Senior Design Researcher

Toronto, ON - HYBRID - 3 days/wk in office

This role seeks candidates who are authorized to work in Canada and located within commuting distance to Toronto, Ontario, to be on-site 3 days/week.

Our large financial services client seeks a Senior Design Researcher to join their Digital Design team. In this Consultant role, you will be a key member of a collaborative design team, working across multiple squads. You will partner with cross-functional teams and digital product owners to facilitate cross-functional and cross-squad communications.

Your primary accountability will be to ensure that the product strategy and design align with user needs and business priorities. You will provide insights that inform the design and implementation of new features and initiatives across the different pillars within the client’s rewards program, such as Shopping, Travel, Redemption, and Acquisition.

What Will You Do

Research Strategy and Execution

• Proactively identify opportunities for research to inform product strategy and design decisions and create alignment around those opportunities and results.
• Manage multiple research activities by effectively prioritizing and communicating those priorities and their implications with peers and partners.
• Engage with users via digital research methods on our platforms/channels, such as Alida, Maze, and our internal UAP program.
• Plan, design, and implement both generative/exploratory and evaluative design research.
• Ability to proactively identify research opportunities based on the product strategy and roadmap (without anyone asking).
• Expertise in planning, designing, and leading generative and evaluative research independently and with limited guidance.
• Ability to scale or modify research approaches for short-turn iterative agile design cycles.

Collaboration and Relationship Building

• Work closely with product, design, and marketing to ensure cross-pollination and cross-collaboration between these insight-generating teams.
• Collaborate and build relationships with senior cross-functional partners (Product, Tech, Business, Marketing, etc.) in a matrixed organization.
• Design and facilitate design workshops and leadership workshops to gather information about new work or focus areas.

Communication and Storytelling

• Translate research findings into digital design implications and connect both to business requirements.
• Strong storytelling skills to bring research findings to life in a way that is meaningful to and appropriate for a specific audience.
• Strong communication skills, including presentations, workshops, and less formal discussions with senior partners.

Mentorship and Team Development

• Mentor product designers in the research craft to democratize and enable research in the different pillars.
• Patience to guide other researchers and designers in developing their research skills so that they can take on more research activities over time.

Strategic and Tactical Thinking

• Think both at the strategic level to inform the trajectory of the business, and at the tactical level to inform day-to-day product and design decisions.
• Experience as a member of a design team in a product-centric context, with experience in the loyalty, shopping/retail, or travel sectors strongly preferred.

What You Will Bring

• 7-10 years of deep experience planning, designing, and leading generative and evaluative qualitative research using a variety of research methods.
• Expert proficiency in both in-person and remote workshop design and facilitation.
• Strong presentation and storytelling skills.
• Experience collaborating effectively with designers and senior members of other functional teams (Product, Tech, Business, Marketing, etc.).
• Experience within an agile product design context.
• Experience providing informal design direction based on research and/or mentoring other designers and researchers.

Nice to Have

• Experience conducting B2B research.
• Experience in the retail, shopping, travel, and/or loyalty sectors.
• Experience with our current toolset: Alida, Maze, Fable, Figma, Mural, and in research community management.
• Experience using quantitative research data and Google Analytics to inform research objectives.

About Aquent Talent:

Aquent Talent connects the best talent in marketing, creative, and design with the world’s biggest brands. Our eligible talent get access to amazing benefits like subsidized health, vision, and dental plans, paid sick leave, and retirement plans with a match. We also offer free online training through Aquent Gymnasium.

Aquent is an equal-opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics. We’re about creating an inclusive environment—one where different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are valued, and everyone can contribute, grow their careers, and thrive.

Client Description

Are you ready to join a distinguished financial institution that is committed to empowering clients and communities? Our client is a leading provider of banking and financial services, renowned for its customer-centric approach and innovative solutions. With a rich history of success and a strong focus on diversity and inclusion, our client is dedicated to building a better future for all. Join us in our mission to make a positive impact and drive meaningful change.