Lead User Experience Researcher

Location: Hybrid 4 days in office (Baltimore MD, Buffalo NY, Bridgeport CT, Washington DC, Philadelphia PA, Wilmington DE)

Overview

We are looking for a strategic and experienced Lead User Experience Researcher to elevate our product development through deep user insights. This role will shape product strategy, influence business decisions, and deliver actionable research that drives innovation and improves user experiences. You'll collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure our products are intuitive, inclusive, drive business value, and are aligned with real user needs.

Excellent candidates will have experience:

• Driving program maturity, establishing senior leadership and executive level relationships, and putting in place repeatable, scalable, and quality research operations.

• Supporting multiple teams within a single program, and mentoring researchers aligned to different teams.

• Working in early-stage product programs, establishing what good looks like, accelerating quick wins, while still setting teams and the program up for long term, scalable, research success.

• Reviewing research project efficacy; both influencing short term project quality and success, and identifying and closing skill, outcome, and output gaps over the life of the program.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Influence

- Consistently demonstrate thought leadership to define a future state experience vision informed by research.

- Alongside the Head of UXR, continuously evolve the practice of User Experience Research

- Define and lead research strategies that inform product vision and business decisions.

- Advocate for user needs across the organization and influence senior stakeholders.

- Align research initiatives with company objectives and growth opportunities.

- Partner with UX Design Leads to influence design-related decision making at any level of the organization.

- Mentor UX Researchers alongside your peers and build knowledge of Research craft among product teams and senior leadership.

Mixed-Methods Research Expertise

-Demonstrate excellent methodological rigor across generative, evaluative, and mixed methods research, rethinking best practices and demonstrating novel use of research tools as needed

-Design and execute qualitative and quantitative studies (e.g., interviews, ethnographic research, concept testing, persona research, diary studies, card sort analysis, tree testing, usability testing, surveys, JTBD).

- Synthesize insights from multiple data sources to uncover user pain points and opportunities.

- Translate findings into clear, actionable recommendations for product and design teams.

Collaboration & Cross-Functional Partnership

- Partner with product managers, designers, engineers, program managers, and business line SMEs to embed research into the development lifecycle.

- Facilitate workshops and co-creation sessions to align teams around user insights.

- Mentor and support team members in applying research methods.

Communication & Storytelling

- Deliver compelling presentations and reports that influence decision-making.

- Distill complex research findings into clear narratives tailored to diverse audiences.

- Champion data-driven storytelling across the organization.

- Use storytelling and persuasion to connect strategy and vision with day-to-day practicality.

Domain Expertise & Innovation

- Apply knowledge of the financial services industry to contextualize research.

- Stay current with industry trends, inclusive design, accessibility, and emerging technologies (e.g., AI/ML).

- Conduct competitive and comparative research to inform product positioning.

Managerial/Supervisory Responsibilities

Lead, mentor, and potentially manage a team.

Education and Experience Required

Bachelor's degree in Human Factors, Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Design, or related field and a minimum of 7 years of experience in UX/User Research or in lieu of a degree, a minimum of 11 years education and/or relevant work experience.

Proven expertise in mixed-methods research and strategic insight generation.

Strong communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills.

Experience working in Agile environments and with cross-functional teams.

Experience mentoring researchers and scaling research practices.

Proficiency in tools such as Qualtrics, Optimal Workshop, User Interviews, JIRA, and Miro

Previous experience with leadership responsibilities

Education and Experience Preferred

Master's Degree in Human Factors, Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Design, or related field.

Experience in banking and financial services

M&T Bank is committed to fair, competitive, and market-informed pay for our employees. The pay range for this position is $136,000.00 - $226,600.00 Annual (USD). The successful candidate's particular combination of knowledge, skills, and experience will inform their specific compensation.

Location
Radnor, Pennsylvania, United States of America