Senior User Experience Researcher

Charles Schwab; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Charles Schwab is seeking a Senior User Experience Researcher to drive UX research initiatives across product and design teams. You will lead studies, guide method choices, and partner with stakeholders to translate insights into actionable recommendations for improving digital experiences.

The role emphasizes collaboration with product and design, leveraging AI-enabled tools to scale research and deliver rigorous, impact-driven results within Schwab’s Digital Retail ecosystem.

Qualifications

• 6+ years in applying user experience research at a tactical level.

Responsibilities

• Lead the creation of UX research projects, setting goals, scope, timelines and success criteria.

Skills

UX research

Qualitative studies

Quantitative surveys

AI in UX

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional collaboration

Storytelling

Research project planning

Communication

Tools

UserZoom

UserTesting

MS Office

SharePoint

Jira

Confluence

Job description

Your opportunity

At Schwab, you’re empowered to make an impact on your career. Here, innovative thought meets creative problem solving, helping us "challenge the status quo" and transform the finance industry together.

We believe in the importance of in-office collaboration and fully intend for the selected candidate for this role to work on site in the specified location(s).

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without employer sponsorship.

The Charles Schwab Digital Retail organization is a multi-disciplinary group that includes user experience designers, product owners, content strategists, operations, developers and UX researchers. We work with business and technology partners across the enterprise to build best-in-class digital experiences for our users.

Our business is driven by our company strategy: "Through clients' eyes." This makes it a dream place to work as a Senior User Experience Researcher. Our company motto supports user advocacy. Our purpose is to help design tools and experiences that enable users to achieve their financial goals.

In this individual contributor role you will be an expert in user experience research. You’ll operate with independent judgement, lead by example demonstrating passion, positivity and keen problem-solving skills. Product and design teams will look to you to lead the creation of UX research projects that help answer their critical questions in a timely manner.

This position is responsible for:

Research Consulting

• Set expectations with project teams and align stakeholders on research goals, scope, timelines, and success criteria
• Create and maintain research schedules, recruiting plans, and study logistics to ensure smooth operational execution
• Communicate status, decisions, tradeoffs, and next steps clearly with project teams and stakeholders
• Review work with UX managers, keep them updated on project status and elevate items appropriately

Teamwork, Collaboration and Engagement

• Works well with partners to deliver research and facilitate workshops or planning sessions that build alignment and shape direction
• Thoughtfully listen to stakeholder needs and incorporate feedback to guide delivery strategically
• Collaborative and cooperative, adept at shifting work to match changes in priority
• Has a research point of view but adapts methods and recommendations to adapt to business constraints while preserving rigor and insight quality
• Passionate about the team, our mission and the needs of our partners and users Enthusiastic about UX research and advocating for our clients

Empathy & Curiosity

• Understands and advocates user needs, walking in their shoes when possible
• Focuses on innovation and improvement
• Regularly learns more about user experience research theory, practice, and tools with a curiosity for exploring and using AI in UX research methods

Why your work matters:

• You will support an engaged set of clients and partners who rely on our products to manage their financial lives
• By researching and understanding user needs you will be able to help improve how our clients do business with Schwab
• You will partner with an engaged research team that fosters a learning, collaborative environment where team members support each other

What you have

Required Qualifications:

• 6+ years in applying user experience research at a tactical level
• Proficiency and comfort running qualitative moderated and unmoderated research studies, and quantitative surveys, click tests, tree-tests, and more
• Proven ability to determine the best research method to use with the ability to provide rationale for the tradeoffs of using one vs another
• Experience with AI-enabled solutions to streamline UX research tasks and scale analysis
• Effective relationship builder with the ability to partner cross-functionally, cross-enterprise and work effectively with various levels of the organization as well as various personality types
• Ability to simultaneously run research for multiple product teams, managing shifting priorities with autonomy and initiative
• Ability to communicate complex messages and trade-offs and tell a compelling story
• Proficient in research tools such as UserZoom and UserTesting, plus project management tools including MS Office, SharePoint, Jira, Confluence and more
• Ability to partner with cross-functional teams to embed generative and evaluative research into product development
• Ability to elevate research quality, define best practices, ensure methodological rigor, and support others in developing UX research knowledge and skills
• Ability to translate insights into compelling readout decks with narratives and actionable recommendations
• Ability to demonstrate the measurable impact of research on product and business outcomes

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong self-management skills, comfortable with substantial responsibility, working directly with partners, and capable of aligning stakeholders on goals, scope, timelines, and project schedules
• Experimental and innovative mindset
• Comfort in an Agile project-oriented work environment, with a positive attitude and solid work ethic
• Experience applying the right statistics to analyze user data

In addition to the salary range, this role is also eligible for bonus or incentive opportunities.

What’s in it for you

At Schwab, you’re empowered to shape your future. We champion your growth through meaningful work, continuous learning, and a culture of trust and collaboration - so you can build the skills to make a lasting impact. Our Hybrid Work and Flexibility approach balances our ongoing commitment to workplace flexibility, serving our clients, and our strong belief in the value of being together in person on a regular basis.

We offer a competitive benefits package that takes care of the whole you - both today and in the future:

• 401(k) with company match and Employee stock purchase plan
• Paid time for vacation, volunteering, and 28-day sabbatical after every 5 years of service for eligible positions
• Paid parental leave and family building benefits
• Tuition reimbursement
• Health, dental, and vision insurance