Copy of Senior User Researcher, Consumer (m/f/d)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior User Researcher, Consumer (m/f/d)

Company: Riverty (Part of Bertelsmann)

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands (Hybrid) / Heerenveen, Netherlands (Hybrid) / Berlin, Germany (Hybrid)

Job Type: Full-time

Category: User Experience Research / Product Development Operations

Date Posted: September 07, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 years

Remote Status: Hybrid (2 days/week in office expected)

🚀 Role Summary

• This Senior User Researcher role is pivotal in embedding human-centricity into Riverty's financial services by translating customer needs and pain points into actionable product strategies.

• You will be responsible for planning, executing, and synthesizing mixed-method research to drive evidence-based decision-making across product development lifecycles.

• This position requires a strategic design perspective to influence both immediate product improvements and long-term customer experience vision.

• Collaboration with Product, Design, Engineering, and Data teams is critical to ensure research insights are integrated throughout discovery, delivery, automation, and continuous improvement phases.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Senior User Researcher," the responsibilities and required experience suggest a role with significant strategic influence, bordering on a 'Lead' or 'Principal' User Researcher, especially given the description of being the "first strictly User Researcher in the design organisation." This implies a foundational role in establishing research practices and a need for strong leadership and advocacy skills within the operations of the design and product teams. The focus on "Product Operations" within the category reflects the role's responsibility for integrating research into operational workflows.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Plan, conduct, and synthesize qualitative and quantitative user research using a diverse range of methodologies (e.g., interviews, usability testing, surveys, diary studies, contextual inquiry).

• Identify and articulate customer needs, behaviors, motivations, and pain points to inform product strategy and service enhancements.

• Translate complex research findings into clear, compelling insights and actionable recommendations for product teams, designers, engineers, and other stakeholders.

• Integrate qualitative research findings with analytics, experimentation data, and business metrics to create holistic customer understanding and support strategic product decisions.

• Collaborate closely with Product Managers, Designers, Engineers, Data Analysts, Product Operations, Marketing, and Brand teams to embed research insights throughout the product development lifecycle.

• Design and execute evaluative research to validate concepts, prototypes, and live experiences, focusing on measurable customer outcomes.

• Contribute to and maintain research repositories, insight libraries, and research operations to enhance organizational knowledge sharing and research efficiency.

• Champion a human-centered, evidence-based culture by advocating for customer needs while balancing business objectives, technical feasibility, and measurable outcomes.

• Coach and support the design community and other colleagues in applying research methods and fostering customer-centric thinking across product teams.

• Help product teams identify strategic opportunities by connecting customer insights, market trends, organizational priorities, and product goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "Product Operations" and collaborating with "Product Operations" teams highlights the operational integration aspect of this research role. The responsibilities extend beyond pure research execution to include operationalizing research insights and practices within the product development workflow.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• A Bachelor's or Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Design, Computer Science, or a related field is preferred, demonstrating a strong foundation in research principles. Experience:

• 5-10 years of progressive experience planning, conducting, and synthesizing qualitative and quantitative user research throughout the entire product development lifecycle.

• Proven experience in a senior or lead research role, demonstrating the ability to guide research strategy and mentor junior team members.

• Experience working within agile product development frameworks and in iterative, fast-paced environments. Required Skills:

• Extensive experience planning, conducting, and synthesizing qualitative and quantitative user research.

• Strong understanding of mixed-method research approaches and the ability to select appropriate methodologies for diverse product and business questions.

• Demonstrated ability to apply a design strategy mindset, connecting customer insights with business goals to influence product vision and long-term direction.

• Experience collaborating closely with Product Analytics, Data Science, or Business Intelligence teams to combine qualitative and quantitative evidence into meaningful customer insights.

• Strong understanding of data and analytics, experimentation, customer metrics, and research triangulation to support strategic product decisions.

• Excellent synthesis and storytelling skills, with the ability to communicate complex research findings clearly and persuasively to diverse stakeholders.

• Strong facilitation, stakeholder management, and influencing skills, with the ability to align cross-functional teams around customer evidence.

• Experience designing and facilitating workshops that support discovery, prioritization, and strategic decision-making.

• Strategic, analytical, and problem-solving skills with the ability to identify opportunities beyond individual customer problems.

• Experience with AI-enabled research and research automation, and a proactive approach to shaping AI-enabled research practices. Preferred Skills:

• Experience building a research capability across multidisciplinary teams.

• Experience establishing research operations, repositories, or insight management practices.

• Experience shaping product strategy or design strategy through customer research and evidence synthesis.

• Experience partnering with multiple designers and stakeholders to achieve goals across complex product ecosystems.

• Experience with financial services or fintech products.

• Familiarity with product frameworks and development technologies.

• Experience with B2C, and/or B2B2C products.

• Familiarity with accessibility standards and guidelines (e.g., WCAG) and their application in design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Nice to haves" section provides clear indicators for candidates looking to differentiate themselves. The emphasis on building research capabilities, establishing research operations, and experience with financial services/fintech are particularly valuable for this role's strategic impact. The mention of AI-enabled research is a forward-looking skill that will be increasingly important.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrations of end-to-end research projects, from initial problem definition and research planning to insight synthesis and impact measurement.

• Case studies showcasing the application of mixed-method research approaches to solve complex product or business challenges.

• Examples of how research insights directly influenced product strategy, design decisions, or business outcomes, with measurable results.

• Evidence of collaboration with cross-functional teams (Product, Design, Engineering, Data) and how research was integrated into their workflows.

• Documentation of research operations, including how insights were shared, stored, and utilized to build organizational knowledge. Process Documentation:

• Showcase examples of research plans, including defined objectives, target audiences, chosen methodologies, and timelines.

• Provide documentation of research findings synthesis, including how raw data was transformed into actionable insights and strategic recommendations.

• Illustrate how research was used to validate hypotheses, test prototypes, and iterate on product features, demonstrating a continuous improvement loop.

• Evidence of how research findings were communicated and presented to diverse stakeholders, including senior leadership.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior User Researcher role, especially one establishing research practices, the portfolio needs to go beyond just showcasing research artifacts. It must demonstrate the ability to operationalize research, influence strategy, and drive measurable impact. The emphasis should be on the process of research and its integration into the broader product development and business operations.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Based on industry benchmarks for Senior User Researchers in Amsterdam/Netherlands, with 5-10 years of experience, a typical gross annual salary range would be between €70,000 and €95,000. This range can vary based on specific experience, qualifications, and the negotiation process.

• For Berlin, Germany, a comparable range might be €65,000 to €90,000 gross annually.

• This estimate considers the hybrid work model and the strategic nature of the role within the fintech sector. Benefits:

• Hybrid working model, offering flexibility and work-life balance.

• International work environment with opportunities to collaborate with diverse teams across Europe.

• Flexible working conditions, allowing for adaptation to personal needs.

• Participation in a family-owned, established group (Bertelsmann) with a strong corporate structure.

• Opportunities for professional development and continuous learning within a fast-paced fintech industry.

• Potential for growth and advancement within Riverty and the broader Bertelsmann group. Working Hours:

• Standard full-time working hours are expected, likely around 40 hours per week.

• The role offers flexible working conditions, allowing for some adaptability in scheduling, provided business needs and collaboration requirements (e.g., 2 days/week in office) are met.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary ranges are estimated based on typical compensation for Senior User Researchers in major European tech hubs (Amsterdam, Berlin) with the specified experience level and hybrid work arrangement. The benefits highlight flexibility and international exposure, which are key attractors for such roles.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Technology (FinTech) and Financial Services, with a focus on payments and financial management solutions. Riverty aims to simplify financial management for businesses and consumers, building financial confidence.

Company Size: Over 4,000 employees internationally, operating across 11 countries. This indicates a substantial organization with established processes but also the potential for agility within specific divisions.

Founded: Part of the Bertelsmann group, a globally active media, services, and education company. Riverty itself is a more recent entity evolving within this structure, emphasizing innovation in fintech.

Team Structure:

• The Senior User Researcher will report to the UX Design Lead, Consumer.

• They will be part of an international team of UX designers, UI designers, service designers, and UX writers.

• This role involves significant cross-functional collaboration with Product Managers, Engineers, Data Analysts, Product Operations, Marketing, and Brand teams across Europe. Methodology:

• Riverty emphasizes combining empathy, advanced technology, and data-driven insights to keep people and businesses in flow.

• The company operates with a hybrid setup, facilitating collaboration and idea exchange while supporting flexible working.

• They are committed to human-centricity, ensuring that user needs are at the forefront of product development and service design.

• The fintech focus implies a data-driven approach, continuous iteration, and a focus on measurable outcomes.

Company Website: https://www.riverty.com/ (Note: The provided URL was for Bertelsmann Jobs, this is the likely operational company website)

📝 Enhancement Note: The context of being part of Bertelsmann provides stability, while Riverty's focus on FinTech suggests a dynamic and innovative environment. The hybrid work model and international scope are key cultural elements for potential candidates. The "data-driven insights" and "human-centricity" are core operational philosophies.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Senior User Researcher, a critical mid-to-senior level position focused on both tactical research execution and strategic influence. It is the first dedicated User Researcher within the design organization, suggesting an opportunity to shape and grow the research function itself.

Reporting Structure: The role reports to the UX Design Lead, Consumer, indicating a direct line into the design leadership and a strong connection to product development. This structure allows for close collaboration with design peers and influence over design strategy.

Operations Impact: The Senior User Researcher will have a significant impact on Riverty's operational success by ensuring that product development and service design are grounded in deep customer understanding. This leads to more effective, user-friendly, and commercially successful financial services, directly contributing to customer satisfaction, retention, and business growth. By bridging user insights with business objectives, the role drives operational efficiency and strategic alignment.

Growth Opportunities:

• Research Leadership: Opportunity to establish and scale the user research practice within Riverty, potentially leading to a Head of Research or similar role as the function matures.

• Strategic Influence: Develop expertise in shaping product strategy and long-term customer experience vision for a significant FinTech player.

• Cross-functional Expertise: Deepen understanding and collaboration with Product Management, Data Science, Engineering, and Product Operations, broadening skill sets in a complex ecosystem.

• FinTech Specialization: Gain specialized knowledge and experience in the financial services and FinTech industry, a high-growth and impactful sector.

• Mentorship: Coach and guide other designers and product team members in research methodologies, fostering a customer-centric culture.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "first strictly User Researcher" aspect is a significant growth opportunity. It means the individual can define processes, tools, and best practices, setting the foundation for future research efforts and potentially building a team. This is a key differentiator for ambitious candidates.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Riverty operates a "hybrid workspace" model, designed for idea exchange, learning, and shaping work. This suggests modern, collaborative office spaces that complement remote work. The expectation is to be in the office twice a week.

Office Location(s): The role is open to Amsterdam (Gelrestraat 30-46, 1079 MZ), Heerenveen (KR Poststraat 90-5), or Berlin. The hybrid model means proximity to one of these locations is necessary.

Workspace Context:

• The office environment is geared towards collaboration, fostering interaction among colleagues from diverse backgrounds and disciplines.

• Access to modern tools and technologies will be available, supporting research and design activities.

• The hybrid setup facilitates a balance between focused individual work and team-based collaboration, crucial for complex research synthesis and strategic planning.

Work Schedule: The standard work week is likely around 40 hours. Flexibility is a key offering, allowing for adjustments to daily schedules as long as core collaboration times and in-office days are maintained. This structure supports effective research planning and analysis, allowing researchers to optimize their time for deep work and collaborative sessions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model with a defined office expectation (2 days/week) is crucial for candidates to understand. It implies a need for local presence in or near Amsterdam, Heerenveen, or Berlin, while still offering significant remote work flexibility.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review applications and portfolios to assess basic qualifications and alignment with the role.

• Hiring Manager/Team Interview: This stage will likely involve a deeper dive into your experience, research philosophy, and approach to problem-solving. Expect questions about your past projects and how you've driven impact.

• Portfolio Presentation & Case Study: A key part of the process will be presenting a selection of your work. This may involve a specific case study related to a complex problem or a strategic challenge Riverty faces. Prepare to discuss your process, insights, and the impact of your research.

• Cross-functional Stakeholder Interviews: You will likely meet with Product Managers, Designers, Engineers, or Data Analysts to assess your collaboration style, ability to influence, and how you integrate research into operational workflows.

• Final Interview: Potentially with senior leadership to discuss strategic fit and long-term vision for the research function.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: Clearly articulate the business or customer outcomes your research achieved. Quantify results whenever possible (e.g., improved conversion rates, reduced support tickets, increased user satisfaction scores).

• Showcase Process: Detail your research methodology, the rationale behind your choices, and how you adapted your approach to specific project constraints.

• Highlight Collaboration: Demonstrate how you worked with cross-functional teams, managed stakeholders, and translated insights into actionable recommendations that were adopted.

• Strategic Thinking: Present projects that show how you moved beyond identifying user pain points to influencing product strategy and long-term vision.

• Tailor to Riverty: Select case studies that are most relevant to Riverty's FinTech context and the challenges of building consumer financial services.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be prepared for a potential research challenge or a deep dive into a hypothetical scenario during the interview process.

• Practice articulating complex research findings concisely and persuasively, as if presenting to a diverse audience.

• Think about how you would establish a research practice from the ground up, including setting up processes, tools, and advocating for its value within an organization.

• Understand Riverty's business, its products, and the FinTech landscape to frame your responses and strategic thinking.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on being the "first strictly User Researcher" means the interview process will heavily scrutinize the candidate's ability to not just do research, but to build and operationalize it, and to strategically influence a product organization. The portfolio needs to reflect this pioneering spirit.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Research & Data Management: Condens, TheyDo, Lyssna, Qualtrics, or similar platforms for organizing research data, managing insights, and conducting surveys.

• Analytics & Reporting: PowerBI, New Relic, or similar Business Intelligence and monitoring tools for combining qualitative insights with quantitative data and tracking customer metrics.

• Experimentation: Familiarity with A/B testing frameworks and product analytics tools is expected.

• Collaboration: Standard collaboration suites (e.g., Microsoft Teams, Slack, Confluence) will be used for communication and documentation.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Proficiency in leveraging product analytics tools to understand user behavior, track key metrics, and triangulate findings with qualitative research.

• Experience with data visualization tools to present complex data in an accessible format for various stakeholders. CRM & Automation:

• While not a primary CRM role, understanding how user insights can feed into CRM strategies and automation workflows for customer engagement is beneficial.

• Experience with tools that support workflow design and efficiency management in product development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The specific tools mentioned (Condens, TheyDo, Lyssna, Qualtrics, PowerBI, New Relic) are key indicators of the technology stack. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their experience with these or comparable platforms. The integration of research with data analytics and experimentation tools is a critical aspect of this role.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Human-Centricity: A core principle at Riverty, emphasizing understanding and prioritizing customer needs in all decision-making.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Leveraging both qualitative research and quantitative data to inform strategy and product development.

• Empathy: A foundational value in understanding diverse customer perspectives and building supportive financial services.

• Collaboration: Working effectively across diverse teams and disciplines to achieve shared goals.

• Efficiency & Innovation: Continuously seeking ways to improve processes, leverage technology (including AI), and deliver innovative financial solutions.

• Accountability: Taking ownership of research outcomes and their impact on business objectives.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Actively partnering with Product, Design, Engineering, and Data teams to embed research throughout the entire product lifecycle.

• Evidence-Based Advocacy: Championing customer needs through robust research findings, influencing without direct authority.

• Knowledge Sharing: Proactively contributing to research repositories and facilitating workshops to disseminate insights and best practices across the organization.

• Feedback Culture: Open to constructive feedback and fostering an environment where continuous improvement is valued.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values listed are directly extracted from the company description and job responsibilities, highlighting the importance of human-centricity, data-driven approaches, and collaboration. For a Senior Researcher, demonstrating how these values translate into practical research operations and strategic influence is key.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Establishing Research Maturity: As the first dedicated researcher, a key challenge will be building and scaling the user research function, including defining processes, tools, and advocating for its value.

• Balancing Strategic and Tactical Needs: Juggling the demands for immediate usability testing and validation with the need for longer-term strategic research and insight generation.

• Integrating Diverse Data Sources: Effectively combining qualitative research findings with complex quantitative data, analytics, and experimentation results to form a cohesive picture.

• Influencing Across a Large Organization: Navigating a large, international company (Bertelsmann group) to embed customer-centricity and research-backed decisions across various teams and regions.

• Adapting to Fintech Dynamics: Staying abreast of rapid changes in the FinTech landscape, regulatory environments, and evolving customer expectations in financial services.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Research Operations Leadership: Opportunity to define and implement research operations best practices, potentially building a dedicated research ops function.

• FinTech Domain Expertise: Deepen knowledge of financial services, consumer finance, and payment technologies.

• Strategic Product Development: Gain hands-on experience shaping product strategy and long-term customer experience roadmaps in a competitive market.

• AI and Automation in Research: Explore and implement AI-driven research tools and automation techniques to enhance research efficiency and impact.

• Cross-Functional Skill Development: Enhance skills in areas like product management, data analysis, and service design through close collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are directly tied to the role's seniority and the "first researcher" aspect. The growth opportunities highlight the potential for significant career development and specialization within a high-growth industry.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to influence a product roadmap based on user research. What was your approach, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on strategic influence, stakeholder management, and measurable impact).

• "How would you go about establishing a user research practice within a product organization that currently lacks one? What are the key steps and considerations?" (Focus on building research operations, advocacy, and process definition).

• "Walk us through a complex research project where you integrated qualitative insights with quantitative data. What challenges did you face, and how did you synthesize the findings?" (Focus on mixed-methods expertise, data triangulation, and synthesis skills). Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Riverty and the FinTech industry specifically? How do you see user research contributing to our mission of keeping people and businesses in flow?" (Demonstrate research into the company and its values).

• "How do you approach collaboration with Product Managers, Engineers, and Data Analysts? Can you provide an example of a successful cross-functional partnership?" (Assess collaboration style and operational integration).

• "How do you balance advocating for user needs with business objectives and technical constraints?" (Focus on strategic decision-making and pragmatism). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: For each case study, clearly outline: Problem -> Your Approach (Methodology) -> Insights -> Recommendations -> Impact (Quantifiable results).

• Tell a Story: Frame your projects as narratives that highlight your problem-solving skills, strategic thinking, and ability to drive change.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals (e.g., personas, journey maps, key research artifacts) to illustrate your process and findings.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about your methodology choices, data analysis, and how you handled challenges or unexpected findings.

• Connect to Riverty: Explicitly draw parallels between your experience and Riverty's business, products, and stated values.

📝 Enhancement Note: The questions are designed to probe the candidate's strategic thinking, operationalization skills, and ability to lead and influence, given the senior and foundational nature of the role. The portfolio presentation is a critical component for demonstrating these capabilities.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided application link on SmartRecruiters.

• Portfolio Customization: Curate your portfolio to prominently feature case studies demonstrating end-to-end research projects, strategic influence, and cross-functional collaboration. Prioritize examples that show how research directly impacted product strategy and business outcomes, especially in complex or data-rich environments.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly highlights your 5-10 years of experience in user research, emphasizing mixed-methods expertise, strategic contributions, and experience with relevant tools (Condens, Qualtrics, PowerBI, etc.). Use keywords from the job description like "product strategy," "customer insights," "mixed-method research," and "stakeholder management."

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your research process, insights, and impact with a focus on storytelling and quantifiable results. Prepare to discuss how you would establish and grow a research function. Rehearse your portfolio presentation, ensuring it flows logically and addresses potential stakeholder questions.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research Riverty, its mission, its products, and its position in the FinTech market. Understand the Bertelsmann group's structure. Familiarize yourself with their stated values (empathy, data-driven, human-centricity) and consider how your research approach aligns with them.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.