Lead UX Researcher

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Lead UX Researcher

Company: AT&T

Location: Dallas, Texas, United States

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: User Experience (UX) Research / Service Design

Date Posted: June 22, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 years

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead end-to-end UX research initiatives, from upstream discovery to downstream validation and in-market learning, to inform product and experience decisions.

• Apply a strong foundation in qualitative and mixed-method research to uncover customer needs, jobs-to-be-done, pain points, and decision drivers.

• Leverage service design methodologies to analyze and improve end-to-end customer experiences across various channels, teams, and systems, connecting customer feedback to operational realities.

• Synthesize complex research findings into clear, actionable insights and strategic recommendations to drive measurable improvements in product performance and customer experience.

• Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams including Product, Design, Engineering, Analytics, and Operations to influence strategy and champion customer-centricity.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job title is "Lead UX Researcher," the description strongly emphasizes "end-to-end experience analysis (Service Design Methods)" and connecting "customer pain points to internal processes, policies, handoffs, and enabling systems." This suggests a hybrid role with a significant focus on service design and operations impact, not just traditional UX research. Candidates should be prepared to demonstrate experience in mapping complex service ecosystems and understanding operational constraints.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design, plan, and execute comprehensive qualitative and mixed-method research studies throughout the entire product lifecycle, from initial ideation and discovery to concept testing, usability evaluations, and post-launch validation.

• Conduct in-depth customer interviews, contextual inquiries, surveys, and other qualitative methods to identify unmet needs, understand user behaviors, and uncover critical pain points and motivations.

• Analyze and map complex customer journeys, service flows, and cross-team dependencies across digital and assisted channels to pinpoint friction points, breakdowns, and opportunities for enhancement.

• Translate research insights into compelling narratives, actionable recommendations, and strategic hypotheses that directly inform product roadmaps, design decisions, and business strategies.

• Facilitate collaborative workshops and working sessions with diverse stakeholders (Product, Design, Engineering, Operations, Marketing) to align on customer understanding, co-create solutions, and drive consensus on experience improvements.

• Utilize AI tools responsibly to augment research processes, including planning, synthesis, and analysis, ensuring the integrity and quality of insights.

• Develop and deliver executive-ready presentations and reports that clearly communicate research findings, strategic implications, and recommendations for measurable impact on customer experience and business objectives.

• Partner with analytics and data science teams to integrate quantitative data and user behavior metrics with qualitative insights, creating a holistic understanding of customer interactions and operational efficiency.

• Advocate for the customer by championing user-centered design principles and ensuring that research findings are integrated into the core of product development and business operations.

• Stay abreast of emerging research methodologies, tools, and best practices, particularly those related to AI in research, and contribute to the continuous improvement of the UX research practice at AT&T.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of traditional UX research and service design. The emphasis on connecting customer pain points to "internal processes, policies, handoffs, and enabling systems" and "operational reality" indicates a need for candidates who can think holistically about the entire customer and operational ecosystem, not just the user interface.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Design, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in User Experience (UX) Research, Design Research, Human Factors, or a closely related discipline.

• Proven track record of leading and executing end-to-end research initiatives, from discovery and opportunity framing through validation and in-market measurement. Required Skills:

• Qualitative Research Expertise: Mastery of core qualitative research methods including in-depth interviews, ethnographic studies, contextual inquiry, usability testing, and focus groups.

• Mixed-Method Research Acumen: Ability to design and execute research that integrates qualitative and quantitative data to provide comprehensive insights.

• Service Design Methodologies: Demonstrated experience with service design tools and techniques such as customer journey mapping, service blueprinting, ecosystem mapping, and stakeholder analysis.

• Insight Synthesis & Storytelling: Exceptional ability to synthesize complex, often ambiguous data into clear, compelling, and actionable insights, translated into persuasive narratives for diverse audiences.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Proven experience working effectively with Product Managers, Designers, Engineers, Data Analysts, and Operations teams to drive consensus and implement recommendations.

• Communication & Presentation: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a strong ability to present research findings and strategic recommendations to stakeholders at all levels, including executive leadership.

• Problem Framing & Opportunity Identification: Skill in conducting exploratory research to identify unmet customer needs and define strategic opportunities for product and service innovation.

Preferred Skills:

• Complex Environment Experience: Experience researching and designing for complex, multi-channel environments, including both digital platforms and assisted service interactions.

• Operational Systems Familiarity: Understanding of or experience with operational systems, business processes, and the constraints and dependencies that impact customer experiences.

• Quantitative Data Integration: Experience incorporating quantitative data, analytics, or behavioral metrics to enrich qualitative research findings and validate hypotheses.

• AI Tool Proficiency: Familiarity and experience using AI tools to enhance research planning, synthesis, and analysis workflows while maintaining research integrity.

• Facilitation Skills: Strong group facilitation skills for leading workshops, co-creation sessions, and stakeholder alignment meetings.

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to connect user insights to broader business goals and contribute to product and experience strategy development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "What you'll bring" section clearly outlines preferred skills that are highly valuable for this role, particularly experience with service design methods and an understanding of operational systems. Candidates should highlight these in their applications and portfolios. The mention of AI tools suggests a forward-thinking research approach.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• End-to-End Research Case Studies: Showcase 2-3 comprehensive case studies demonstrating your ability to lead research initiatives from initial discovery and opportunity framing through validation and in-market learning. Each case study should clearly articulate the business problem, research questions, methodologies employed, key insights, and the impact of your findings on product or experience decisions.

• Service Design Artifacts: Include examples of customer journey maps, service blueprints, or ecosystem maps that illustrate your ability to analyze complex, multi-channel experiences and identify points of friction and opportunities for improvement across different touchpoints and internal processes.

• Insight Synthesis & Recommendation Examples: Provide examples of how you have synthesized complex data into clear, actionable insights and translated them into concrete, evidence-based recommendations that drove measurable improvements.

• Cross-functional Collaboration Evidence: Highlight instances where your research directly influenced cross-functional teams (Product, Design, Engineering, Operations) and led to collaborative problem-solving and successful implementation of solutions.

Process Documentation:

• Research Process & Methodology: Clearly outline your typical research process, including how you select appropriate methods based on research questions, business objectives, and timelines. Detail your approach to planning, recruitment, data collection, analysis, and synthesis.

• Integration of Quantitative & Qualitative Data: Demonstrate how you integrate quantitative data (e.g., analytics, survey results) with qualitative findings to build a robust understanding of user behavior and experience.

• Ethical Research Practices: Briefly describe your commitment to ethical research practices, including informed consent, data privacy, and responsible use of AI in research.

• Impact Measurement: Show how you have measured or contributed to measuring the impact of your research findings on key business metrics, such as customer satisfaction, task success rates, conversion rates, or operational efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role emphasizing both UX Research and Service Design with an operational lens, a portfolio needs to go beyond typical UX deliverables. Candidates must showcase their ability to map complex systems and demonstrate how their insights influenced not just design but also operational processes and cross-functional alignment. The emphasis on "operational reality" means portfolio pieces should ideally show how research bridged the gap between customer needs and internal capabilities.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $143,800 - $215,800 USD Annually

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage.

• 401(k) plan with company contributions.

• Tuition reimbursement program for continued education.

• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) and company-designated holidays (at least 23 days vacation annually).

• Paid Parental Leave and Paid Caregiver Leave.

• Additional sick leave beyond state and local requirements may be available.

• Adoption Reimbursement assistance.

• Short-term and Long-term Disability Benefits.

• Life and Accidental Death Insurance.

• Supplemental benefit programs including critical illness, accident hospital indemnity, and group legal services.

• Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) for confidential support.

• Extensive employee wellness programs.

• Significant employee discounts on eligible AT&T mobility plans, accessories, internet, and phone services.

Working Hours: 40 hours per week.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is specific to the Lead UX Researcher role in Dallas, Texas. It's crucial for candidates to note that the final starting salary within this range will depend on their specific geography (if applicable), depth of experience, expertise, and educational background. The benefits package is extensive, reflecting AT&T's commitment to employee well-being and professional development.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Telecommunications and Technology. AT&T is a global leader in connectivity, providing a wide range of communication services, including mobile, broadband, video, and enterprise solutions.

Company Size: Large Enterprise (over 10,000 employees). As a major telecommunications provider, AT&T operates on a massive scale, offering significant opportunities for impact and career development within a structured environment.

Founded: 1983 (as AT&T Technologies, Inc., with roots tracing back to the Bell Telephone Company founded in 1885). AT&T has a long history of innovation and adaptation in the telecommunications sector, evolving to meet the demands of an increasingly connected world.

Team Structure:

• Operations Focus: The role sits within AT&T Business, implying a focus on enterprise clients and the complex operational landscapes that support them.

• Cross-functional Integration: The UX Researcher will work closely with Product Management, Design, Engineering, Analytics, and Operations teams, acting as a key liaison to ensure customer needs are understood and integrated into business processes.

• Reporting: This is an individual contributor role with no direct reports ("Supervisor: No"). The reporting structure will likely be within a broader UX, Product, or Design organization, with influence extending across business units.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: AT&T emphasizes using data and customer insights to drive strategic decisions, product development, and operational improvements.

• Customer-Centricity: A core tenet is understanding and serving customer needs, with UX research playing a critical role in translating those needs into tangible experiences and services.

• Innovation & Adaptation: In the fast-evolving tech and telecommunications landscape, AT&T values innovation and the ability to adapt to new technologies and market demands, including the responsible integration of AI.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding AT&T's scale and industry context is vital. This isn't a startup environment; it's a large, established corporation with established processes. The Lead UX Researcher will need to navigate this structure effectively, influencing change through strong research, collaboration, and strategic thinking, particularly by connecting customer insights to the operational realities of a large enterprise.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Lead Individual Contributor. This role is positioned as a senior individual contributor, expected to lead research initiatives independently, mentor junior researchers (implicitly), and exert significant cross-functional influence. It requires a blend of deep research craft and strategic thinking.

Reporting Structure: While not directly supervising, the Lead UX Researcher will report into a management structure likely within a Product, Design, or UX organization. They will be expected to collaborate upwards, downwards, and sideways, acting as a subject matter expert and strategic partner.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct impact on the quality and effectiveness of AT&T's business products and services. By identifying customer pain points and operational breakdowns, the Lead UX Researcher can drive improvements that enhance customer satisfaction, reduce operational costs, increase efficiency, and ultimately contribute to revenue growth and customer retention. The emphasis on connecting customer insights to "operational reality" highlights the critical bridge this role builds between user needs and business execution.

Growth Opportunities:

• Deepening Specialization: Opportunity to become a recognized expert in specific research areas or service design for complex enterprise solutions within AT&T.

• Leadership Development: Potential to mentor junior researchers, lead research programs, and take on more complex strategic research challenges.

• Cross-Functional Mobility: Experience gained in bridging UX research with operations can open doors to roles in Product Management, Strategy, or Program Management within AT&T Business.

• Industry Influence: Contributing to large-scale, impactful projects can build a strong professional reputation within the telecommunications and UX research fields.

• Learning & Skill Expansion: The role encourages the adoption of new tools and methods, including AI, providing opportunities for continuous learning and skill development.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a "Lead" role in a large company like AT&T, growth often involves increasing scope, strategic influence, and mentorship, rather than necessarily moving into people management immediately. Candidates should focus on demonstrating their ability to lead complex projects and drive significant business impact through their research.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: On-site requirement, minimum 5 days per week. This indicates a traditional office-based work environment with a strong emphasis on in-person collaboration. No relocation is offered, meaning candidates must be local to or willing to relocate to Dallas, TX, at their own expense.

Office Location(s): 208 S Akard St, Dallas, TX, United States. This is a specific corporate office location within Dallas, suggesting a professional and well-equipped workspace.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The 5-day-per-week on-site requirement suggests a culture that values face-to-face interaction, spontaneous brainstorming, and team cohesion. Expect a dynamic office environment where team members regularly interact.

• Tools & Technology: As a major tech company, AT&T likely provides robust IT infrastructure, including access to necessary hardware, software, and potentially advanced research tools. The mention of AI tools implies access to cutting-edge technology.

• Team Interaction: The role involves significant cross-functional collaboration, meaning the workspace will facilitate interaction with colleagues from Product, Design, Engineering, and Operations, fostering a shared understanding and integrated approach to problem-solving.

Work Schedule: Regular, Full-Time, 40 hours per week. While the core hours are standard, specific team dynamics might offer some flexibility in daily scheduling, though the on-site presence is mandatory.

📝 Enhancement Note: The mandatory 5-day-per-week on-site presence is a critical detail. Candidates must be comfortable with and committed to working from the Dallas office daily. This environment is designed for maximum collaboration and integration, which is key for a role bridging UX and operations.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: HR or recruiter review of application and resume to assess basic qualifications and fit.

• Hiring Manager Interview: Discussion with the hiring manager to delve into experience, motivations, and role expectations, focusing on research leadership and strategic thinking.

• Portfolio Review & Presentation: A crucial stage where candidates present 1-2 comprehensive case studies from their portfolio, demonstrating their research process, insights, and impact. This often involves a dedicated session with the hiring manager and potentially key stakeholders.

• Cross-functional Panel Interview: Interviews with peers and stakeholders from Product, Design, Engineering, and Operations. This assesses collaboration skills, ability to communicate research to different audiences, and understanding of operational realities.

• Executive/Senior Leader Interview (Potentially): For a Lead role, there may be a final interview with a senior leader to assess strategic alignment and overall fit within the organization.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select case studies that best showcase your end-to-end research capabilities, service design experience, and ability to influence business and operational decisions. Prioritize impact and measurable outcomes.

• Tell a Story: Structure your presentations around a clear narrative: the problem, your approach, the insights, the recommendations, and the impact. Clearly articulate your role and contributions.

• Highlight Operational Connection: For this role, explicitly demonstrate how your research findings translated into improvements that considered or directly addressed operational processes, systems, or constraints.

• Showcase Service Design: Ensure your portfolio includes strong examples of journey mapping, service blueprinting, or ecosystem mapping if available, and explain how these artifacts drove actionable change.

• Prepare for Questions: Anticipate questions about your methodology choices, how you handle ambiguity, how you collaborate with difficult stakeholders, and how you measure success.

• Practice Presentation: Rehearse your presentation to ensure it's concise, engaging, and within the allotted time. Be ready to answer in-depth questions about your work.

Challenge Preparation:

• Case Study Analysis: Be prepared for a potential take-home assignment or a live exercise that might involve analyzing a scenario, proposing a research plan, or synthesizing sample data.

• Methodology Justification: Practice articulating why you chose specific research methods for particular problems.

• Stakeholder Management Scenarios: Prepare to discuss how you would approach gaining buy-in from different functional teams, especially those from operational backgrounds.

• AI in Research Discussion: Be ready to discuss your experience or perspectives on using AI tools in research ethically and effectively.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio review is a critical gate. Candidates must go beyond simply presenting research findings; they need to demonstrate their strategic thinking, ability to influence, and understanding of how UX research connects to broader business and operational contexts at AT&T. Emphasizing the service design and operational aspects will be key differentiators.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• User Research Platforms: Experience with various qualitative research tools for conducting interviews, usability tests, surveys, and diary studies (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze, Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey).

• Service Design Tools: Proficiency in tools for journey mapping, service blueprinting, and process mapping (e.g., Miro, Mural, Lucidchart, Figma, specialized service design software).

• Collaboration & Whiteboarding Tools: Extensive use of digital collaboration platforms like Miro or Mural for workshops, brainstorming, and synthesizing findings with distributed teams.

• Presentation Software: Mastery of tools like PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Keynote for creating executive-ready reports and presentations.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Data Analysis Tools: Familiarity with tools that can help integrate or contextualize quantitative data with qualitative insights (e.g., basic proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets for data manipulation, potentially exposure to analytics platforms like Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or internal AT&T data tools).

• Dashboarding Tools (Awareness): While not primary, awareness of how insights feed into dashboards (e.g., Tableau, Power BI) can be beneficial for understanding impact.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems (Awareness): Understanding how customer data is managed in CRM systems (like Salesforce) can be helpful for contextualizing research within customer lifecycle management.

• Process Management Tools (Awareness): Familiarity with tools used for process mapping or workflow automation (e.g., Visio, ServiceNow, Jira) can aid in understanding operational dependencies.

📝 Enhancement Note: While AT&T likely has a specific internal tech stack, the focus for this role is on the capabilities of using these tools for research, synthesis, and collaboration. Proficiency in collaboration tools like Miro/Mural and service design tools is particularly important given the role's emphasis. Familiarity with AI tools for research is also a key requirement.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Focus: A deep commitment to understanding and advocating for the customer, ensuring their needs are central to product and service development.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Emphasis on using evidence, whether qualitative insights or quantitative data, to inform strategy and measure impact.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: A culture that values cross-functional partnerships, open communication, and shared problem-solving to achieve collective goals.

• Innovation & Adaptability: Embracing new technologies and methodologies, including AI, and being agile in response to market changes and evolving customer expectations.

• Operational Excellence: A drive to understand and improve the underlying processes and systems that deliver customer experiences, ensuring efficiency and reliability.

Collaboration Style:

• Integrated Partnerships: Expect a highly collaborative environment where UX Researchers work hand-in-hand with Product Managers, Designers, Engineers, and Operations specialists.

• Evidence-Based Advocacy: The team likely values constructive debate driven by research findings and data, encouraging researchers to present compelling evidence to support their recommendations.

• Continuous Improvement: A culture that encourages feedback, learning from both successes and failures, and a proactive approach to refining processes and experiences.

• Strategic Influence: Researchers are expected to not just report findings but to actively engage in strategic discussions, helping to shape direction and prioritize initiatives based on customer needs and operational feasibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "operational reality" mentioned in the job description points to a culture where pragmatic solutions that consider the complexities of a large organization are highly valued. Researchers need to be adept at translating user needs into actions that are executable within AT&T's operational framework.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating a Large Organization: Influencing change and driving adoption of research insights within a large, complex enterprise like AT&T can be challenging due to established processes, multiple stakeholders, and competing priorities.

• Bridging UX and Operations: Effectively translating the nuances of user experience into the language and constraints of operational systems and processes requires strong communication and analytical skills.

• Balancing Rigor and Speed: Delivering timely, impactful research in a fast-paced environment while maintaining methodological integrity.

• Measuring Impact: Quantifying the precise business impact of UX research and service design improvements can be complex, requiring strategic partnerships with analytics and business teams.

• Integrating AI Responsibly: Leveraging new AI tools for research while ensuring data privacy, ethical considerations, and maintaining the human element of research.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Research & Service Design: Opportunities to deepen expertise in specialized research methods or advanced service design techniques.

• Cross-Functional Skill Development: Gaining exposure to product management, engineering lifecycles, and operational workflows, fostering a holistic understanding of the business.

• AI in Research Specialization: Developing skills in leveraging AI tools for research planning, synthesis, and analysis through practical application and potential training.

• Leadership & Mentorship: Opportunities to mentor junior team members and lead significant research programs, building leadership capabilities.

• Industry Exposure: Engaging with cutting-edge technologies and customer trends within the telecommunications and technology sectors.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should view these challenges as opportunities for growth. Highlighting how they have successfully navigated similar complexities in past roles will be crucial during the interview process. The emphasis on AI indicates a forward-looking approach to research that offers significant learning potential.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to influence stakeholders with conflicting priorities to adopt your research recommendations. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on stakeholder management, data-driven persuasion, and understanding business context.)

• "Walk us through a complex customer journey you've mapped. What were the key friction points, and how did your research insights lead to actionable improvements, particularly those impacting operational processes?" (Highlight service design skills, ability to connect customer pain to operational reality, and measurable impact.)

• "How do you balance the need for deep, foundational research with the business's demand for quick insights? Provide an example of how you’ve managed this trade-off." (Demonstrate pragmatic research planning and prioritization skills.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "Based on what you know about AT&T Business, what do you see as the biggest UX research or service design challenges for our enterprise customers?" (Show you've researched the company and industry, and can apply your expertise.)

• "How would you integrate AI tools into your research workflow at AT&T, ensuring both efficiency and research integrity?" (Assess your understanding of current research trends and ethical considerations.)

• "Describe your experience working with engineering and operations teams. How do you ensure their perspectives are incorporated into your research and recommendations?" (Gauge your cross-functional collaboration and operational awareness.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your specific role, the research methods used, the key insights derived, and most importantly, the tangible outcomes or business impact of your work.

• Showcase Service Design: If presenting a case involving service design, clearly illustrate the journey maps, blueprints, or other artifacts used and explain how they facilitated understanding and drove improvements across different touchpoints and operational areas.

• Quantify Results: Whenever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the success of your research (e.g., "improved task completion by X%", "reduced customer support calls by Y%", "increased conversion rate by Z%").

• Address Operational Connections: Explicitly point out how your research considered and influenced operational realities, processes, or system constraints.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your methodology, decision-making process, and how you handled challenges within your case studies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily scrutinize the candidate's ability to connect UX research with operational realities and demonstrate tangible business impact. Candidates should prepare specific examples that illustrate their strategic thinking, cross-functional influence, and understanding of complex service ecosystems.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Lead UX Researcher position at AT&T:

• Submit your application: Navigate to the AT&T careers portal and submit your resume and any requested supporting documents through the official application link.

• Tailor your resume: Optimize your resume to highlight keywords and responsibilities mentioned in this enhanced job description, focusing on UX research leadership, service design methodologies, end-to-end research execution, cross-functional collaboration, and impact on business/operations.

• Prepare your portfolio: Select 2-3 of your most impactful case studies that demonstrate your end-to-end research process, service design capabilities, and ability to drive measurable business outcomes. Ensure these examples clearly show how your insights influenced product decisions and considered operational realities.

• Research AT&T Business: Gain a deep understanding of AT&T's business offerings, target markets, and any recent news or strategic initiatives related to customer experience or digital transformation.

• Practice your presentation: Rehearse your portfolio presentation thoroughly, focusing on a clear narrative, articulating your role and impact, and preparing to answer in-depth questions about your methodologies and decision-making.

⚠️ 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.