Design Researcher - Hybrid, FinServ Transformation

Pontoon; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Pontoon is seeking an experienced Design Researcher for a hybrid Leeds-based role with flexibility to work from Manchester, Bristol, or Edinburgh. The 6-month contract offers exposure to a high-profile digital transformation programme in financial services.

You will lead recruitment, run qualitative and usability studies, and collaborate with Agile product teams to turn insights into actionable product improvements.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in managing complex participant recruitment and research panels.
• Strong experience in Design Research, UX Research, or User Research.
• Excellent qualitative research skills and a solid background in usability testing.
• Experience sourcing participants with specific demographic, behavioural, or financial profiles.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Ability to translate research findings into clear actions and recommendations.
• Experience working within Agile product teams.
• Knowledge of both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Planning and delivering end‑to‑end research activities across the product lifecycle.
• Leading qualitative research, including usability testing, interviews, concept testing, and contextual inquiry.
• Managing complex participant recruitment programmes and customer research panels.
• Recruiting niche and hard‑to‑reach customer groups using detailed screening criteria.
• Engaging with vulnerable or specialist customer segments as required.
• Synthesising insights into actionable recommendations for product enhancements.
• Creating research roadmaps and managing multiple concurrent workstreams.
• Partnering with Product, Design, and Engineering teams in Agile environments.
• Presenting findings to senior stakeholders and influencing decision‑making processes.
• Utilising tools such as Jira and Confluence to manage research activities effectively.

Skills

Recruitment management

Design research

Qualitative research

Usability testing

Stakeholder management

Insights synthesis

Agile product teams

Quantitative & qualitative methods

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Job description

Pontoon is seeking an experienced Design Researcher for a hybrid Leeds-based role with flexibility to work from Manchester, Bristol, or Edinburgh. The 6-month contract offers exposure to a high-profile digital transformation programme in financial services.

You will lead recruitment, run qualitative and usability studies, and collaborate with Agile product teams to turn insights into actionable product improvements.