UX Research Lead

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UX Research Lead

lead · Technology / Software Development

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Job Overview

Role Summary

We are seeking a UX Research Lead to join our Design & User Experience organization — a role that carries both an operational delivery mandate and a strategic imperative to evolve how UX Research functions in an AI-enabled product environment. This leader will direct end-to-end research programs that generate high-confidence, actionable client intelligence to inform product priorities, design decisions, and business strategy across Citi's digital portfolio. Simultaneously, the UX Research Lead will define and champion the future state of the research practice — embedding AI-assisted tools, intelligent knowledge systems, and proactive insight generation into the product development lifecycle (PDLC). The ideal candidate brings deep methodological expertise across qualitative and quantitative research, proven ability to influence at the executive level, and a clear-eyed vision for how emerging AI capabilities can responsibly transform research at scale. This is not a role for those who adapt to change — it is a role for those who architect it.

Key Responsibilities

🔹 Deliver & Operate

Day-to-day and near-term research leadership that drives business outcomes through rigorous, credible insight.

• Lead and manage the full research lifecycle for assigned product domains from scoping and methodology design through execution, analysis, synthesis, and stakeholder delivery.
• Define and maintain an annual research roadmap aligned to business priorities, product roadmaps, and client experience goals; continuously reprioritize in response to emerging business needs.
• Oversee mixed-methods research programs, deploying the appropriate methodology, including survey research, in-product intercepts, behavioral analytics, usability studies, longitudinal panels, regression and driver analysis.
• Serve as the primary research partner to senior stakeholders across Product Management, Technology, Design, and Business leadership; build trust through rigorous methodology, reproducible findings, and consistent delivery.
• Champion the voice of the client in product and strategy discussions; synthesize complex, multi-source data into clear, actionable recommendations that influence product roadmaps and design direction.
• Ensure research quality and methodological integrity across all team outputs; establish peer review and documentation standards that maintain credibility at executive and regulatory levels.
• Manage and mentor junior and mid-level researchers, providing guidance on methodology, communication, and professional development; foster a high-performing, learning-oriented research culture.
• Track and communicate research impact, connecting insights to downstream product decisions, measuring the ROI of research investments, and reporting progress to leadership.
• Collaborate with Data, Analytics, and CX teams to integrate behavioral and quantitative signals with self-reported research data, enabling richer, more holistic client understanding.
• Present findings and recommendations to audiences ranging from product squads to Director-level and above; adapt communication style to build understanding and inspire action across functions.

🔸 Transform & Innovate

Evolve the UX Research function in alignment with AI advancements and the digital delivery lifecycle.

• Define the strategic vision for AI-integrated UX Research at Citi, identifying where AI tools, intelligent knowledge repositories, and automated synthesis can meaningfully augment (not replace) human research judgment.
• Lead the design and implementation of a living research intelligence layer (e.g., a structured, queryable knowledge repository) that makes accumulated client insights accessible on-demand across the PDLC by shifting research from reactive to proactive.
• Establish a proactive research cadence, including always-on behavioral data ingestion, rapid weekly insight dispatch, and quarterly foundational studies so that client intelligence is generated ahead of demand, not in response to it.
• Drive the integration of AI-assisted research workflows, including AI-powered synthesis, automated transcript coding, survey quality flagging, longitudinal trend tracking, and concept pre-testing through synthetic panel methodologies.
• Define governance standards for AI use in research, including confidence weighting, freshness models, PII scanning, hallucination detection, and researcher-in-the-loop review protocols to ensure responsible, auditable AI deployment.
• Partner with Engineering, AI/ML, and Platform teams to architect the technical infrastructure required to support an intelligent, always-on research knowledge system built on Citi's internal infrastructure.
• Establish or scale a UX Research Center of Excellence (CoE), building frameworks, playbooks, templates, and training materials that elevate research literacy and quality across the broader Design & Product organization.
• Identify and evaluate emerging research methodologies and tools, including generative AI for insight synthesis, automated usability testing platforms, and synthetic user modeling, with a rigorous lens on methodological validity and responsible use.
• Shape how UX Research integrates into Agile and AI-enabled delivery practices, defining clear research touchpoints at every PDLC gate (discovery, definition, design, development, and post-launch) to ensure decisions are grounded in client evidence at every stage.
• Build organizational research literacy by coaching cross-functional partners, including Product Managers, Designers, and Technology leads on research fundamentals, interpretation of findings, and how to commission effective research.
• Represent the UX Research function at the executive level, advocating for research investment, communicating strategic priorities, and positioning the function as a core driver of business value rather than a downstream support service.

Qualifications:

• 10+ years of relevant experience
• Strong attention to detail & analytical skills
• Significant experience on complex, enterprise-scale design projects
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Excellent skills in professional design tools e.g., Sketch, Figma, AdobeXD, Axure, InVision etc.
• Significant experience using/creating design systems
• Significant aptitude for coaching and mentoring junior designers
• Keen interest in, or knowledge of, banking or finance
• HTML/CSS Development Skills
• Software Development or Program Management Experience
• Participation in external UX groups or communities

Education:

• Bachelor’s/University degree, Master’s degree preferred
• At least one formal UX Qualification

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In addition to salary, Citi’s offerings may also include, for eligible employees, discretionary and formulaic incentive and retention awards. Citi offers competitive employee benefits, including: medical, dental & vision coverage; 401(k); life, accident, and disability insurance; and wellness programs. Citi also offers paid time off packages, including planned time off (vacation), unplanned time off (sick leave), and paid holidays. For additional information regarding Citi employee benefits, please visit citibenefits.com. Available offerings may vary by jurisdiction, job level, and date of hire.

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Automated Processing and AI

We use automated processing, including artificial intelligence, for our legitimate business interests (or our reasonable and appropriate business purposes) to identify and align the candidate's skills and abilities with a specific job opening. Additionally, if you so choose, or consent, we can match your skills and abilities to other suitable roles at Citi.

Importantly, all our hiring processes and decisions, including determining your suitability for a role, are conducted, checked, and decided by individuals. Our automated processing and AI do not involve relying on automatic or autonomous decision-making. Please refer to any Jurisdictional Considerations, with specific provisions for your country (where relevant) for further details.

Illinois residents – AI Notice and Right

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