UX Research Manager (12month FTC)

UX Research Manager (FTC 12 months)

I am currently recruiting for a client that have been helping investors for nearly 30 years. They have seen market highs and lows and been resilient throughout. They are now the UK's number one flat-fee investment platform, with assets under administration approaching £75 billion and over 450,000 customers.

For a simple, flat monthly fee they provide a secure home for your pensions, ISAs and investments. They offer a wide choice of over 20,000 UK and international investment options, including shares, funds, trusts and ETFs.

They also bring impartial, expert content from our award-winning financial journalists, highly engaged community of investors, and daily newsletters and insights.

Key Responsibilities of a UX Research Manager:

Collaborate with Managers: Partner closely with the UX Operations Manager, and UX Design Manager to align research strategies with broader business objectives and delivery squads. Ensure that research insights are seamlessly integrated into the design process, shaping user-centered experiences.
Ensure High-Quality Research Standards: Lead the research team to maintain rigorous standards across all projects, employing robust methodologies and best practices to deliver high-quality, actionable insights that drive user-centered designs.
Consistency in Research Across Products: Establish and uphold a consistent approach to research across all products and service, ensuring a cohesive experience for users informed by comprehensive insights. Work in partnership with the Brand team to ensure research considers brand identity.
Mentor and Develop the Research Team: Provide leadership and mentorship, fostering an environment of continuous learning, professional growth, and research excellence within the team.
User-Centered Research Advocacy: Champion a user-centered research approach across the organisation. Ensure that user needs and feedback are at the forefront of strategic decision-making and product development processes.
Test and Research with Users with Disabilities: Prioritise research that includes users with disabilities, using a variety of methods such as usability testing, interviews, and observational studies to assess and address accessibility needs. Partner with accessibility specialists to identify and address pain points, ensuring that our products are usable and enjoyable for all users, regardless of their abilities.
Drive Innovation in Research Methods: Lead the exploration of innovative research methodologies, tools, and industry trends to keep the research team at the forefront of the field, enhancing research capabilities and insights.
Foster a Collaborative Team Environment: Cultivate a team culture that values open communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. Enable professional growth and continuous improvement in research practices.
Empower UX Researchers for Insightful Innovation: Support UX researchers in exploring and testing innovative methods to gain new insights. Encourage creativity and ensure that research aligns with broader business objectives and user needs.
Conduct and Lead Research Critiques: Organize and facilitate regular research critique sessions, providing constructive feedback and fostering an open environment where team members can discuss and refine their work to achieve optimal research outcomes.

Skills & Experience Required:

Leadership and Team Management: Proven experience in leading, mentoring, and managing a team of UX researchers, fostering a collaborative, evidence-based, and innovative work environment.

User-Centered Research: Deep understanding of user-centered research principles, with experience in a range of qualitative and quantitative research methods, including user interviews, surveys, usability testing, personas, and journey mapping to derive actionable insights that inform design.

Research Tools Proficiency: Expertise in industry-standard research tools for both qualitative and quantitative analysis, including usability testing software, survey tools, and data analysis platforms (e.g., UserTesting, UserZoom, Content Square, Hot Jar).

Design System and Accessibility Research Contribution: Experience contributing research insights to design systems, ensuring that the design system supports usability and accessibility standards across multiple platforms and products. Skilled in gathering user feedback on design components to ensure consistency and efficiency in design.

Digital Accessibility Expertise: Knowledge of digital accessibility standards and best practices (e.g., WCAG) with experience in conducting research with users of all abilities. Skilled in accessibility testing and usability assessments for users with disabilities to ensure inclusive product experiences.

Stakeholder Management and Expectation Setting: Strong ability to manage relationships and set clear expectations with stakeholders at all levels. Skilled in communicating research goals, timelines, and outcomes effectively to ensure alignment and transparency. Capable of balancing stakeholder needs with research objectives to prioritize projects that deliver the highest impact