Lead UX Researcher

Job Type

Full Time

General Description

As a Lead Mixed Methods UX Researcher, you will conduct research that leads to data-driven products and services across multiple digital platforms. Your role will include managing and prioritizing research requests, balancing hands-on execution with guiding your team to deliver impactful insights.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Execute research projects end-to-end, from planning and methodology selection to data collection, analysis, and reporting.
• Lead, mentor, and coach a small team of researchers, fostering excellence and creative thinking.
• Conduct a variety of qualitative and quantitative research projects, including user interviews, usability testing, ethnographic studies, heuristic analysis, and quantitative surveys. Know when to apply what methodology to achieve the best outcomes.
• Communicate, defend, and build consensus around your findings to inform decisions.
• Collaborate with stakeholders, including Division Managers, UX Designers, Product Managers, and Engineers, to develop research plans, validate assumptions, and test hypotheses.
• Identify and prioritize research requests, balancing the need for strategic insights with day-to-day project support.
• Present insights and recommendations to diverse audiences, ranging from C-suite executives to product development teams.
• Stay informed on UX industry trends and act as a thought leader, sharing best practices and elevating the team’s capabilities through documentation, resources, and workshops. Optimize research processes and practices, improving the effectiveness and quality of the team’s deliverables.
• Responsible for the UX research budget and resources to ensure optimal allocation and utilization. Oversee the hiring process and build the research talent pipeline. Evaluate research vendors, negotiate contracts, and oversee the delivery of outsourced research projects.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the Organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, Human Factors, Information Systems, Journalism, Marketing Statistics, or a related field.

Experience

A combination of 8+ years of hand-on experience in a dedicated UX research role, including managing and prioritizing multiple projects; and 2+ years of experience leading and mentoring research teams.

Certifications / Licenses

No certifications or license needed.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Supervisory Skills: Communicate effectively with colleagues and staff, coach, and mentor. Demonstrate ability to lead the work of others.
• Strong business acumen: ability to understand the needs and concerns of business stakeholders and colleagues and respond promptly and effectively to stakeholder requests. An ability to conduct analysis on work procedures and business results and recommend changes to improve the effectiveness of the business’ management. Ability to integrate business acumen into communications, presentations, and negotiations. Ability to manage highly restrictive and confidential information.
• Strong technical acumen: knowledge in analyzing, designing, and implementing Digital Banking initiatives. Technology driven – ability to balance the needs of the business against stated regulations requirements and controls.
• Communication skills: effectively interact with internal and external stakeholders. Ability to foster trusting relationships with colleagues and clients. Highly develop written and verbal communications skills in English. Presents numerical data effectively. Superior communication and interpersonal skills. Excellent report-writing and presentation skills. Polished in preparing presentations, executive summaries, and business reports in English for executive audiences.
• Problem Solving: Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; Develops alternative solutions. Ability to work in a high priority environment. Effective people skills to lead and coach the depth and breadth of Units’ programs while strategizing and implementing new solutions through partnering with corporate-wide teams.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (cont.)

• Analytical skills: Analytical skills: Stays focused on main issues, prevents irrelevant issues or distractions from interfering with timely completion of assignments. Exceptional analytical, collaboration and problem-solving skills. Collects, research and complements data; ability to break down complex questions / data into well-structured analyses and synthesize complex or diverse information. Demonstrates attention to detail; Applies design principles; Generate creative solutions. Strong critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities; quantitative, research and analytical skills. Experience with data analysis, persuasive and informative writing, workload management, and process management.
• Project Management: Ability to prioritize and work with multiple projects and tasks with minimum supervision; self-direct and task switch between strategic and tactical initiatives regularly. Capacity to achieve results according to plan ensuring the expected quality. Excellent organization capacity to define priorities, meet deadlines, and flexible to change. Knowledge of project coordination, identification of business needs, work plan, budget control, time management, resource allocation, team management and status reports. Must demonstrate leadership, logic, and reasoning skills.
• Operational/Regulations Processes: Knowledge of budget administration, resources allocation, organization’s policies, and regulations. Ability to establish, conduct and track operational processes properly.
• Language: Fully Bilingual Spanish/English

• Computer and Technological Skills: Proficient in MS O365. Experience with software platforms, and programming languages tools such as: JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Git, among others is desired. Understanding and proficiency of key design and front-end principles. Excellent well-structured coding skills and be able to translate design specifications into code. Strong software development skills, including experience with object- oriented programming and software design patterns.

Region Locations

Puerto Rico, Florida, Illinois, or North Carolina.

Work Schedule

Hybrid/Remote

Values

1. Passion for People

3. Succeed Together

2. Own Every Moment

4. Build the Future

Additional Requirements

The information provided here is only a general guide as to the nature of the position and does not constitute an exact description of the goals, tasks, duties, and responsibilities of the position. The specific details of each position are described in the employee’s objectives within the performance evaluation.

Important: The candidate must provide evidence of academic preparation or courses related to the job posting, if necessary.

ABOUT US

Popular is Puerto Rico’s leading financial institution and have been evolving since it was founded over a century ago. From a small bank it has developed into a large corporation that offer a wide variety of services and financial solutions to our customers, with presence in the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America.

As employees, we are dedicated to making our customers dreams come true by offering financial solutions in each stage of their life. Our extensive trajectory demonstrates the resiliency and determination of our employees to innovate, reach for the right solutions and strongly support the communities we serve; therefore, we value their diverse skills, experiences and backgrounds.

We reaffirm our commitment to always offer essential financial services and solutions for our customers and communities, including during emergency situations and/or natural disasters. Popular’s employees are considered essential workers, whose role is critical in the continuity of these important services even under such circumstances. By applying to this position, you acknowledge that Popular may require your services during and immediately after any such events.

If you have a disability or need more information about requesting an accommodation, please contact us at [email protected] . This email inbox is monitored for such types of requests only . All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed exemptions or reasonable accommodations. Any other correspondence will not receive a response.

Are you ready for a rewarding career?

Popular is an Equal Opportunity Employer | Popular is a Drug Free Workplace

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