Lead UX Researcher

As the Lead UX Researcher at Flo, you will have a dual role, combining hands-on research activities and team leadership responsibilities. You'll be at the forefront of research in a product stream, playing a critical role in both guiding research directions and nurturing a strong, collaborative team culture.

Your Experience

Must have:

• 7+ years of hands-on UX research experience in a fast-paced product environment.
• Proven leadership and team management skills, with experience guiding and mentoring junior researchers.
• Strong communication and storytelling skills, capable of advocating for research and influencing decision-making across all organizational levels.
• Extensive expertise in a wide array of research methods, both evaluative and formative.
• Demonstrated ability to lead research projects from conception to completion.
• Proactive mindset, with a track record of identifying new product development opportunities through research.

Nice to have:

• Experience working with distributed teams is highly desirable.

This role demands a balance between leadership and hands-on research involvement, ensuring the delivery of impactful insights while fostering a strong, collaborative team culture. The Lead UX Researcher is pivotal in aligning research efforts with the company's broader goals and nurturing the professional growth of the team.

What you'll be doing

You'll be responsible for:

As a Lead UX Researcher (60% capacity):

• Stream Leadership: Oversee crucial research projects within the product streams. Ensure that all research aligns with the stream’s goals and addresses clear customer problems/hypotheses.
• Hands-on Involvement: Step in and collaborate directly with researchers when necessary to maintain the quality and progress of research work. This includes leading important initiatives and covering tasks in the absence of dedicated team members.
• Quality Assurance: Ensure all research work in the stream meets high standards. Review and support research proposals, maintaining visibility and transparency of efforts.
• Mentoring: Guide UX Researchers in planning and executing research, helping them develop their skills and expertise.
• Strategy Alignment: Connect all research activities, even exploratory ones, to the function’s goals and strategy. Make research work visible through documentation, maintaining a clear roadmap and a live source of truth.
• Coordination: Plan and coordinate research work, ensuring commitments are respected and upheld. Oversee rituals and ceremonies, making them valuable for all team members.
• Standards and Guidelines: Ensure all research work contributes to user experience improvement, following best practices and accessibility guidelines.
• Work with other UX Research Leads on cross-stream needs: align on tooling across the company, define quality standards of research across the organization, work on career ladders and more

Team Culture:

• Foster a culture of collaboration and respect within the product, design, and content teams. Promote a sense of trust and cross-functional collaboration.

Context Setting:

• Create an environment for the team to thrive autonomously, with clarity on purpose and mastery. Provide tools and context to enable effective work.

Recruitment and Team Development:

• Identify skill gaps and grow the team accordingly. Plan for the team's future needs and onboard new researchers effectively.

As a People Manager (40% capacity):

• Mentorship and Coaching: Act as a mentor to researchers, offering guidance, feedback, and support. Encourage continuous learning and professional growth.
• Career Development: Assist in defining career goals and creating growth opportunities. Develop clear skills matrices and evaluation frameworks for professional development.
• People Processes: Manage key people processes, including conducting salary reviews and performance evaluations. Ensure these processes are fair, transparent, and aligned with both individual and company objectives.