Director, User Experience Research – Experience Design (XD)

Expedia Group; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 208,000 - 292,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

Dental coverage

Vision coverage

Paid time off

Wellness reimbursement

Travel discounts

IATAN membership

Job summary

Expedia Group is seeking a Research Director to lead the vision, strategy, and execution of research across our Partner Tools portfolio—spanning Hotel and Vacation Rental Partner Experiences, APIs, and Partner Advertising, from established products to AI-powered experiences.

This player/coach role combines leadership with hands-on research, partnering with engineering, design, product, and data science to embed rigorous methods and AI-enabled insights into product decisions.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of relevant professional experience, or 5–10 years with an advanced degree; or equivalent experience.
• Qualitative research methodologies and AI integration in research planning.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead the research strategy across our Partner Tools portfolio.
• Operate as a player/coach for a small, senior research team — setting strategy and craft standards while remaining directly involved in research execution.
• Partner with engineering, design, product, and data science teams to translate insights into strategic decisions.
• Champion rigorous, AI-informed research methodologies and show hands-on examples of AI tool integration.
• Build scalable research frameworks and reusable insight systems across a multidisciplinary org.
• Integrate qualitative and quantitative research to deliver complete partner insights.

Skills

Qualitative research

AI integration

Stakeholder influence

Hands-on leadership

Education

Bachelor’s or advanced degree in HCI/psychology/anthropology/c cognitive science

Master’s or PhD in HCI/CS/psychology or related field

Tools

AI tools (Cursor, Claude, GPT)

Job description

At Expedia Group, we help travelers explore the world, one journey at a time. As a global travel company powered by passionate people, trusted partnerships, and leading technology, we connect travelers, partners, and advertisers through our consumer brands, B2B network, and travel advertising business.

Here, you’ll do meaningful work that helps millions of people discover, book, and experience travel with more ease, confidence, and joy. Our five Behaviors-Traveler First, Think Big, Operate with Excellence, Ownership Mindset, and Succeed Together-help foster a supportive environment where people can grow their careers and have the flexibility, benefits, and support to do their best work. Join us and build for travelers everywhere.

Locations:

New York, Chicago, Austin, Seattle, San Jose, with potential flexibility on additional locations as approved by Leadership.

About the Team

Expedia Group’s Product Team builds high-quality, end-to-end experiences for travelers, partners, and Expedia Group itself. Our customer-first mindset drives the products we build — the kind that earn loyalty and repeat business — and we partner closely across the company to turn that loyalty into growth.

Our Experience Design (XD) Research team sits at the center of that work. We bring clarity, curiosity, and connection to complex problems, translating human behavior and motivation — and increasingly, how people experience AI — into insight that shapes the future of travel. We challenge assumptions, ask the right questions, and stay close to the human experience even as the tools we use to understand it keep evolving.

The Opportunity

We’re looking for a Research Director to lead the vision, strategy, and execution of research across our Partner Tools portfolio — spanning Hotel and Vacation Rental Partner Experiences, APIs, and Partner Advertising, from established products to the newest AI-powered, agentic experiences we’re building today.

This is a player/coach role for someone who wants to lead a small, senior team of researchers while staying hands-on with the work itself. You’ll partner closely with engineering, design, and product to make sure research is a necessary component in the vision and execution of our partner facing tools. You’ll hold both ends of the research spectrum at once: deep human understanding through methodological craft, and the technical fluency to guide how we evaluate agentic and non-deterministic product experiences as they emerge.

You’ll thrive in this role if you find as much satisfaction in developing another researcher’s career as you do in uncovering a pivotal customer insight, if you’re comfortable working shoulder-to-shoulder with engineers, and if you’re energized by the pace at which AI is changing what and how we research.

In This Role, You Will:

• Define and lead the research strategy across our Partner Tools portfolio.
• Operate as a player/coach for a small, senior research team — setting strategy and craft standards while remaining directly involved in research execution.
• Partner closely with engineering, design, product, and data science teams, to translate partner insights into strategic, business-impactful decisions.
• Champion rigorous, AI-informed research methodologies, and bring direct, hands-on examples of how you’ve integrated AI tools into your own research workflow, from planning through synthesis.
• Build scalable research frameworks and reusable insight systems that create durable value across a complex, multidisciplinary organization.
• Integrate qualitative and quantitative research to combine behavioral data with human-centered depth and deliver complete partner insights.

Minimum Qualifications:

• 15+ years of relevant professional experience without an advanced degree, or 5–10 years with a suitable advanced degree; or equivalent related professional experience.
• Bachelor’s or advanced degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Anthropology, Cognitive Science, or a related field; or equivalent related professional experience.
• Demonstrated expertise in qualitative research methodologies and integrating AI into research planning, execution, or delivery.
• Proven experience leading and developing high-performing research teams across multiple locations and career levels.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and translate research insights into strategic, business-impactful decisions.
• Experience building and scaling research programs across complex, multidisciplinary organizations and diverse product domains, ideally including specific experience in B2B.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or PhD in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer Science, Statistics, Psychology, or a related field — or equivalent professional experience.
• A track record of working in close, day-to-day partnership with engineering — e.g., embedded in agile/scrum teams, contributing to technical scoping, or evaluating AI/ML model behavior directly alongside engineers.
• Experience researching B2B tools, APIs, or advertising/monetization products.
• Specific, demonstrable examples of creating research artifacts and workflows with AI platforms such as Cursor, Claude, GPT, or comparable tools.
• Demonstrated ability to safely integrate and operate AI/ML-enabled solutions that improve research outcomes while maintaining methodological rigor.
• Experience establishing scalable research practices for AI tools, products, and systems, including evaluating their impact on human behavior and customer experiences.

Expedia Group is proud to offer a wide range of benefits to support employees and their families, including medical/dental/vision, paid time off, and an Employee Assistance Program. To fuel each employee’s passion for travel, we offer a wellness & travel reimbursement, travel discounts, and an International Airlines Travel Agent (IATAN) membership. View our full list of benefits

The total cash range for this position in New York is $242,000.00 to $338,500.00. Employees in this role have the potential to increase their pay up to $387,000.00, which is the top of the range, based on ongoing, demonstrated, and sustained performance in the role.The total cash range for this position in Chicago is $208,000.00 to $291,500.00. Employees in this role have the potential to increase their pay up to $333,000.00, which is the top of the range, based on ongoing, demonstrated, and sustained performance in the role. The total cash range for this position in Austin is $224,000.00 to $313,500.00. Employees in this role have the potential to increase their pay up to $358,500.00, which is the top of the range, based on ongoing, demonstrated, and sustained performance in the role.

Starting pay for this role will vary based on multiple factors, including location, available budget, and an individual’s knowledge, skills, and experience. Pay ranges may be modified in the future.

Benefits and perks

Expedia Group offers benefits and perks designed to support employees and their families, including medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, an Employee Assistance Program, wellness and travel reimbursement, travel discounts, and International Airlines Travel Agent Network (IATAN) membership. Learn more about life at Expedia Group at https://careers.expediagroup.com/life.

Accommodation requests

Expedia Group is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruiting experience. If you need an accommodation or adjustment due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please submit a request at https://expedia.service-now.com/askeg?id=job_accommodation.

About Expedia Group

Expedia Group includes three flagship consumer brands - Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo - along with a leading B2B travel business and travel advertising offerings. Across our brands and business, we help travelers explore the world with confidence and ease.

Important notice

Employment opportunities and job offers at Expedia Group will always come from Expedia Group’s Talent Acquisition and hiring teams. Never share sensitive personal information unless you are confident of the recipient. Expedia Group does not extend job offers via email or messaging tools to individuals with whom we have not made prior contact. Our email domain is @expediagroup.com. The official place to find and apply for roles is https://careers.expediagroup.com/jobs/.

Equal Opportunity

Expedia is committed to creating an inclusive work environment with a diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. This employer participates in E-Verify. The employer will provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with information from each new employee’s I-9 to confirm work authorization.