Director UX Research

ADIDAS; Amsterdam; Hybrid; EUR 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

adidas is seeking a Director of UX Research & Operations to lead the global Digital UX Research function and the foundations that enable Experience Design teams to work effectively at scale. This hybrid role is based in Amsterdam with a minimum of three days in the office.

You will own the UX Research strategy and operations, including tooling, budgets, suppliers and internal platforms, ensuring insights shape strategy and are accessible across Digital and eCommerce. Fluent English required.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in UX Research or a related field, including responsibility in complex digital or eCommerce environments.
• Ability to set a compelling research vision and translate it into portfolio choices, operating models, measurable outcomes and day-to-day priorities.
• Deep expertise in qualitative and quantitative research, including method selection, combination and quality assurance.
• Experience leading research operations or comparable operational portfolios (tooling, repositories, governance, vendors, budgets and contracts).
• Proven impact on strategy, prioritisation, product direction or investment through research insights.

Responsibilities

• Lead the global UX Research function and the operations portfolio (research operations, tooling, budgets, vendors, contracts).
• Define and drive a 12-month vision for UX Research aligned with Digital and Experience Design priorities.
• Build scalable insight-access and knowledge-management systems across Digital and eCommerce.
• Represent UX Research and Operations with senior stakeholders and influence planning and investments.
• Champion responsible use of AI and automation in research while maintaining quality and transparency.

Skills

UX Research leadership

Qualitative & Quantitative

Research operations

Budget & contracts

People leadership

Cross-functional influence

English fluency

Job description

THE OPPORTUNITY

adidas is looking for a Director of UX Research & Operations to lead the global Digital UX Research function and the operational foundations that enable Experience Design teams to work effectively at scale.

Research & Foundations exists to make sure consumer priorities are part of every decision. In this role, you will set a clear direction for the research portfolio, ensure insights shape strategy and prioritisation, and create the systems, tooling and operating conditions that make high-quality research faster, easier to access and more influential.

You will lead UX Research across qualitative and quantitative disciplines and own an operations portfolio spanning research operations, tooling, budgets, suppliers and contracts, and internal platforms that enable teams to find and leverage research insights.

This is a hybrid position in Amsterdam, with a requirement to work at the office a minimum of 3 days a week.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

UX Research Strategy & Portfolio Leadership

• Set and drive a clear 12‑month vision and strategy for UX Research, connected to Digital, Consumer Experience and Experience Design priorities.
• Lead the end-to-end research portfolio across generative, evaluative, qualitative and quantitative research, ensuring effort is focused on the highest‑value consumer and business questions.
• Ensure consumer problems and existing insights shape strategy, roadmaps, briefs, prioritisation and trade‑offs, rather than being used only to validate execution.
• Operationalise and scale consumer-proximity methods, standards and feedback loops across discovery, design and delivery.
• Build a coherent research practice with clear quality standards, governance, reusable methodologies and guidance for when teams should use expert‑led or self-serve approaches.
• Partner with Product, Design, Strategy, Analytics, Data Science, CRO and Markets to connect research evidence with behavioural data, business outcomes and consumer impact measurement.
• Identify emerging consumer needs and knowledge gaps early enough to influence future priorities and investment decisions.

Research Operations, Tooling & Insight Enablement

• Own the strategy and operating model for Research Operations, including participant access, research intake and prioritisation, governance, privacy and consent, knowledge management and vendor operations.
• Own the portfolio of research and design tooling, ensuring platforms are fit for purpose, well governed, adopted and optimised for quality, efficiency and value.
• Lead the evolution of internal tools and repositories that make research insights current, findable, contextualised and decision‑ready for teams across Digital and eCommerce.
• Use AI and automation responsibly to improve research efficiency, analysis and self-service while maintaining methodological quality, transparency and appropriate guardrails.
• Establish reliable operational metrics for research demand, cycle time, adoption, reuse, cost, quality and decision impact, and use them to improve the service over time.
• Create scalable ways for teams to access consumers and feedback quickly, reducing avoidable dependencies and duplications.

Budget, Contracts & Supplier Management

• Own and govern relevant research budgets, forecasts and investment priorities in alignment with business needs.
• Lead commercial planning for research agencies, recruitment partners, software and other external services, including contracts, renewals, procurement and supplier performance.
• Balance cost, risk, quality and speed when making build, buy, renew or retire decisions across the tooling and supplier portfolio.
• Create transparency on spend, utilisation and value realised, identifying opportunities to consolidate vendors, reduce waste and reinvest in higher‑impact capabilities.

People Leadership

• Lead, coach and develop a multidisciplinary UX Research and Operations team, with clear expectations for quality, outcomes, ownership and collaboration.
• Create an environment where people can do their best work by protecting focus, establishing purposeful rituals and systems, and giving regular coaching and feedback.
• Build an effective organisation structure, clarify roles and responsibilities, plan capacity, and develop succession and growth pathways for critical capabilities.
• Empower senior practitioners and managers to lead complex, transformational topics with measurable outcomes and appropriate autonomy.
• Champion inclusive, ethical and evidence‑led research practices across the team and its partners.

Cross-Functional Influence

• Represent UX Research and Operations with senior stakeholders, translating complex evidence and operational constraints into clear choices and recommendations.
• Build influential relationships across Product, Technology, Analytics, Data Science, CRO, Procurement, Legal, Privacy, Finance and Markets.
• Use the research vision and consumer evidence to align teams, challenge assumptions and shape planning, prioritisation and investment.
• Communicate the impact of research and operational enablement through clear stories, outcome measures and examples of decisions changed.

YOU'RE A GOOD FIT FOR THIS ROLE IF YOU...

• Have 8+ years of experience in UX Research, user research, consumer insights or a related field, including responsibility in complex digital or eCommerce environments.
• Can set a compelling research vision and translate it into portfolio choices, operating models, measurable outcomes and day-to-day priorities.
• Bring deep expertise in qualitative and quantitative research, including how to select, combine and quality‑assure methods across the product lifecycle.
• Have led research operations or comparable operational portfolios, including tooling, research repositories, participant access, governance, vendors, budgets and contracts.
• Can demonstrate how research changed strategy, prioritisation, product direction or investment, not only how studies were delivered.
• Are experienced in building scalable insight‑access and knowledge‑management systems that improve reuse and reduce duplication.
• Understand responsible use of AI and automation in research, including quality, privacy, transparency and methodological risks.
• Are comfortable managing enterprise platforms, procurement processes and supplier relationships, and making evidence-based investment decisions.
• Communicate with clarity and influence at senior levels, build strong cross-functional relationships, and navigate ambiguity with ownership and sound judgement.
• Create high standards while empowering teams to learn, challenge, experiment and deliver with autonomy.
• Are fluent in English, verbally and in writing.

BONUS POINTS FOR:

• Experience leading or partnering closely with Experience Design teams.
• Experience leading or partnering closely with Service Design, journey management or ecosystem-level research.
• Experience integrating UX Research with product analytics, experimentation, CRM or consumer sentiment measurement.
• Experience building AI-enabled insight discovery, research assistants or self-service research capabilities in an enterprise environment.
• Experience in global matrix organisations, with distributed teams and market stakeholders.