Digital Service Expert (Design)

Title: Digital Service Expert (Design), Remote From Anywhere In CO

Salary $130,000.00 Annually

Location Statewide, CO

Job Type Full Time

Job Number EGB93478

Department Governor's Office of Information Technology

FLSA Determined by Position

Primary Physical Work Address (Remote From Anywhere In CO)

FLSA Status Exempt; position is not eligible for overtime compensation.

Type of Announcement

This announcement is not governed by the selection processes of the classified personnel system. Applications will be considered from residents and non-residents of Colorado.

Job Description:

Together, we innovate for a stronger Colorado

The work of employees at the Governor's Office of Information Technology (OIT) is challenging and diverse because the needs of agencies, customers and Coloradans constantly evolve. But our focus never changes: improve the lives of all Coloradans through innovation and collaboration. We're building one of the nation's leading government IT organizations by reimagining how we support agencies, building first-of-their-kind applications, and creating an inclusive, collaborative culture, together. Join us in the important work of providing equitable access to services.

Watch this video to learn about how OIT is thinking differently!  

TERM-LIMITED POSITION: This position is term-limited with an anticipated end date of three years from the time of hire with some opportunity for a one-year extension.  This position is eligible for State employee benefits and may be extended as the situation warrants. This video explains the many benefits of working at the State of Colorado on a term-limited basis. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please review your application to ensure completion. For the most equitable applicant experience, OIT's hiring team considers only the contents of your application to review your qualifications. Please do not include any attachments (such as resume or cover letter) with your application as these items are not used by OIT's hiring team. 

The Colorado Digital Service is seeking an experienced Digital Service Expert with a focus on product and service design to support our work delivering human-centered digital services that work effectively for all residents. This work combines building sustainable processes for bringing a human-centered design practice to life with leading UX design across key state initiatives, particularly focusing on services for underserved populations.

This position will lead design initiatives across key state services, focusing on creating accessible, intuitive experiences that improve how Coloradans interact with government services.

You will drive user research, design strategy, and the creation of compelling design solutions that translate user insights into improved government services. You'll work directly with residents, state agencies, and stakeholders to understand real needs and design services that are efficient, accessible, and user-friendly for diverse populations

This role requires someone who combines strong design craft with deep empathy for users navigating government services. You'll conduct user research across various touchpoints, facilitate design workshops with stakeholders, create service blueprints and user journeys, and prototype solutions that can be tested with the communities they're meant to serve.

The successful candidate will have proven experience in user-centered design, with specific expertise in government, enterprise, or complex service design, accessibility standards, and research-driven design methods. You'll be responsible for creating design artifacts that not only look compelling but also effectively communicate user needs to agency stakeholders and translate research insights into actionable recommendations for service improvements.

Key responsibilities:

• Conduct comprehensive user research, including interviews, usability testing, and participatory design sessions with Colorado residents and their representatives

• Lead design workshops, journey mapping sessions, and co-design activities with agency stakeholders to align on user needs and service improvement opportunities

• Create compelling design artifacts, including service blueprints, user journeys, wireframes, prototypes, and accessibility-compliant interface designs that drive stakeholder alignment

• Design and test digital service prototypes with users, iterating based on feedback to ensure solutions meet real needs before full development

• Collaborate closely with product managers, engineers, and agency partners to ensure user insights drive technology and policy decisions throughout implementation

• Develop and maintain design standards, templates, and reusable components that support consistent, accessible experiences across state services

• Champion accessibility compliance (WCAG 2.1 AA) and inclusive design principles throughout all design activities, ensuring services work for users with diverse needs and abilities

• Support design evangelism and education efforts by creating presentations, case studies, and training materials that help agency partners understand the value of user-centered design

Success in this role requires someone who can navigate complex stakeholder environments independently, translate between technical and non-technical audiences, and build sustainable processes that outlast any single project. You must be highly adaptable and comfortable with changing priorities as we learn what works best for Colorado.

This position offers a unique opportunity to fundamentally improve how Colorado delivers digital services while ensuring they are truly accessible and beneficial to all residents. Your work will directly impact how millions of Coloradans interact with their government services while supporting Colorado's mission of expanding opportunity and reducing poverty.

The Digital Service Expert:

Is a senior engineer, product manager, procurement professional, or designer with a proven track record in their skill-set of delivering IT products and services. While all positions will contribute to the entire mission of OIT and CDS, some positions will focus on specific aspects of the mission, such as software engineering, product management, etc.

• Uses expertise in their skill set to champion the use of modern technology development and management approaches, drawing heavily upon best practices from the consumer internet industry.

• Uses their deep understanding of the characteristics of successful digital services and how they are built both inside and outside government, including user-centered design and development practices and modern consumer Internet technologies, to communicate major initiatives to the public and support the recruitment of top technical talent into the State government.

• Uses demonstrated experience in their skill set to consult with OIT and agency customers in best practices for launching products from a technology, policy, and procurement perspective.

• Serves as a respected authority on a diverse range of issues related to technology, government procurement, digital service delivery, and/or technology policy, as well as the State of Colorado's mission, values, and projects.

• Articulates the "for you, with you, by you" strategy of working with agencies, learning what works, and adjusting the strategy as necessary.

• Manages complex internal stakeholder environments to build support and consensus for forming and communicating strategy and goals. Provides trusted, expert guidance on the launch of technology products.

A wide salary range is posted for this position and any job offer is based upon a salary analysis to comply with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act. The salary analysis considers relevant experience, education, certifications, and state seniority as compared to others doing substantially similar work. While most salary offers are made within the posted range, occasionally an offer is made below or above the posted range based upon this salary analysis.

This is a skills-based job announcement. The required minimum qualifications and/or education (if substituting for the proven experience, knowledge, and skills), are as follows:

Minimum Qualifications:

• At least 5 years of experience delivering product management, user experience design, software development, or related concepts in complex environments.

• Documented proficiency in working collaboratively with teams across the software development life cycle.

Substitutions:

• Additional appropriate education will substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis, but cannot completely substitute for these qualifications. 

• Training or Certification related to the work assigned to the position will be assigned credit towards substitution for experience and/or education, but cannot completely substitute for these qualifications. 

• If the minimum qualifications include a degree requirement, additional appropriate paid or unpaid experience will substitute for the required education on a year-for-year basis.

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Strong foundation in user research methods, including interviews, usability testing, and participatory design approaches.

• Experience designing for accessibility and inclusive design, with knowledge of WCAG standards and assistive technologies.

• Background in government, enterprise, or complex service design with understanding of organizational constraints and compliance requirements.

• Proven ability to facilitate collaborative design activities, workshops, and stakeholder alignment sessions.

• Track record of improving government or enterprise digital services through user-centered design methodologies.

• Experience creating design systems, component libraries, or design standards for large organizations.

• Knowledge of modern software development practices and experience collaborating with agile development teams.

• Background in service design, customer journey mapping, or business process improvement.

• Familiarity with government service delivery challenges and public sector design considerations

• Experience working with diverse user groups and designing for broad accessibility needs.

Conditions of Employment:

OIT candidates and employees must comply with any screening procedures in place at state entity locations where they might be required to perform work.

A pre-employment background check will be conducted as part of the selection process. 

Positions supporting some agencies such as the Department of Corrections and the Department of Public Safety will also require a pre-employment drug test. 

This position may require travel within the specified geographic area, and to locations across the state as needed. 

This position may require on-call duties as needed by the position. 

If this posting indicates "remote from anywhere in CO" in the title, periodic reporting to the primary state work location designated for the position is required. All remote work must be performed in Colorado. 

While candidates from out of state will be considered for this role, the candidate selected for the position must relocate and reside in Colorado on the first day of their new position.  A reasonable timeframe for relocation will be established on an individual basis, while considering business needs, and determining a start date.

We know it's important to support each other, and that means having a healthy balance of work and personal time, and benefits that allow us all to have fulfilling lives. 

Our application process and what to expect after you apply are described in the videos found here.

The State of Colorado strives to create a Colorado for All by building and maintaining workplaces that value and respect all Coloradans through a commitment to equal opportunity and hiring based on merit and fitness.  The State is resolute in non-discriminatory practices in everything we do, including hiring, employment, and advancement opportunities.

The Governor's Office of Information Technology is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or to perform essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to our ADA Coordinator or call.

This posting may be used to fill multiple vacancies based upon business need. 

The Governor's Office of Information Technology does NOT offer sponsored Visas for employment purposes.