Design Researcher (12 -Month FTC)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Design Researcher (12-Month FTC)

Company: Lloyds Banking Group

Location: London, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full-Time, Temporary

Category: User Experience Research / Design Operations

Date Posted: May 1, 2026

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (5-10 years inferred)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and develop research strategies for key business areas within a large financial services organization.

• Drive product and service development by delivering actionable insights from generative and evaluative research.

• Collaborate within multi-disciplinary design, product, and engineering teams to solve customer problems and identify new opportunities.

• Manage research plans and roadmaps, ensuring alignment with strategic direction and short-term objectives.

• Foster a culture of collaboration, mentoring, and continuous learning within a community of 40+ researchers.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Design Researcher," the responsibilities and required skills strongly align with a Senior UX Researcher or Product Researcher role, with a focus on influencing product strategy and development. The "FTC" (Fixed-Term Contract) nature of the role implies a project-based focus or a need for specialized expertise for a defined period. The "Operations" aspect is inferred through the need to manage research roadmaps, integrate with product development lifecycles, and contribute to a large, structured research function within a major financial institution.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Develop and execute comprehensive research strategies for assigned product or service areas, aligning with business objectives.

• Lead the end-to-end research process, from planning and recruitment to data collection, analysis, and synthesis.

• Conduct a variety of qualitative research methods, including usability testing (moderated/unmoderated), concept testing, and in-depth interviews.

• Design and implement quantitative studies (e.g., surveys) and analyze results to complement qualitative findings and provide a holistic view of user behavior.

• Synthesize research findings into impactful, actionable insights that inform product decisions, drive user-centric design, and unlock new business opportunities.

• Create and maintain research roadmaps and plans to guide research activities and ensure timely delivery of insights.

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including designers, product managers, engineers, and business stakeholders, to foster a shared understanding of user needs.

• Present research findings and recommendations clearly and concisely to influence stakeholders and drive strategic decision-making.

• Employ ethnographic research techniques such as contextual inquiry and diary studies to gain deep understanding of user behaviors in their natural environment.

• Triangulate data from multiple research sources and existing business data to build compelling customer narratives and identify complex user journeys.

• Contribute to the growth and development of the Design Research community by sharing expertise, mentoring junior researchers, and actively participating in learning initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a blend of strategic planning (research roadmaps, strategy development) and hands-on execution (conducting various research methods). The need to "influence wider business stakeholders" highlights the strategic impact expected from this role beyond just reporting findings.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Design Research, or a related field is typically expected for roles of this nature. Equivalent practical experience will also be considered.

Experience: 5-10 years of progressive experience in user research, product research, or a closely related field, with a proven track record of influencing product strategy and development.

Required Skills:

• Proven experience in designing and executing mixed-methods research studies, combining qualitative and quantitative approaches.

• Deep expertise in qualitative research methodologies, including moderated and unmoderated usability testing, concept testing, and in-depth interviews.

• Demonstrated ability to design, deploy, and analyze quantitative research, such as surveys and A/B testing.

• Strong skills in synthesizing complex data from various sources into clear, actionable insights and compelling narratives.

• Experience in developing research roadmaps and strategic plans that align with product development cycles and business goals.

• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively influence stakeholders at all levels.

• Collaborative mindset with a proactive approach to involving design, product, and engineering teams in the research process.

• Experience working in an agile development environment and collaborating effectively within multi-disciplinary teams.

• Ability to manage multiple research projects concurrently while maintaining high quality and timely delivery.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience within the financial services industry.

• Familiarity with accessibility research principles and methodologies.

• Experience with data visualization tools for presenting research findings.

• Knowledge of advanced statistical analysis techniques for quantitative data.

• Experience in mentoring or guiding junior researchers.

• Understanding of service design principles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "5-10 years" experience level is inferred from the scope of responsibilities (leading strategy, managing roadmaps, influencing stakeholders) and the salary range. The emphasis on synthesizing insights and influencing stakeholders suggests a need for strong analytical and communication skills beyond basic research execution.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A curated portfolio showcasing a range of research projects, demonstrating proficiency across qualitative and quantitative methodologies.

• Case studies that clearly articulate the research problem, methodology, key findings, and the impact of the research on product or business outcomes.

• Examples of research roadmaps, plans, and how they were executed and adapted.

• Evidence of synthesizing complex data from multiple sources (qualitative, quantitative, business data) into actionable recommendations.

Process Documentation:

• Demonstrate experience in documenting research processes, including participant recruitment, data collection protocols, and synthesis methodologies.

• Showcase how research insights were translated into tangible design or product improvements, with measurable results where possible.

• Examples of how research findings were communicated and shared to build organizational understanding and drive consensus.

• Evidence of adapting research processes to fit different project needs, timelines, and constraints.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Design Researcher role, particularly one influencing strategy, a portfolio is crucial. It should highlight not just the research conducted, but the strategic thinking behind it, the impact, and the ability to collaborate and communicate effectively. The emphasis on "triangulating research and data" suggests that showcasing how diverse data sources were integrated will be highly valued.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: £72,702 - £80,780 GBP per annum.

Benefits:

• Generous pension contribution of up to 15%.

• Annual performance-related bonus.

• Share schemes, including free shares.

• Benefits that can be adapted to individual lifestyles, such as discounted shopping.

• 30 days of annual holiday, in addition to bank holidays.

• A comprehensive range of wellbeing initiatives.

• Generous parental leave policies.

Working Hours: Full-time, typically around 40 hours per week, with hybrid working expectations (at least two days per week in the London office).

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is specific and falls within the mid-to-senior level for specialized research roles in London, especially within large, established financial institutions. The benefits package is extensive, reflecting Lloyds Banking Group's commitment to employee well-being and long-term engagement. The "40% of our time" for hybrid work translates to approximately two days per week for a standard 5-day work week.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services. Lloyds Banking Group is one of the UK's largest financial institutions, offering a wide range of banking, insurance, and investment products and services to retail and business customers. This context implies a strong focus on regulatory compliance, customer trust, and large-scale digital transformation initiatives.

Company Size: Large enterprise (inferred from "40+ researchers" and being a major banking group). This means opportunities for significant impact, exposure to complex systems, and potential for internal mobility, but also a need for strong process adherence and cross-functional navigation.

Founded: Lloyds Banking Group has a long history, with its origins tracing back to 1692. This heritage suggests a company with established processes, a commitment to long-term stability, and a deep understanding of the UK market.

Team Structure:

• The Design Research team consists of over 40 researchers, indicating a substantial and well-resourced function.

• Researchers work within multi-disciplinary design, product, and engineering teams, suggesting a collaborative, product-centric structure.

• The role will be supported by a wider Design Research and Analytics community, providing a network for knowledge sharing and professional development.

Methodology:

• Emphasis on shaping product and service development through user research.

• Encouragement of experimentation with new research methods and approaches ("test and learn").

• Fostering a culture of mentoring, collaboration, and shared learning among researchers.

• Integration of research into the entire product development lifecycle, from generative discovery to evaluative testing.

• A commitment to flexible working and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Company Website: https://www.lloydsbankinggroup.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's large size and long history in financial services are critical context for operations roles. It implies a need for robust processes, scalability, and a deep understanding of customer needs within a regulated environment. The "40+ researchers" indicates a mature research practice, offering ample opportunity for specialization and mentorship.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Mid-to-Senior Level Researcher. This role is positioned as a key contributor responsible for independently leading research strategy and execution for specific business areas. It requires a strong command of research methodologies and the ability to translate insights into strategic recommendations.

Reporting Structure: Likely reports to a Head of Design Research, Design Research Manager, or a Senior Design Lead. The role involves close collaboration with Product Managers, Designers, and Engineers within specific product teams.

Operations Impact: This role has a direct impact on product and service development by ensuring customer needs are understood and addressed. By shaping what is created, the Design Researcher influences the customer experience, product adoption, and ultimately, business success and customer loyalty within the financial services sector. The insights generated will guide strategic investment in digital products and services.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific research methodologies (e.g., advanced quantitative analysis, ethnographic studies, accessibility research).

• Leadership: Transition into a Senior Researcher role, leading larger initiatives or mentoring junior team members. Potential for management roles (e.g., Design Research Manager) within the growing team.

• Cross-functional Expertise: Develop a deeper understanding of product management, UX design, and engineering processes through close collaboration.

• Industry Knowledge: Gain in-depth knowledge of the financial services industry and its unique customer needs and regulatory landscape.

• Methodological Innovation: Contribute to the evolution of research practices within Lloyds Banking Group by testing and adopting new tools and techniques.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "12-Month FTC" designation means growth will be project-based and focused on delivering high-impact research within that timeframe. However, opportunities to demonstrate leadership and develop specialized skills are significant, potentially leading to further opportunities within the organization or elsewhere. The role is pivotal in ensuring the "operations" of product development are customer-centric.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid working model, requiring at least two days per week (40% of time) in one of the company's London office sites. This suggests a modern, collaborative office space designed to facilitate teamwork, workshops, and in-person interactions.

Office Location(s): London, United Kingdom (specifically mentions 25 Gresham Street). This central London location offers excellent transport links and access to a vibrant business district.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hubs: Offices are likely equipped with meeting rooms, workshop spaces, and common areas designed for cross-functional team interaction and ideation.

• Technology Enabled: Access to necessary research tools, software, and potentially specialized equipment for user testing.

• Team Integration: The hybrid model encourages focused work time at home and collaborative, team-building activities in the office, fostering a strong sense of community within the research team and product squads.

• Flexibility: While hybrid, the emphasis on "Flexibility Works" policy suggests an understanding of individual needs and potential for adjustments where feasible.

Work Schedule: Full-time, with expectations for hybrid working. While a standard 40-hour week is implied, the specific daily schedule may offer some flexibility, common in modern tech and design environments, but core collaboration hours will be important.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature of the role is a key aspect of the work environment. It balances the need for in-person collaboration and team cohesion with the flexibility expected by many professionals today. For operations roles, understanding how to maximize productivity in both remote and in-office settings is crucial.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your CV and portfolio to assess suitability against the core requirements.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion focused on your experience, research philosophy, and fit with the team and company culture. Expect questions about your approach to research strategy and stakeholder management.

• Practical Exercise/Case Study: You may be asked to present a past research project in detail or complete a short research-related task. This will assess your ability to synthesize, communicate, and apply research methodologies.

• Team/Cross-Functional Interview: Meeting with potential colleagues (designers, product managers) to evaluate collaboration style and ability to integrate into a multi-disciplinary team.

• Final Interview: Potentially with a senior leader to discuss career aspirations, strategic thinking, and overall impact.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Showcase Impact: Clearly articulate the problem you solved, your role, the methods used, the key insights, and most importantly, the impact of your research on the product or business. Use metrics where possible.

• Methodological Breadth: Include examples demonstrating your proficiency in both qualitative and quantitative research.

• Strategic Thinking: Showcase how you developed research roadmaps and plans, and how your research contributed to strategic direction.

• Collaboration: Highlight instances where you worked effectively with cross-functional teams and influenced decision-making.

• Conciseness: Be prepared to walk through your portfolio efficiently, focusing on the most relevant projects for this role. Tailor your presentation to the job description.

Challenge Preparation:

• Research Strategy: Be ready to discuss how you would approach developing a research strategy for a new product feature or an existing area of the business.

• Problem-Solving: Prepare to discuss how you would tackle a complex user problem or a research challenge with limited resources or time.

• Stakeholder Management: Think about how you would manage conflicting stakeholder expectations or communicate difficult research findings.

• Quant & Qual Integration: Be ready to explain how you would combine different data sources to gain a comprehensive understanding.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for a research role at a large organization like Lloyds Banking Group will likely be thorough. A strong portfolio that clearly demonstrates impact and strategic thinking is paramount. Preparing to discuss how research "operations" (planning, execution, synthesis, communication) contribute to business outcomes is key.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Prototyping & Design Tools: Familiarity with tools like Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD may be beneficial for understanding design artifacts and collaborating on prototypes.

• Collaboration Platforms: Microsoft Teams, Slack, Confluence, Jira for team communication, documentation, and project management.

• Video Conferencing: Zoom, Microsoft Teams for remote moderated research sessions.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Survey Tools: Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey, Google Forms for quantitative data collection.

• Analytics Platforms: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics (or similar) for understanding user behavior on digital platforms.

• Data Synthesis Tools: Miro, Mural for collaborative sense-making, affinity mapping, and persona development.

• Presentation Software: PowerPoint, Google Slides, Keynote for presenting findings.

CRM & Automation: While not directly managing CRM systems, understanding how customer data is managed and utilized within CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce) can provide valuable context for research.

📝 Enhancement Note: While specific tools are not listed, the role implies a need to be proficient with standard UX research tools for qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis, as well as collaboration and presentation software. The ability to leverage data from analytics platforms and understand customer data within a CRM context would be advantageous.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Focus: A deep commitment to understanding and serving customer needs, driving product development with the customer at the center.

• Collaboration: Valuing teamwork and cross-functional partnerships to achieve shared goals.

• Integrity: Upholding high ethical standards in research practices and data handling.

• Innovation: Encouraging the adoption of new methods and technologies to improve research effectiveness.

• Efficiency: Striving for efficient research processes and delivering actionable insights promptly.

• Inclusion: A commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in both research participants and the research team itself.

Collaboration Style:

• Integrated: Researchers are embedded within product and engineering teams, working closely with designers and product managers.

• Proactive: Encouraged to involve team members in research activities (e.g., note-taking, synthesis sessions) to build shared understanding.

• Data-Driven: Decisions are informed by user insights and data, fostering a culture of evidence-based design.

• Learning-Oriented: A culture that encourages continuous learning, sharing of best practices, and mentorship.

📝 Enhancement Note: Lloyds Banking Group's emphasis on "values-led culture" and "diversity, equity and inclusion" is central. For an operations role, this translates to how research is conducted ethically, how insights are shared inclusively, and how the research team functions as a cohesive, supportive unit.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Scale and Complexity: Navigating the scale and complexity of a large financial institution, managing research across multiple product lines or business units.

• Stakeholder Alignment: Ensuring buy-in and action on research findings from diverse stakeholders with potentially competing priorities.

• Balancing Generative and Evaluative Research: Effectively allocating time and resources between discovery-phase research and validation testing within project timelines.

• Data Triangulation: Successfully integrating qualitative findings with quantitative data and business metrics for a holistic view.

• Fixed-Term Contract: Adapting quickly to new projects and teams within the 12-month timeframe, demonstrating immediate value.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Methodological Expansion: Opportunities to gain experience in specialized research areas through diverse project assignments.

• Industry Insight: Deepen understanding of the financial services landscape, customer behaviors, and regulatory requirements.

• Cross-functional Skills: Enhance skills in product strategy, agile development, and stakeholder communication.

• Mentorship: Benefit from and contribute to a large, experienced research community, with formal and informal mentoring opportunities.

• Professional Certifications: Potential for support in pursuing relevant certifications or attending industry conferences.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are typical for large organizations and project-based roles. The growth opportunities are significant, particularly in gaining exposure to complex financial products and large-scale digital transformation initiatives. The "operations" aspect here is in managing these challenges and leveraging opportunities effectively within a structured environment.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you developed a research strategy for a complex product area. What were the key considerations, and how did you ensure it aligned with business goals?" (Focus on roadmap development, stakeholder input, and strategic alignment.)

• "How do you balance the need for deep qualitative insights with the requirements for quantitative validation in a product development lifecycle?" (Prepare to discuss mixed-methods approaches and their strategic application.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about working at Lloyds Banking Group, particularly within the financial services industry?" (Research the company's purpose, recent initiatives, and values.)

• "How would you contribute to our culture of collaboration and continuous learning within the Design Research team?" (Highlight your experience with mentoring, knowledge sharing, and team involvement.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Start with the business context/problem, your role and objective, methodology, key findings, recommendations, and crucially, the impact/outcome.

• Storytelling: Frame each case study as a narrative that highlights your problem-solving process and strategic contribution.

• Visuals: Use clear visuals to support your findings and process. Avoid overwhelming slides with text.

• Engagement: Be prepared for questions about your process, decisions, and how you would adapt your approach in different scenarios. Practice delivering your presentation within a set time.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview questions will likely probe your ability to think strategically, manage complex research operations, and collaborate effectively within a large, established organization. Demonstrating understanding of how research directly impacts business outcomes is key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Design Researcher position:

• Submit your application through the Lloyds Banking Group careers portal, ensuring you attach your CV and a link to your portfolio.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight projects that demonstrate your experience with mixed-methods research, strategic roadmap development, and influencing product decisions, especially within large organizations.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your years of experience, key research methodologies mastered, and quantifiable achievements related to product improvement or business impact. Use keywords like "Design Research," "UX Research," "Qualitative," "Quantitative," "Roadmapping," and "Stakeholder Management."

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your research process and impact using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). Prepare case studies that showcase your ability to handle complex challenges and collaborate effectively.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Lloyds Banking Group's mission, values, recent news, and their approach to digital transformation and customer experience. Understand their commitment to flexible working and inclusion.

⚠️ 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.

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