Senior UX Designer

Client: Government of Ontario – Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement
Organization: Government Services Integration Cluster (GSIC)
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Work Arrangement: 100% Onsite – 5 Days/Week
Contract: September 21, 2026 – October 1, 2027
Extension: Maximum 1 extension term
Openings: 1
Security Clearance: No Clearance Required
Closing Date: October 9, 2026 at 12:00 PM EST
Submission Limit: 1 Candidate
Position Overview
The Government of Ontario is seeking a Senior UX Designer to design intuitive, accessible, user-centered digital experiences across web and mobile applications.
The successful candidate will be responsible for leading UX initiatives from user research and discovery through design, prototyping, usability testing, stakeholder alignment, and final implementation support.
The ideal candidate will have strong hands-on experience with UX/UI design, user research, wireframing, journey mapping, prototyping, design workshops, stakeholder engagement, Figma, Canva, and cross-functional collaboration.
Experience within the Ontario Public Service (OPS), Ontario Service Design, Ontario Design System, Digital Service Standard, and accessibility/WCAG 2.1 AA will be highly valued.
Key Responsibilities

• Create effective, user-friendly, visually appealing interfaces based on user interaction, needs, and performance.
  
• Design the overall functionality of digital products to ensure an excellent user experience.
  
• Take a user-centered design approach and rapidly test, evaluate, and iterate designs based on user-testing results.
  
• Design user interfaces for web and mobile applications, as well as digital displays, publications, media, and other creative materials where required.
  
• Define and lead UX projects, design workshops, stakeholder alignment sessions, and business-user consultations.
  
• Conduct end-to-end user research, including:
  
  • Research planning
    
  • Participant/user recruitment
    
  • Interviews
    
  • Surveys and questionnaires
    
  • User testing
    
  • Research synthesis
    
  • User feedback analysis
    
• Translate research findings into:
  
  • Sitemaps
    
  • User flows
    
  • User journey maps
    
  • Customer journey maps
    
  • Wireframes
    
  • Mockups
    
  • Prototypes
    
  • User stories
    
• Facilitate product vision by researching, conceiving, sketching, prototyping, and user-testing digital experiences.
  
• Design experiences optimized for a wide range of devices, screen sizes, and interfaces.
  
• Identify UX/design problems and develop elegant, practical solutions.
  
• Make strategic design and user-experience decisions related to existing and new product functions and features.
  
• Gather user feedback and use it to configure and improve existing interfaces.
  
• Understand web development technologies and their limitations to ensure designs are technically appropriate and implementable.
  
• Collaborate closely with developers, QA specialists, business stakeholders, product teams, and other cross-functional teams.
  
• Clearly communicate design concepts, research findings, recommendations, and development processes to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
  
• Prepare clear, concise, and comprehensive UX documentation, reports, reviews, assessments, and design artifacts.
  
• Manage competing priorities while maintaining quality and meeting project deadlines.
  
• Build effective relationships with clients, stakeholders, business users, and project teams.
  

Requirements

Mandatory Qualifications & Skills
Candidates must demonstrate the following:
1. UX/UI Design Experience

• Relevant experience creating GUI designs based on user interaction and performance.
  
• Experience working as a UX Designer, Interactive Designer, UI Designer, or similar role.
  
• Strong experience designing for web and mobile applications.
  

2. UX Leadership & Workshops

• Ability to define and lead UX projects.
  
• Experience leading UX/design workshops and alignment sessions with stakeholders and business users.
  
• Ability to facilitate discussions and translate stakeholder/business needs into effective UX solutions.
  

3. User Research

• Experience managing end-to-end user research, from participant/user recruitment through research synthesis.
  
• Experience conducting:
  
  • User interviews
    
  • Surveys
    
  • Questionnaires
    
  • User testing
    
  • User feedback sessions
    
• Ability to translate research findings into actionable design recommendations.
  

4. UX Deliverables
Hands-on experience creating and delivering:

• Sitemaps
  
• User flows
  
• User journey maps
  
• Customer journey maps
  
• User stories
  
• Wireframes
  
• Mockups
  
• Interactive prototypes
  
• Usability-testing artifacts
  

5. Design & Prototyping Tools

• Mandatory experience with Figma.
  
• Mandatory experience with Canva or similar design/prototyping tools.
  
• Proficiency with modern UX/UI design and prototyping tools.
  

6. User-Centered Design

• Demonstrated experience designing products around user needs and human experience.
  
• Experience rapidly testing, evaluating, and iterating designs based on user feedback and usability testing.
  
• Experience identifying design problems and developing effective UX solutions.
  
• Experience making strategic UX decisions related to core and new product functions/features.
  

7. Web Technology Understanding

• Thorough understanding of the limitations and appropriate use of web development technologies.
  
• Ability to work effectively with development teams to ensure UX designs are technically feasible and implementable.
  

8. Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Demonstrated effectiveness working closely with:
  
  • Developers
    
  • QA specialists
    
  • Business stakeholders
    
  • Product/project teams
    
  • Other cross-functional teams
    
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with stakeholders at different organizational levels.
  

9. Communication & Documentation

• Ability to prepare clear, concise, and comprehensive documentation, including reports, reviews, and assessments.
  
• Ability to communicate design concepts and development processes clearly to diverse technical and non-technical stakeholders.
  
• Strong stakeholder/client relationship management skills.
  

10. Professional Skills

• Strong teamwork and collaboration skills.
  
• Proven ability to meet deadlines.
  
• Ability to manage multiple competing priorities.
  
• Strong client and stakeholder relationship management experience.
  

Communications Skills – 30%
Candidates should demonstrate:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  
• Ability to explain UX concepts, design decisions, research findings, and development processes clearly.
  
• Ability to prepare comprehensive UX documentation, reports, reviews, and assessments.
  
• Experience collaborating with developers, QA specialists, business stakeholders, and other cross-functional teams.
  
• Experience working effectively within collaborative teams and with stakeholders at different levels.
  

Desirable / Nice-to-Have Skills – 10%
The following are highly desirable:
Ontario Public Sector / OPS Experience

• Previous Ontario Public Service (OPS) or broader public-sector experience.
  
• Experience working within government digital transformation or public-facing digital services.
  

Ontario Service Design

• Experience with Ontario Service Design practices.
  
• Knowledge of the Ontario Design System.
  
• Knowledge of the Ontario Digital Service Standard.
  

Accessibility

• Knowledge and practical experience with accessibility testing.
  
• Experience designing accessible digital experiences.
  
• Strong understanding of WCAG 2.1 AA requirements.
  
• Ability to incorporate accessibility considerations throughout the UX/design lifecycle.
  

Complex/Legacy Environments

• Experience handling complex UX challenges involving legacy systems.
  
• Experience navigating complex stakeholder groups, approval processes, governance requirements, and nuanced organizational relationships.
  

Additional UX/UI Experience

• Strong experience with:
  
  • Wireframing
    
  • Surveys
    
  • Questionnaires
    
  • User consultation
    
  • User research
    
  • Usability testing
    
  • UI/UX design