Upstaff - Senior UX Designer

UX Designer is needed in Toronto, Canada.

Client: Upstaff

Location: Toronto, ON, ca

Contract: Contract

Job Description

The Government of Ontario, Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement, is seeking a Senior UX Designer to create intuitive, accessible, and user-centred digital experiences for web and mobile applications.

The Senior UX Designer will lead UX initiatives from research and discovery through design, prototyping, usability testing, stakeholder alignment, and implementation support. The role requires close collaboration with developers, QA specialists, product teams, business stakeholders, and other cross-functional groups.

Key Responsibilities

• Design effective, user-friendly, visually appealing interfaces based on user needs, interactions, and performance.
• Design the functionality and overall experience of digital products across web, mobile, digital displays, publications, and other creative materials.
• Lead UX projects, design workshops, stakeholder alignment sessions, and business-user consultations.
• Plan and conduct end-to-end user research, including participant recruitment, interviews, surveys, questionnaires, usability testing, feedback sessions, synthesis, and analysis.
• Translate research findings into sitemaps, user flows, user and customer journey maps, wireframes, mockups, prototypes, and user stories.
• Use a user-centred design approach to rapidly test, evaluate, and iterate solutions.
• Identify UX and design challenges and develop practical, elegant, and implementable solutions.
• Make strategic UX decisions regarding existing and new product features and functions.
• Design responsive experiences for a wide range of devices, screen sizes, and interfaces.
• Understand web development technologies and limitations to ensure designs are technically feasible.
• Collaborate with technical and non-technical stakeholders throughout the design and development lifecycle.
• Communicate design concepts, research findings, recommendations, and development processes clearly.
• Prepare UX documentation, reports, reviews, assessments, and other design artefacts.
• Manage competing priorities, meet deadlines, and maintain a high standard of quality.
• Build effective relationships with clients, stakeholders, business users, and project teams.

Requirements

Mandatory Qualifications and Skills

• Experience working as a UX Designer, UI Designer, Interactive Designer, or in a similar role.
• Strong experience creating GUI and UX/UI designs for web and mobile applications.
• Experience defining and leading UX projects, workshops, alignment sessions, and stakeholder consultations.
• Ability to facilitate discussions and translate business and stakeholder needs into effective UX solutions.
• End-to-end user research experience, including recruitment, interviews, surveys, questionnaires, user testing, feedback sessions, synthesis, and analysis.
• Ability to convert research findings into actionable design recommendations.
• Hands-on experience creating sitemaps, user flows, journey maps, user stories, wireframes, mockups, interactive prototypes, and usability-testing artefacts.
• Mandatory experience using Figma.
• Mandatory experience using Canva or similar design and prototyping tools.
• Proficiency with modern UX/UI design and prototyping tools.
• Demonstrated experience designing products around user needs and human experience.
• Experience testing, evaluating, and iterating designs based on user feedback and usability testing.
• Thorough understanding of web development technologies and their limitations.
• Ability to work effectively with developers and development teams to ensure designs are feasible and implementable.
• Experience collaborating with developers, QA specialists, business stakeholders, product teams, project teams, and other cross-functional groups.
• Ability to work collaboratively with stakeholders at different organizational levels.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to clearly explain UX concepts, design decisions, research findings, and development processes.
• Ability to prepare clear, concise, and comprehensive documentation, reports, reviews, and assessments.
• Strong teamwork, stakeholder engagement, client relationship management, and organizational skills.
• Ability to manage multiple competing priorities and meet project deadlines.

Communications Skills

Communication skills account for 30% of the evaluation. Candidates should demonstrate:

• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Ability to communicate effectively with technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to explain design decisions, UX concepts, research outcomes, and development processes.
• Strong documentation and report-writing skills.
• Experience working collaboratively with developers, QA specialists, business stakeholders, and cross-functional teams.
• Ability to work effectively with stakeholders at various organizational levels.

Desirable Qualifications

• Previous Ontario Public Service or broader public-sector experience.
• Experience with government digital transformation or public-facing digital services.
• Experience with Ontario Service Design practices.
• Knowledge of the Ontario Design System and Ontario Digital Service Standard.
• Knowledge and practical experience with accessibility testing and accessible digital design.
• Strong understanding of WCAG 2.1 AA requirements.
• Ability to incorporate accessibility throughout the UX and design lifecycle.
• Experience addressing complex UX challenges involving legacy systems.
• Experience navigating complex stakeholder groups, governance requirements, approval processes, and organizational relationships.
• Additional experience with wireframing, surveys, questionnaires, user consultation, user research, usability testing, and UI/UX design.

Desirable and nice-to-have skills account for 10% of the evaluation.

Additional Information

• 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, five days per week
• Contract Term: September 21, 2026 to October 1, 2027
• Extension: Maximum of one extension term
• Openings: One
• Security Clearance: Not required
• Closing Date: October 9, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. EST
• Submission Limit: One candidate