Group Design Manager, Medicaid

For People is a team of skilled technologists improving government digital services for disadvantaged and vulnerable populations. We embed directly in government agencies to modernize software, systems, and platforms so that they better serve people.

Your Impact

As the Group Design Manager for this project, you will play a critical leadership role in modernizing Medicaid AND CHIP digital services at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). As a lead and people-manager, you will shape service design, UX research, accessibility strategy, and content design across multiple product teams, ensuring that CMS’s tools and platforms are intuitive, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of states, providers, and beneficiaries.

You will lead and manage a team of 4-6 UX researchers, service designers, and content strategists, embedding best practices in human-centered design across a complex ecosystem of systems and services. Your work will directly improve Medicaid program efficiency, reduce administrative burdens on states, and enhance the experiences of those who rely on these services.

Collaboration will be key—you will work closely with CMS and vendor-partner product teams, engineering leads, and the For People Policy Lead to ensure that research and design insights drive both technical and policy decisions. Reporting to the Director of Design and Customer Experience, you will not only shape human-centered design strategy across multiple product teams but also help advance For People as a member of our growing Design and CX Guild.

This position is expected to start in the summer of 2025 and is contingent upon a Federal contract being awarded to For People. This is different from most of our other roles, which are available for immediate hire.

Our Culture

For People is a team of humans. We place a significant amount of emphasis on positive work-life balance, setting healthy expectations, and making sure our loved ones are taken care of first. That means picking a child up from school during the day or going for a mid-day walk is okay!

Our entire team is remote across the United States, from the West Coast to the East Coast. There will never be a return-to-office, as we have none! However, it should be noted that this position may require occasional paid travel for on-site user research and usability testing at Government offices in Washington, DC.

This position's published base salary range is between $130,000-$150,000, plus generous benefits (e.g., For People pays 100% of Gold-tier employee health insurance premiums) and annual company profit sharing.

Your Opportunities

• Lead the integration of HCD across multiple product teams, ensuring a cohesive and unified service experience that transcends internal CMS organizational silos.
• Directly manage and mentor a team of UX researchers, service designers, and content strategists, fostering a collaborative, high-impact environment.
• Ensure CMS’s digital services reflect real user needs by leading UX research and service design efforts that drive informed decision-making and product improvements.
• Partner closely with the For People Policy Lead to ensure that HCD insights influence not only digital services but also policy decisions that impact Medicaid administration.
• Advocate for a system-wide user-first approach, ensuring usability and accessibility are at the forefront of CMS modernization efforts.
• Embed accessibility best practices and regulatory compliance (e.g., Section 508 & WCAG 2.1) into all design and development processes.
• Guide change management and user adoption strategies, helping CMS teams implement and sustain service improvements across Medicaid programs.
• Develop and scale an HCD operations framework, equipping teams with research-driven processes, design systems, and governance models that foster long-term impact.
• Report to the Director of Design and CX 

You Bring

• A humble and caring attitude aligning with For People’s values – how we work with passion, fun, curiosity, sustainability, humility, and respect.
• 8+ years of experience in a Human-Centered Design (HCD) discipline, with at least 3 years leading teams.
• Experience leading HCD initiatives within large government programs, healthcare, or Medicaid/Medicare.
• Expertise in operations for user research, service design, content strategy, and accessibility.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, especially with policy, engineering, and product teams.
• Knowledge of federal accessibility standards (Section 508, WCAG 2.1) and how they apply to digital services.
• Experience using Agile methodologies and human-centered design processes.
• Ability to translate research insights into actionable design and policy recommendations.
• Excellent communication skills, with experience presenting to senior government partners.

• Experience working directly with government partners in a consulting or embedded role.
• High proficiency in Figma, FigJam, Mural, Dovetail, or other research/design tools.
• A portfolio showcasing previous work in enterprise service design, Medicaid/Medicare digital services, or public sector UX strategy.

As we work on United States Federal Government programs and systems, it is the government's requirement that you must be a United States citizen and be able to pass a public trust background check. All work must be performed within the United States.

For People is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We welcome all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetics, or veteran status.