UX Researcher Junior (F/H)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: UX Researcher Junior (F/H)

Company: Thales

Location: La Ciotat, France

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: User Experience (UX) Research / Design Operations

Date Posted: March 12, 2026

Experience Level: Junior (0-2 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• This role is crucial for understanding user needs and improving the overall experience of Thales' digital products, bridging the gap between user research, interface design, and artistic direction.

• The Junior UX Researcher will conduct qualitative and quantitative research, translating findings into actionable design recommendations to enhance product usability and user satisfaction.

• A key aspect of this position involves contributing to the visual identity and design system, ensuring consistency and aesthetic appeal across digital platforms.

• The role requires collaboration with cross-functional teams, including Product and Design, to foster a strong UX culture and advocate for user-centric design principles.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "UX Researcher Junior," the inclusion of responsibilities related to "artistic direction," "design system," and "graphic charter" suggests a hybrid role leaning towards UX/UI Design Operations with a strong research component. This is typical for junior roles where individuals gain broad exposure. The role is within Thales' "digital identity and security" division, indicating a focus on secure and user-friendly digital solutions.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Plan and execute diverse user research methodologies, including user interviews, usability testing, surveys, and field observations, to gather deep insights into user behaviors, needs, and pain points.

• Synthesize complex research findings into clear, concise, and actionable deliverables such as detailed personas, comprehensive user journey maps, and analytical reports for Product and Design teams.

• Collaborate closely with UX/UI Designers to translate user research insights and feedback into concrete design recommendations and improvements for digital products.

• Contribute to the creation and refinement of wireframes and interactive prototypes, leveraging a strong visual design sensibility and an understanding of artistic direction principles.

• Actively participate in defining and maintaining the visual identity of Thales' digital products, ensuring adherence to the design system, graphic charter, and established guidelines.

• Implement and monitor key user experience quality indicators to measure the impact and effectiveness of product evolutions and design changes.

• Champion UX best practices and methodologies within cross-functional teams, raising awareness and educating stakeholders on the importance of user-centered design.

• Maintain consistency in visual design and user interface elements across all digital products, contributing to a cohesive and branded user experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize both research execution and design contribution, indicating a need for a candidate who can not only gather insights but also help translate them into tangible design elements and strategic direction. The mention of "digital identity and security" suggests that data privacy and security considerations will be implicitly important in user research and design.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

Required Skills:

• Proficiency in qualitative and/or quantitative user research methods (e.g., user interviews, usability testing, A/B testing, card sorting).

• Familiarity with design and prototyping tools such as Figma, Adobe XD, or Sketch.

• Strong sensitivity to visual design, typography, and composition, with an interest in artistic direction.

• Professional level of English proficiency.

• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to clearly articulate complex insights to various stakeholders.

• Empathy, curiosity, and a rigorous, detail-oriented approach to research and design.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with user research tools like Maze, Lookback, or Hotjar.

• Understanding of design system principles and contributions to graphic charters or style guides.

• Experience in defining and tracking user experience quality indicators.

• Knowledge of UX best practices within the defense, security, or aerospace industries.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for professional English proficiency is critical given Thales' international operations. The emphasis on both research and visual design skills suggests a profile that is versatile and can contribute across the early stages of the design process.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a range of user research projects, clearly detailing the research questions, methodologies employed, and the insights derived.

• Highlight examples of how user research directly informed design decisions and led to tangible product improvements or user experience enhancements.

• Include case studies demonstrating contributions to wireframing, prototyping, and visual design elements, showcasing an understanding of UI principles.

Process Documentation:

• Examples of how research findings were synthesized and presented to cross-functional teams, such as persona development, user journey mapping, and analytical reports.

• Demonstrations of collaboration with UX/UI designers, illustrating how research insights were translated into actionable design recommendations.

• Evidence of involvement in defining or maintaining visual identity guidelines for digital products.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a junior role, the portfolio should emphasize potential and learning ability, showcasing a solid understanding of core UX research and design principles, even if project scope was limited. The ability to articulate the "why" behind design choices and research methods is paramount.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Benefits:

• Attractive compensation package.

• Continuous skills development through training programs, internal academies, and internal communities.

• An inclusive and supportive work environment that respects work-life balance.

• Recognition of societal and environmental commitment.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time working hours, likely around 35-40 hours per week, with potential for flexibility given the hybrid work arrangement.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimations are based on typical French market rates for junior roles in the tech/design sector and the specific region. The benefits listed are directly from the provided company description, highlighting Thales' commitment to employee development and well-being.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Defense & Security, Aeronautics & Space, Cyber & Digital. Thales operates at the forefront of high-technology, focusing on innovation in areas like AI, cybersecurity, quantum computing, and cloud technologies.

Company Size: Thales is a large global corporation with approximately 81,000 employees worldwide. This scale offers significant opportunities for professional development and exposure to diverse projects.

Founded: Thales was founded in 2000, emerging from the aerospace and defense activities of Thomson-CSF and Dassault Aviation. It has a long history of technological innovation and expertise.

Team Structure:

• The role is within the "Product/Design" team at the La Ciotat site, which specializes in digital identity and security.

• This team likely comprises UX/UI designers, product managers, and potentially other researchers or developers.

Methodology:

• Thales emphasizes technological excellence and innovation, investing heavily in R&D.

• The company culture promotes continuous learning and skill development through various internal programs.

• A commitment to building a "trusted future" suggests a focus on reliability, security, and ethical considerations in their products and solutions.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Thales' reputation as a high-tech leader in critical sectors implies a culture that values rigor, precision, and innovation. For a UX role, this translates to a need for data-driven decision-making and a deep understanding of user needs in complex, often security-sensitive, environments.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Junior position (0-2 years of experience), serving as an entry point into UX research and design operations within a large, established technology firm. It's designed for individuals to learn foundational skills and gain practical experience.

Reporting Structure: The Junior UX Researcher will report to a lead UX/UI Designer or a UX Research Manager within the Product/Design team at the La Ciotat site. This structure provides direct mentorship and oversight.

Operations Impact: Junior UX Researchers contribute indirectly to revenue by helping to ensure products are user-friendly, intuitive, and meet customer needs, thereby improving adoption rates, reducing support costs, and enhancing customer satisfaction. Their work informs product strategy and design, which are critical for market success.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific UX research methodologies (e.g., qualitative interviews, quantitative analysis) or specialize in UI design, interaction design, or design systems.

• Leadership Development: As experience grows, potential to lead smaller research projects, mentor newer team members, or take on more complex design challenges.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Gain exposure to various Thales business units and product lines, understanding how UX impacts different technological domains like defense, aerospace, and digital security.

• Formal Training: Access to Thales' extensive training programs, internal academies, and communities of practice to continuously upskill and stay current with industry trends.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a junior role at a company like Thales, the emphasis is on building a strong foundation. The growth path is likely to involve increasing responsibility, specialization, and potentially moving into more senior research or design roles, or even into UX management over time.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Thales operates modern office facilities. The La Ciotat site is located on the Mediterranean coast, offering an attractive working environment. The company promotes an inclusive and caring atmosphere.

Office Location(s): La Ciotat, France. This location is situated on the French Riviera, combining a professional setting with a desirable geographical position.

Workspace Context:

• The workspace is designed to foster collaboration, with teams working together on product development and design initiatives.

• Access to necessary UX/UI tools and technologies (Figma, Adobe XD, etc.) is expected.

• Opportunities for interaction with a diverse, international team are abundant, facilitating knowledge sharing and diverse perspectives.

Work Schedule: Full-time, with a hybrid arrangement, allowing for a balance between in-office collaboration and remote work. This flexibility supports efficient workflow management and personal well-being, crucial for sustained productivity in research and design tasks.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid work model is a key benefit, offering flexibility while maintaining team cohesion and collaborative opportunities essential for UX work. The coastal location of La Ciotat is also a significant lifestyle attraction.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your CV and portfolio to assess your foundational UX research and design skills, and your alignment with the junior level.

• Technical Interview(s): Likely to involve discussions about your understanding of UX research methodologies, experience with design tools, and your approach to user-centered design. You may be asked to walk through specific projects from your portfolio.

• Case Study/Design Challenge: A practical exercise to assess your problem-solving skills, research approach, and design thinking. This could involve analyzing a problem, proposing research methods, and sketching initial design concepts.

• Cultural Fit Interview: An opportunity to discuss your collaboration style, your understanding of Thales' values, and how you would integrate into the Product/Design team. Emphasis will be placed on empathy, curiosity, and teamwork.

• Final Interview: May involve meeting with senior leadership or hiring managers to discuss your career aspirations and overall fit with the company's long-term vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Structure Your Projects: For each project, clearly define the problem, your role, the methodologies used, the key findings, and the impact of your work.

• Showcase Research Process: Detail how you conducted research (e.g., participant recruitment, interview scripts, data analysis methods) and why you chose specific methods.

• Connect Research to Design: Explicitly demonstrate how your research insights influenced design decisions, wireframes, prototypes, or visual elements. Use before-and-after examples if possible.

• Highlight Visual Acumen: Include examples that showcase your sensitivity to visual design, typography, and overall aesthetics, especially for the "artistic direction" aspect of the role.

• Keep it Concise: Focus on your most impactful projects and tailor your portfolio to highlight skills relevant to the job description, especially research and visual design contributions.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Product Context: Research Thales' digital products, particularly in identity and security, to