Lead ux researcher (sydney)

About the Company

Our client is a globally recognised technology platform used by hundreds of thousands of small businesses and their advisors across Australia and the world. With a product‐led culture and a genuine commitment to customer understanding, they treat research as a strategic function, not a support service. Their design and research team has direct influence over product roadmaps and senior leadership decisions.

The Role

This is a senior individual‐contributor opportunity for a researcher who is equally comfortable shaping strategy as they are running a study. You'll lead end‐to‐end qualitative and quantitative research programmes across complex product areas, translating findings into clear, compelling recommendations that move the business forward. Beyond execution, you'll be expected to elevate practice across the broader team—mentoring designers and researchers, advocating for ethical and inclusive research standards, and building research capability beyond your immediate squad.

What You'll Do

• Research: Design and lead qualitative and quantitative research programmes on large, complex product challenges; apply a broad range of methods—interviews, usability testing, diary studies, surveys—selecting the right approach for each context; scope and interrogate research requests to pragmatically match methodology to business need; synthesize findings across studies to surface patterns and draw holistic, cross‐journey conclusions.
• Influence & Communication: Craft concise, compelling presentations tailored to senior and cross‐functional stakeholders; translate insights into actionable recommendations that shape product strategy and roadmaps; build strong relationships across product, design, and engineering.
• Practice Building: Mentor and coach researchers and designers, raising the overall standard of research practice; lead initiatives to improve team processes, tools, and ways of working; champion ethical, inclusive, and accessible research approaches.

What You'll Bring

• A degree or equivalent experience in design research, HCI, psychology, or a related field.
• A strong portfolio demonstrating high‐quality research communication with clear evidence of business impact.
• Deep expertise across qualitative and quantitative methods applied to complex product environments.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills—you can influence senior leaders and make complexity explicit.
• Proven experience mentoring researchers or designers in a collaborative team environment.
• Experience in a fast‐paced, agile product organisation—SaaS or fintech exposure is a plus.

Why This Role?

• Your research will directly influence product strategy, not just sit in a Confluence page.
• Genuine flexibility with hybrid working arrangements.
• Inclusive culture; if you're excited about the role but don't tick every box, apply anyway.
• Competitive package including employee share plan and generous leave.