Lead Design Researcher (Contract)

Design Researchers at Thoughtworks are broadly curious and passionate about deeply understanding user needs to uncover opportunities for truly impactful products.

We're looking for someone with solid experience in exploratory, generative and evaluative research. With in-field and remote experience. Qualitative mostly, but with a bit of quantitative. Product-focused, not academic studies.

The ideal candidate will be a strategic thinker who is excited to incorporate the voice of the user at every stage of the product development lifecycle. We are looking for an independently driven problem-solver who enjoys working with people at various organizations to facilitate change. Are you smart, kind, reliable, and excited to teach and learn? If so, we want you on our team!

We partner with the world’s leading organizations to build software-powered products that are enjoyed by millions of users globally. You likely have our clients’ apps on your home screen, their smart products in your home, or wear their devices every day to stay connected. Our team of researchers, designers, engineers and product managers are on a mission to build better products on a variety of platforms and digital mediums, including web and mobile apps, voice, smart cars, AR/VR and connected home.

What you’ll do

• Build a solid understanding of the behavioural patterns that shape users’ software and connected experiences through conducting exploratory, generative, and evaluative research
• Plan, lead and execute design research to support project teams in tackling an unexplored opportunity area, a complete product, or a complex feature set
• Ensure client satisfaction through synthesis and delivery of high impact research insights that drive user experience and product performance
• Work across the complete product development lifecycle, effective at both early stage discovery projects as well as delivery projects
• Collaborate effectively and confidently with other guilds and client partners, often leading workshops and critical conversations
• Identify opportunities to improve how we communicate research findings internally and externally to maximize the impact of our work
• Communicate our point of view on research and product development to potential and current partners, contributing to bringing in new projects and setting them up for success
• Provide guidance to team-mates on research-related work, ensuring high quality insights and research outputs
• Evaluate and adapt research tools, infrastructure, strategies, programs, and workflows to better serve the needs of our practice
• Express our point of view on research excellence by publishing thought leadership content and presenting at internal clinics

What we’re looking for

• 5+ years experience as a Design/UX Researcher or similar role
• Bachelor or Masters degree in a relevant discipline (i.e. design, communication studies, anthropology, sociology, behavioural science, or other related field)
• Demonstrated experience with a variety of qualitative research methods including 1:1 interviews, group interviews, diary studies, desirability studies, and usability testing
• Motivation to collaborate on internal research-related initiatives and make an external impact by delivering quality products for our clients
• Familiarity with research-related operational challenges such as recruitment and knowledge management, as well as appropriate tools/solutions
• Experience working on innovation-focused client engagements
• Strong communication, facilitation, and organizational skills
• Ability to excel in a fast-paced, collaborative and constantly evolving environment
• Open to feedback and coaching, with a desire for continuous self-improvement

At Thoughtworks, we know that the best products are built by diverse and inclusive teams - teams that reflect a range of users and experiences. We're looking for product builders with diverse backgrounds - which go beyond the standard education, work experience, and geolocation. If you want to change how product development is approached, and who products are built for, we encourage you to apply.

We also know that some people aren't comfortable applying unless they feel totally qualified. If you're on the fence or unsure if your experience perfectly matches our job posting, we'd really like you to apply. We are happy to chat and get to know you better, and you can get to know us better as well.

We are also committed to providing accommodations throughout the recruitment process for individuals with disabilities, in line with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. If you need an accommodation, reach out to our HR team at canada-hr@thoughtworks.com and we’ll work with you to understand what is needed.