Experience Research Executive Director - Digital Channels

Testing Site - JPMC; Wilmington (DE); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Testing Site - JPMC is seeking an Executive Director of Experience Research to lead a team of researchers and shape user experience strategy across digital products. You will design, execute, and detail findings from studies that influence product decisions and customer journeys.

You will collaborate across technology, analytics, product and design to translate insights into practical recommendations, while mentoring researchers to cultivate excellence and innovation in user experience.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience leading experience research or related field.
• Expertise in diverse research methods to inform UX design.
• Strong ability to design and manage research programs across projects.
• Proven leadership in mentoring diverse research and design teams.
• Experience guiding teams through ambiguity and product evolution.
• Ability to collaborate with cross-functional partners at senior levels.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute research strategies to uncover customer needs and preferences using quantitative and qualitative methods.
• Lead and mentor a diverse team of experience researchers and foster a collaborative environment.
• Translate research findings into actionable recommendations for product, design, and analytics teams.
• Stay current with research methodologies and emerging technologies to maintain competitive edge.
• Frame critical research questions and manage a focused research backlog.
• Partner with technology, data, product, and design to inform decisions with executive clarity.
• Drive future-state discovery by enabling testing of concepts not yet realized.
• Lead effectively in ambiguity as technologies and customer needs evolve.

Skills

Experience Research

UX Design

Leadership

Qualitative Methods

Quantitative Methods

Ethnography

Accessibility Guidelines

Survey Design

Education

Advanced degree in Sociology/Anthropology

Job description

Join us to shape the future of user experience through expert research and team leadership, driving customer satisfaction and engagement. Champion innovation and mentor a team that strives for excellence in user experience research and design.

As an Experience Research Executive Director in Digital you will lead a team of skilled professionals to design, execute, and detail findings from experience research studies. Your expertise in experience research principles will enable you to develop and implement innovative studies that enhance user experience and align with our organizational strategy. By fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment, you will empower your team to conduct research with impact.

AI and agentic technologies are rapidly reshaping digital customer experience. The Digital team is building human-centered, platform-based experiences that scale across Lines of Business, enabling intelligent, adaptive interactions rooted in real customer needs. Working within a fast-paced, multidisciplinary environment, the Executive Director of UX Research plays a pivotal role in ensuring these emerging capabilities are designed, tested, and evolved to deliver meaningful value for customers.

Job responsibilities

• Develop and execute in-depth research strategies to gather insights on customer needs and preferences as you utilize an expert-level mix of quantitative and qualitative research methods
• Lead and mentor a diverse team of experience researchers and create a collaborative and inclusive environment that fosters innovation and excellence in user experience design
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to transform research findings into practical, actionable recommendations that enhance customer satisfaction and engagement across products and services
• Update, refine, and stay on top of research methodologies at the forefront of emerging trends and technologies to maintain a competitive edge in user experience research and design.
• Frame and prioritize the most critical research questions shaping how customers will engage with emerging technologies, stewarding a focused, evolving research backlog.
• Serve as a senior, collaborative partner to technology, data & analytics, product, and design, bringing executive judgment and clarity to cross-functional decision-making.
• Apply a builder mindset to future-state discovery, establishing the conditions and capabilities needed to test concepts that do not yet fully exist.
• Lead effectively in ambiguity, demonstrating agility, curiosity, and creativity to adapt research approaches as technologies and customer needs evolve.

Required qualifications, capabilities, and skills

• 7+ years of experience or equivalent expertise in experience research, user experience design, or a related field, focusing on leading research initiatives and teams
• Demonstrated expertise in various research methods, including both quantitative and qualitative approaches to gather and analyze data for user experience design
• Advanced proficiency in survey and interview design, ethnography, and accessibility guidelines, ensuring inclusive and accessible user experiences
• Proven ability to design a multi-faceted research program where multiple researchers support the overall focus of the work
• Advanced leadership skills with experience in mentoring, coaching, and developing diverse teams of experience researchers and user experience designers
• Experience leading teams through ambiguity from front end to delivery and product evolution.

Preferred qualifications, capabilities, and skills

• Experience managing teams in rapid research programs at tech companies with established and innovative approaches to understanding and testing concepts.
• Advanced education in Sociology, anthropology, or related field