Lead UX Researcher

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Lead UX Researcher

Company: Asda

Location: Asda House, Leeds, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full time

Category: User Experience Research & Design

Date Posted: September 14, 2026

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (with leadership responsibilities)

Remote Status: Hybrid (3 days in office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and build a high-performing UX research practice focused on delivering exceptional end-to-end customer experiences across Asda’s digital and ecommerce platforms.

• Drive impactful research initiatives that directly inform key product, design, and business decisions, with a specific focus on Asda Groceries and George.com growth.

• Develop and mentor a team of UX researchers, fostering a culture of rigorous research standards, best practices, and continuous improvement.

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams including Product, Design, CRO, Engineering, and business stakeholders to embed customer insight into all aspects of the digital journey.

• Shape research operations, tooling, and knowledge management strategies to enhance efficiency, impact, and scalability of research efforts.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a "Lead" in UX Research, indicating a need for both strong individual contributor research skills and proven leadership capabilities. The emphasis on "building a high-performing UX team" and "shaping how research is done" suggests a strategic mandate beyond just executing research. The focus on Asda's digital and ecommerce journeys, including Asda Groceries and George.com, highlights the critical importance of customer insight in a large-scale retail environment.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own and lead the end-to-end delivery of UX research across critical digital and ecommerce products and services.

• Conduct and oversee high-impact, mixed-method research to inform key product and business decisions, ensuring customer needs and behaviors are central to strategy.

• Define, establish, and uphold rigorous research standards, methodologies, and best practices to ensure the quality and consistency of research outputs.

• Translate complex research findings into clear, actionable insights and compelling narratives that drive meaningful outcomes and strategic direction.

• Oversee research planning, prioritization, and demand management across multiple product workstreams, ensuring alignment with business objectives.

• Build and evolve research operations, including the selection and implementation of appropriate tooling, and establish robust knowledge management systems for research insights.

• Provide line management, mentorship, and development for a team of mid-weight and senior UX researchers, fostering their professional growth and research expertise.

• Lead hiring processes, including recruitment and onboarding, to scale the research team as needed to meet organizational demands.

• Partner effectively with Product Managers, Designers, CRO Specialists, Engineering teams, and broader business stakeholders to integrate research seamlessly into agile ways of working.

• Confidently communicate research insights, strategic implications, and recommendations to senior stakeholders, influencing investment and focus areas.

• Evolve research practices and champion the use of customer insight across the organization, particularly in connecting digital journeys to the broader retail experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly delineate a dual focus: hands-on research leadership and team development, alongside strategic practice building. The emphasis on "connecting digital journeys into the broader retail experience" suggests a unique challenge in a large, multi-channel retailer like Asda, requiring an understanding of how online interactions influence offline behavior and vice-versa.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology, Information Science, or a related field is typically expected for UX research leadership roles. Equivalent practical experience will also be considered.

Experience: A minimum of 5-10 years of progressive experience in UX research, with a significant portion dedicated to end-to-end research delivery, is required. Proven experience in a leadership or senior individual contributor role shaping research practices is essential.

Required Skills:

• Strong expertise in mixed-method UX research methodologies, including qualitative (e.g., interviews, usability testing, ethnography) and quantitative (e.g., surveys, analytics review) approaches.

• Proven ability to conduct end-to-end research delivery, from planning and recruitment to analysis and reporting.

• Demonstrated experience in translating complex research findings into clear, actionable insights and compelling recommendations.

• Experience in building, shaping, or significantly evolving research practices, frameworks, and operations within an organization.

• Proven track record of leading and developing UX researchers, including mentoring and performance management.

• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, with a demonstrated ability to engage effectively with senior leadership.

• Ability to clearly connect customer insight to tangible digital product and ecommerce business outcomes.

• Confident and persuasive communication skills, suitable for presenting to and influencing senior stakeholders.

• Experience working within agile, multi-disciplinary product and service teams, understanding agile development lifecycles.

• Openness to adopting new methods and technologies, including AI, to enhance research quality, impact, and efficiency.

• Proficiency with common UX research tools such as UserTesting, dscout, or similar platforms. Preferred Skills:

• Experience within the retail or ecommerce sector, understanding the unique challenges and opportunities in these industries.

• Familiarity with A/B testing, CRO principles, and how research integrates with these disciplines.

• Experience with advanced analytics tools and techniques to complement qualitative research.

• Knowledge of design thinking principles and their application in product development.

• Experience in managing research budgets and vendor relationships.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "5-10 years" experience level is inferred from the "Lead" title and the responsibilities of building practice and managing a team. The education requirement is a standard assumption for such roles in the UX field. The mention of AI in the preferred skills suggests the company is forward-thinking and seeking candidates who can leverage emerging technologies.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a diverse range of end-to-end research projects demonstrating expertise in mixed-methodologies.

• Include detailed case studies highlighting how research insights directly influenced product strategy, design decisions, and business outcomes, with quantifiable results where possible.

• Demonstrate experience in establishing or improving research processes, frameworks, or operations, detailing the challenges, solutions, and impact.

• Provide examples of how you have led or mentored other researchers, showcasing your team development capabilities.

• Present clear and compelling communication of research findings to various stakeholder levels, including senior leadership. Process Documentation:

• Evidence of developing and implementing research plans, including methodology selection, recruitment strategies, and ethical considerations.

• Documentation illustrating the process of synthesizing complex qualitative and quantitative data into actionable insights and strategic recommendations.

• Examples of established research operations processes, such as knowledge management systems, tooling implementation, or best practice guidelines.

• Demonstrations of how research integrates into agile product development lifecycles, including collaboration with product, design, and engineering.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Lead UX Researcher role, a portfolio is crucial. It should not only showcase individual research skills but also strategic thinking, practice-building capabilities, and leadership potential. The emphasis is on demonstrating impact and process maturity.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for a Lead UX Researcher role in Leeds, UK, with 5-10 years of experience and leadership responsibilities within a large retail organization like Asda, the estimated salary range is £60,000 - £85,000 per annum. This estimate accounts for the competitive nature of UX talent, the strategic importance of the role, and the cost of living in the Leeds area.

Benefits:

• Discretionary company bonus

• Company pension scheme with up to 7% matched contributions

• Company car allowance of £5,700

• 15% colleague discount in store and online at Asda

• Comprehensive wellbeing services including Stream, 24/7 virtual GP, counselling, and health and dental cash plans

• 24/7 employee assistance helpline

• Access to a wide range of discounts across various services and activities (e.g., airport parking, theme parks, cinemas)

• Excellent parental leave policies: maternity, adoption, paternity, shared parental, neonatal care leave, and support for fertility treatments.

• Asda Allies Inclusion Networks to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Working Hours: 37.5 hours per week, with flexibility offered. The role is open to flexible working, job share, and part-time working arrangements, although the core requirement is 3 days per week in the office.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate based on typical market rates for this seniority and location. The "Competitive salary plus benefits" stated in the job description supports this estimation. The extensive benefits package is detailed and highly attractive, reflecting Asda's commitment to employee well-being and work-life balance.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Retail (Grocery, Fashion, General Merchandise). Asda is one of the UK's leading retailers, serving millions of customers weekly across physical stores, online grocery platforms, and its fashion brand, George.com. This context means the UX research role operates at a massive scale, with a direct impact on customer behavior and business performance.

Company Size: Large enterprise. Asda is a significant employer, indicating a complex organizational structure, established processes, and opportunities for large-scale impact. This size also means navigating corporate environments and collaborating across numerous departments.

Founded: 1949. Asda has a long history, suggesting a blend of established traditions and ongoing modernization efforts. The recent platform modernization mentioned in the job description indicates a company actively investing in its digital future.

Team Structure:

• The UX team is described as "high-performing" and currently comprises a small group of researchers (current team of 2) who will be directly managed by the Lead UX Researcher.

• This role will operate at the intersection of product, design, data, and business teams, implying close collaboration with Product Managers, UX/UI Designers, CRO specialists, Engineering teams, and potentially marketing or commercial departments.

• The reporting structure is not explicitly detailed but would likely be within a broader Digital, Product, or Customer Experience department, reporting to a Director or Head of UX/Product. Methodology:

• Data Analysis and Insights: A core function of this role is to ensure customer insight drives where the company focuses and how it improves. This implies a data-driven approach to research, leveraging both qualitative and quantitative data to inform strategic decisions.

• Workflow Planning and Optimization: The role is tasked with improving the "quality of the experience" and evolving "research practices and how insight is used," indicating a focus on optimizing research workflows for efficiency and impact.

• Automation and Efficiency: The job description explicitly mentions being "open to new methods and technologies, including AI, and able to use them to improve the quality, impact, and efficiency of research," highlighting a forward-thinking approach to research operations.

Company Website: https://corporate.asda.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company context is critical for understanding the scale and complexity of the UX research challenges. Asda's dual focus on grocery and fashion, combined with its extensive physical and digital presence, presents unique research opportunities and demands a strategic approach to understanding diverse customer needs.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is a "Lead" position, signifying a senior individual contributor with management responsibilities. It sits above mid-weight and senior researchers and below a Head of UX or Director of Product/Customer Experience. The scope includes not only executing high-impact research but also building and scaling a research function, mentoring talent, and influencing organizational strategy.

Reporting Structure: The Lead UX Researcher will directly manage a team of 2 researchers and will likely report to a Head of UX, Director of Product, or a similar senior leadership role within the digital or customer experience division. Collaboration will be extensive with peer leads in Product, Design, and Engineering.

Operations Impact: The role's primary impact is on shaping customer experiences across Asda's digital and ecommerce platforms, directly influencing user satisfaction, conversion rates, customer loyalty, and ultimately, revenue for Asda Groceries and George.com. By embedding customer insight into product development, the Lead UX Researcher will contribute to strategic business decisions and the overall digital transformation of the company.

Growth Opportunities:

• Operations Skill Advancement: Opportunity to deepen expertise in advanced research methodologies, AI in research, and scaling research operations for a large enterprise.

• Leadership Development: Direct experience in line management, team building, and strategic practice development, preparing for broader leadership roles within UX or product management.

• Cross-Functional Influence: Develop strong strategic influencing skills by working with senior stakeholders across a major retail organization, potentially leading to opportunities in product strategy or program management.

• Industry Impact: Contribute to significant improvements in digital experiences for millions of UK consumers, building a strong portfolio of impactful work in a well-known retail brand.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Operations" context here refers to the operational aspects of running a research function and its impact on business operations. The growth path is clearly defined, moving from a senior individual contributor/manager to potentially higher levels of leadership within the UX/Product domain.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role requires on-site presence at Asda House in Leeds, indicating a corporate office environment. This setting is designed for collaboration, offering resources and facilities conducive to team-based work and cross-functional interaction.

Office Location(s): Asda House, Leeds, United Kingdom. This is the company's headquarters, suggesting it's a central hub for strategic decision-making and key teams.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model (3 days in office) is designed to foster collaboration, team cohesion, and spontaneous idea-sharing, which is crucial for UX research and design processes.

• Operations Tools and Technology: As a large enterprise, Asda likely provides access to a robust technology stack, including the specified research tools (UserTesting, dscout), and potentially other design, analytics, and project management software.

• Team Interaction: The role involves direct line management and close partnership with Product, Design, and Engineering teams, ensuring ample opportunities for interaction and knowledge exchange within a dynamic, multi-disciplinary setting.

Work Schedule: The standard working hours are 37.5 per week, with flexibility offered. The hybrid model allows for a structured approach to work, balancing focused individual work with collaborative in-office sessions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature of the work environment is a key aspect, balancing the need for in-person collaboration with the flexibility expected in modern roles. Asda House being the headquarters suggests a vibrant and central operational hub.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review applications and resumes, focusing on alignment with core requirements and experience level.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion with the hiring manager (Clare Tempest) to assess experience, leadership potential, understanding of research practices, and cultural fit. This stage will likely delve into specific examples from your CV.

• Portfolio Presentation/Case Study: Candidates will be expected to present a selection of their work, showcasing end-to-end research projects, impact, and leadership contributions. This is where you'll demonstrate your ability to translate research into actionable insights and business outcomes.

• Team/Stakeholder Interviews: Interviews with peer leads from Product, Design, or Engineering, and potentially senior stakeholders, to evaluate collaboration skills, strategic thinking, and ability to influence across teams.

• Final Interview: A potential final interview with a more senior leader to confirm fit and discuss overall strategic alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Showcase Impact: Focus on case studies that clearly demonstrate how your research led to positive business outcomes or significant improvements in customer experience. Quantify results whenever possible (e.g., increased conversion, reduced error rates, improved NPS).

• Highlight Leadership: Include examples of how you've mentored or developed other researchers, built research processes, or advocated for user-centered design within an organization.

• Mixed-Method Expertise: Present projects that exhibit a strong command of various research methodologies and explain why specific methods were chosen for particular challenges.

• Clear Communication: Structure your presentation logically, using clear language and compelling visuals. Be prepared to articulate your thought process, challenges faced, and lessons learned.

• Tailor to Asda: Research Asda's current digital initiatives and customer challenges. Frame your experience and portfolio examples in a way that shows how you can address their specific needs.

Challenge Preparation:

• Research Practice Building: Be prepared to discuss how you would approach building or scaling a research practice, including establishing standards, implementing tooling, and fostering a research-informed culture.

• Stakeholder Management Scenarios: Anticipate questions about how you would handle situations where research findings conflict with stakeholder opinions or business priorities.

• Team Development: Prepare to discuss your approach to managing, mentoring, and developing a team of researchers, including conflict resolution and performance feedback.

• Strategic Insight: Think about how you would connect digital UX insights to broader retail strategies and customer journeys within a company like Asda.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is structured to assess both research craft and leadership capabilities. The portfolio presentation is a critical component, emphasizing the need for candidates to demonstrate tangible impact and strategic thinking.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• UserTesting.com: Essential for remote usability testing, concept testing, and gathering feedback on digital prototypes or live products. Proficiency in setting up studies, recruiting participants, and analyzing video feedback is key.

• dscout: Likely used for diary studies, qualitative feedback collection through mobile devices, and in-depth ethnographic research. Familiarity with managing participant communication and analyzing rich qualitative data from user-generated content is expected.

• Other potential tools: Survey platforms (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics), session recording and analytics tools (e.g., Hotjar, FullStory), and potentially specialized qualitative analysis software (e.g., Dovetail, NVivo).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics Tools (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics): Understanding how to interpret user behavior data from website and app analytics to complement qualitative research findings and identify areas for investigation.

• BI/Dashboard Tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI): Experience in consuming data from dashboards or creating reports that visualize user behavior trends, research findings, and impact metrics.

CRM & Automation:

• While not direct CRM tools, understanding how UX research insights can inform CRM strategies and customer journey automation is beneficial. Familiarity with how customer data is managed within a large organization like Asda is a plus.

• Project Management Tools (e.g., Jira, Asana): Essential for working within agile teams, tracking research tasks, and collaborating on project timelines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The specific tools mentioned (UserTesting, dscout) are critical. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their experience with these platforms in detail, including their strengths, limitations, and best use cases. Understanding how research integrates with analytics and project management is also vital.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and advocating for the customer, ensuring their needs and experiences are at the forefront of all digital product development.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: A strong emphasis on using research insights and data to inform strategy, prioritize initiatives, and measure success, moving beyond intuition to evidence-based decisions.

• Collaboration & Partnership: Fostering strong working relationships with Product, Design, Engineering, and business teams, believing that the best outcomes are achieved through cross-functional teamwork.

• Continuous Improvement: A drive to constantly refine research practices, explore new methodologies, and enhance the impact and efficiency of the research function.

• Impact & Accountability: Taking ownership of research outcomes and ensuring insights translate into meaningful improvements that benefit both the customer and the business.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Actively working within agile pods or squads, embedding research into the product development lifecycle, and ensuring seamless communication between research, product, and design.

• Process Review & Feedback: Encouraging an open culture of feedback on research plans, methodologies, and findings, fostering a collaborative environment for continuous learning and refinement.

• Knowledge Sharing: Proactively sharing research insights across teams and the wider organization through clear documentation, presentations, and workshops, building a shared understanding of the customer.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company values and collaboration style are inferred from the job description's emphasis on serving customers, data-driven decisions, cross-functional partnerships, and continuous improvement. These are common in forward-thinking tech and product organizations.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Scale and Complexity: Researching for a massive retailer like Asda, with diverse customer segments and a wide range of products (groceries, fashion, home), presents significant challenges in scope and complexity.

• Embedding Insight at Scale: Ensuring that research findings are consistently understood, acted upon, and integrated into decision-making across a large, multi-faceted organization.

• Balancing Strategic vs. Tactical Research: Managing demand for both deep, strategic insights that inform long-term roadmaps and quick, tactical research needed for agile development cycles.

• Evolving Research Practice: Building and maturing a research function that is seen as a strategic partner, not just a service provider, and keeping pace with new technologies like AI.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Methodologies: Opportunity to explore and implement cutting-edge research techniques, including AI-driven insights, generative AI for research assistance, and advanced qualitative analysis.

• Leadership and Practice Building: Gain invaluable experience in building and managing a research team, defining operational excellence, and influencing organizational strategy.

• Retail & Ecommerce Expertise: Deepen understanding of the retail landscape, customer behavior in this sector, and the specific challenges and opportunities within online grocery and fashion commerce.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Enhance skills in influencing and collaborating with senior leaders across various departments, strengthening strategic communication and partnership capabilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: These challenges are typical for senior roles in large, established companies undergoing digital transformation. The growth opportunities are directly tied to overcoming these challenges and developing key leadership and strategic skills.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to build a research practice or significantly improve an existing one. What were the key steps, challenges, and outcomes?" (Focus on process building, stakeholder buy-in, and impact.)

• "How would you approach prioritizing research requests from multiple product teams with competing demands and limited resources?" (Highlight your strategic planning, prioritization frameworks, and stakeholder negotiation skills.)

• "Imagine your research uncovers a significant usability issue that conflicts with a planned product launch. How would you communicate this to senior stakeholders and influence their decision?" (Demonstrate your communication, influencing, and data-driven advocacy skills.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What do you know about Asda's digital transformation and our customer base? How do you see UX research contributing to our mission?" (Showcase your research on Asda, its market position, and your understanding of its strategic goals.)

• "How would you foster a customer-centric culture within a large organization like Asda, especially across departments not directly involved in product development?" (Discuss your approach to evangelizing customer insights and building empathy.)

• "Describe your experience working in an agile environment. How do you ensure research is integrated effectively into agile sprints and ceremonies?" (Highlight your understanding of agile methodologies and practical integration strategies.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: Begin with a high-level overview of your role and scope, then dive into 2-3 key projects. For each project: clearly state the business problem, your role and methodology, the key insights derived, the actions taken based on those insights, and the measurable outcomes.

• Demonstrate Leadership: Weave in examples of how you've mentored team members, improved processes, or influenced strategic decisions throughout your project examples.

• Focus on Asda's Context: When presenting, draw parallels to Asda's business (retail, ecommerce, large scale) and discuss how your experience is directly relevant to their challenges.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about specific methodologies, data analysis techniques, and how you handled difficult stakeholder interactions or unexpected research findings.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating not just research skills, but also strategic thinking, leadership potential, and the ability to drive impact within a large, complex organization.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Lead UX Researcher position:

• Submit your application through the provided Workday link.

• Tailor your CV: Ensure your resume clearly highlights your experience in mixed-method UX research, end-to-end delivery, leadership, and practice building. Use keywords from the job description.

• Curate your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your most impactful research projects that demonstrate leadership, strategic thinking, and measurable business outcomes. Prepare a concise presentation that tells a compelling story about each project.

• Research Asda: Familiarize yourself with Asda's current digital offerings (Asda.com, George.com, Asda app), their market position, and any recent news or strategic initiatives related to customer experience or digital transformation.

• Prepare for Leadership Discussions: Be ready to discuss your approach to team management, mentoring, and developing a research function, as well as how you influence stakeholders at all levels.

⚠️ 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.

---