and recommendations, usability specialists ensure that design and development teams prioritize user-centered improvements, resulting in a more intuitive and effective end product. Regular communication and collaborative problem-solving are key aspects of this role.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a usability specialist, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Usability Specialist, you need a strong understanding of user-centered design principles, experience in usability testing, and typically a background in human-computer interaction, psychology, or a related field. Familiarity with usability testing tools (such as UserTesting or Morae), wireframing software (like Axure or Sketch), and analytics platforms is often required. Exceptional observational skills, empathy, and the ability to clearly communicate findings to technical and non-technical stakeholders set top professionals apart. These skills are crucial for creating intuitive products that meet user needs and drive business success.

What is the difference between Usability vs User Experience Designer?

AspectUsabilityUser Experience Designer
FocusEase of use and efficiency of a productOverall user experience, including emotions and perceptions
SkillsUsability testing, interface design, human-computer interactionUser research, interaction design, visual design, prototyping
Work EnvironmentOften within UX teams, product teams, or as consultantsPart of UX or product teams, collaborating across disciplines
GoalsImprove product usability and accessibilityCreate engaging, meaningful user experiences

While usability focuses on making products easy and efficient to use, user experience designers take a broader approach, shaping the overall perception and emotional connection users have with a product. Both roles are essential in creating successful digital products, often overlapping but with distinct primary objectives.

What are the most commonly searched types of Usability jobs in Washington?

The most popular types of Usability jobs in Washington are:

What are popular job titles related to Usability jobs in Washington?

For Usability jobs in Washington, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Usability jobs in Washington look for?

The top searched job categories for Usability jobs in Washington are:

What cities in Washington are hiring for Usability jobs?

Cities in Washington with the most Usability job openings:

Usability jobs near you
Infographic showing various Usability job openings in Washington as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% Internship, 87% Full Time, 2% Part Time, 2% Temporary, and 8% Contract. Highlights an 78% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 17% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $85,390 per year, or $41.1 per hour.

Prompt Engineer

Steampunk

Mclean, VA • On-site

$115K - $140K/yr

Other

Re-posted 17 days ago

Job description

Overview
We are seeking a Prompt Engineer design, test, and refine interaction patterns for generative AI systems used across our client engagements. This role is central to shaping how users experience AI-powered applications and ensuring that LLM outputs are relevant, reliable, safe, and aligned to mission needs. The Prompt Engineer will work closely with AI Developers, LLMOps Engineers, Evaluation Scientists, and product/design teams to craft prompts, structure context, improve retrieval strategies, and create intuitive multi-turn interaction flows.
Contributions
  • Design, iterate, and optimize prompts, templates, and prompt chains that improve the accuracy, reasoning, and usability of generative AI outputs.
  • Develop context management strategies, including document selection, summarization, formatting, role instructions, and retrieval augmentation patterns.
  • Partner with developers to implement prompt engineering techniques within RAG pipelines, agentic workflows, evaluation harnesses, and application UX layers.
  • Conduct structured experiments-including A/B tests and rubric-based evaluations-to measure prompt performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
  • Collaborate with AI Evaluation Scientists to define evaluation metrics tied to quality, relevance, consistency, safety, and hallucination reduction.
  • Work closely with UX and product design teams to develop interaction flows that guide user inputs, clarify system capabilities, and reduce cognitive load.
  • Help translate complex subject-matter content into structured, LLM-friendly formats that improve system reasoning and reduce error rates.
  • Support the design of safe output behaviors by implementing guardrails, filtering strategies, and context constraints aligned with governance principles.
  • Document prompt patterns, style guides, failure modes, and best practices for internal reuse and team enablement.
  • Stay up to date on emerging prompting strategies (e.g., CoT, self-critique, tool use scaffolding, function calling, agentic behaviors) and share insights with the team.
  • You will contribute to the growth of our AI & Data Exploitation Practice!

Qualifications
  • Ability to hold a position of public trust with the U.S. government.
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Linguistics, Cognitive Science, Data Science, or a related discipline.
  • 5+ years of total experience.
  • 2+ years of experience in AI/ML, NLP, content design, UX writing, or similar roles involving structured interaction design.
  • Demonstrated experience designing and testing prompts for LLMs in real applications (GPT-style models, Claude, Gemini, Llama, etc.).
  • Familiarity with RAG architectures, vector databases, embeddings, and context retrieval strategies.
  • Strong analytical skills with the ability to run structured experiments, analyze model outputs, and document findings.
  • Proficiency with Python and common AI frameworks (e.g., LangChain, LlamaIndex) is preferred.
  • Experience with UX design principles, information architecture, or conversational design is highly valuable.
  • Understanding of responsible AI concepts, including safety, privacy, bias, and governance-aligned prompting strategies.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to translate domain-specific content into clear, effective AI instructions.
  • Ability to collaborate across engineering, product, governance, and evaluation teams to shape coherent user-AI interactions.

About steampunk
Steampunk relies on several factors to determine salary, including but not limited to geographic location, contractual requirements, education, knowledge, skills, competencies, and experience. The projected compensation range for this position is $115,000 to $140,000. The estimate displayed represents a typical annual salary range for this position. Annual salary is just one aspect of Steampunk's total compensation package for employees. Learn more about additional Steampunk benefits here.
Identity Statement
As part of the application process, you are expected to be on camera during interviews and assessments. We reserve the right to take your picture to verify your identity and prevent fraud.
Steampunk is a Change Agent in the Federal contracting industry, bringing new thinking to clients in the Homeland, Federal Civilian, Health and DoD sectors. Through our Human-Centered delivery methodology, we are fundamentally changing the expectations our Federal clients have for true shared accountability in solving their toughest mission challenges. As an employee owned company, we focus on investing in our employees to enable them to do the greatest work of their careers - and rewarding them for outstanding contributions to our growth. If you want to learn more about our story, visit http://www.steampunk.com.

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