Lead UX Researcher (UXR-3-052026)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Lead UX Researcher (UXR-3-052026)

Company: Koru UX Design LLP

Location: India

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: User Experience Research / Operations

Date Posted: 2026-05-05T07:09:54.871

Experience Level: 10+ years

Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead complex, multi-phase UX research engagements for enterprise clients in HealthTech, AI, and Finance sectors, driving product strategy and innovation.

• Build and scale Research Operations (ResearchOps) infrastructure, including frameworks, templates, and tooling, to ensure repeatable, high-quality research delivery.

• Mentor and coach junior researchers and UX designers, fostering skill development and elevating the overall research craft within the agency.

• Serve as a strategic partner to clients, translating complex research findings into actionable insights and influencing product roadmaps.

• Define and refine the agency's research practice model, impacting how engagements are staffed, scoped, and how research value is articulated to clients.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a "Lead" within a specialized UX Design agency. The emphasis on "ResearchOps infrastructure," "defining how we do research," and "building the operational infrastructure" strongly suggests a strategic and operational component beyond individual research contribution, aligning it with a Revenue Operations or GTM Operations-adjacent function focused on optimizing the delivery and impact of research services. The target client base (enterprise, HealthTech, AI, Finance) also implies a need for sophisticated process management and client engagement strategies.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Oversee the entire research lifecycle for client projects, from initial brief alignment and discovery to validation, usability testing, and final stakeholder readouts.

• Design and execute a diverse range of research methodologies, including stakeholder interviews, discovery sessions, moderated and unmoderated usability tests, diary studies, and co-creation workshops.

• Synthesize complex qualitative and quantitative data into strategic outputs such as journey maps, service blueprints, opportunity frameworks, and tailored research reports for enterprise clients.

• Conduct specialized research for AI-powered products, focusing on evaluating trust calibration, user mental models, and identifying failure modes, potentially using simulation-based stimuli.

• Lead pre-research alignment sessions with clients to surface assumptions, clarify objectives, and refine project scopes before commencing fieldwork.

• Act as the primary research representative in client-facing discussions, effectively communicating insights and recommendations to product owners, engineering leads, and program managers.

• Proactively identify opportunities for new research initiatives within existing engagements, developing proposals for scope extensions or follow-on phases to deepen client impact.

• Provide embedded coaching and mentorship to junior researchers and UX designers, enhancing their research craft and strategic thinking on live client projects.

• Develop and maintain ResearchOps infrastructure, including standardizing research frameworks, templates, and selecting appropriate tooling to scale research capabilities across the agency's vertical markets.

• Bring a forward-thinking perspective on emerging research methods, tools, and best practices for evaluating complex AI products.

• Contribute to the evolution of Koru's research practice model, influencing engagement staffing, research phase scoping, and the articulation of research value propositions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly indicate a blend of direct research execution and operational leadership. The emphasis on "scaling research capabilities," "ResearchOps infrastructure," and "defining how we do research" necessitates a strong understanding of process optimization, resource allocation, and operational efficiency, key tenets of operations roles.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Information Science, or a related field is typically expected for UX research roles at this level.

Experience: 7–11 years of hands-on UX research experience, with a minimum of 3 years in a lead or senior capacity, demonstrating progressive responsibility and leadership.

Required Skills:

• Extensive experience in end-to-end UX research, encompassing discovery, validation, and usability testing phases.

• Proven expertise in a variety of qualitative and quantitative research methods (stakeholder interviews, usability testing, diary studies, co-creation workshops, etc.).

• Strong capability in synthesizing complex research findings into actionable insights and strategic deliverables (journey maps, service blueprints, opportunity frameworks).

• Demonstrated experience in leading research for enterprise or B2B products, including SaaS, healthcare, automation, or finance sectors.

• Advanced stakeholder management skills, including running alignment sessions, refining briefs, and building trust with senior client stakeholders.

• Proven ability to navigate ambiguous, open-ended project briefs and structure research approaches in a consultancy or agency setting.

• Experience in developing and implementing Research Operations infrastructure, such as templates, frameworks, or process improvements that enhance team efficiency.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, capable of producing crisp reports and delivering confident presentations.

• Proficiency in facilitating workshops and discussions with mixed-stakeholder groups.

Preferred Skills:

• Specific research experience on AI-powered enterprise products, including copilot features, agentic tools, or LLM-integrated workflows.

• Exposure to regulated or high-stakes domains such as clinical surveillance, healthcare compliance, or enterprise automation.

• Experience facilitating design sprints or co-creation workshops, integrating research insights live into design processes.

• A strong point of view on emerging research methods, tools, and AI product evaluation approaches.

• Experience in contributing to or defining agency research practice models.

📝 Enhancement Note: The seniority of the role (7-11 years experience, 3+ in lead) and the focus on "ResearchOps infrastructure" and "practice model" indicate a need for candidates who can not only execute research but also optimize the operational delivery of research services, a critical aspect for GTM and Revenue Operations.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of 3-5 complex, multi-phase UX research projects, ideally for enterprise or B2B clients in relevant industries (HealthTech, AI, Finance, SaaS).

• Clearly articulate the research problem, your specific role and responsibilities, the methodologies employed, and the challenges faced.

• Demonstrate the synthesis process and strategic outputs (e.g., journey maps, service blueprints, opportunity frameworks) that directly informed product decisions.

• Highlight instances where you influenced client stakeholders and product direction based on research findings, showcasing impact and ROI.

Process Documentation:

• For each project, provide brief documentation detailing the research workflow from brief to readout, emphasizing how objectives were translated into actionable research plans.

• Illustrate how you managed stakeholder expectations, adapted to project changes, and ensured research was integrated effectively into client product development cycles.

• Include examples of how you synthesized findings, focusing on the clarity, strategic value, and actionability of your deliverables.

• Showcase any work related to standardizing research processes, creating reusable templates, or implementing new tools to improve research efficiency and quality.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio is crucial for candidates to demonstrate not only their research craft but also their ability to operationalize research. The emphasis on "building ResearchOps infrastructure" and "scaling research capabilities" means the portfolio should highlight process improvement, standardization, and strategic impact, aligning with operations skill sets.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for Lead UX Researchers with 7-11 years of experience in India, the estimated annual salary range is ₹18,00,000 to ₹30,00,000. This estimate considers the seniority of the role, the specialized domain (HealthTech, AI), the agency context, and the "Lead" designation, which typically commands a higher compensation due to strategic and operational responsibilities. The specific range will also depend on the candidate's precise experience, negotiation skills, and the company's compensation philosophy.

Benefits:

• Continuous Learning opportunities, including access to LinkedIn Learning.

• Support for professional trainings and conference exposure to foster skill development and industry engagement.

• Flexible working hours, allowing for better work-life integration and accommodation of different time zones.

• Fully Remote work options, providing location independence and flexibility.

• Opportunity to work on impactful, complex enterprise products that drive innovation.

• Collaborative culture where research is valued as a strategic function.

Working Hours: The role is listed as FULL_TIME, implying approximately 40 hours per week. However, the mention of "Flexible working hours" suggests a degree of autonomy in scheduling, common in remote roles and agency environments, enabling researchers to manage their time effectively across different client needs and time zones.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary is estimated based on standard compensation data for Lead UX Researchers in India, factoring in the specific industry and agency context. The inclusion of professional development and flexible hours aligns with typical benefits for senior operations and research roles.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: UX Design / HealthTech / AI / Enterprise Software Consulting. Koru UX Design operates at the intersection of design, technology, and specialized industries, providing user-centered solutions for complex enterprise challenges.

Company Size: The provided data does not specify the exact company size of Koru UX Design LLP. However, as an "LLP" and a "leading UX design agency," it suggests a structured organization that likely has a dedicated team for each function, including research, design, client management, and operations. It's likely a mid-sized agency (e.g., 50-200 employees) that can support complex engagements while maintaining agility.

Founded: The founding date is not provided. However, the description implies a mature agency with established client relationships and a defined service offering, particularly in HealthTech and enterprise solutions.

Team Structure:

• The research team is growing, indicating an increasing demand for research services and a need for leadership to scale operations.

• Researchers work as an integrated extension of client teams, suggesting a collaborative, embedded model rather than a siloed approach.

• The role involves mentoring junior researchers and UX designers, implying a hierarchical structure within the research practice where senior members guide and develop junior talent.

Methodology:

• Focus on user-centered design principles to drive innovation and enhance user experiences.

• Strategic application of research findings to shape product direction for enterprise clients.

• Emphasis on building operational infrastructure (ResearchOps) to ensure repeatable and scalable research delivery.

• Proactive client engagement to identify opportunities and demonstrate research value.

• Data-driven approach to synthesizing complex findings into strategic outputs.

Company Website: koruux.com

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's focus on HealthTech and AI for enterprise clients suggests a culture that values deep domain expertise, strategic problem-solving, and the ability to deliver tangible business impact through design and research. The emphasis on integrated teams and client partnerships indicates a collaborative and client-centric approach.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is at a senior leadership level within the UX research function. It's not just about individual research contribution but also about defining and operationalizing the research practice itself. This level involves strategic thinking, team leadership, process development, and significant client-facing influence. It bridges the gap between pure research execution and operations management.

Reporting Structure: The specific reporting structure is not detailed. However, a "Lead" role typically reports to a Director or VP of Design/Research or a senior operational leader within the agency. They will, in turn, manage and mentor junior researchers.

Operations Impact: The operations impact is significant. By building robust ResearchOps infrastructure and mentoring the team, this role will directly influence the efficiency, quality, and scalability of the agency's research services. This operational excellence translates into higher client satisfaction, increased project capacity, and ultimately, greater revenue generation for the agency through more effective and impactful client engagements.

Growth Opportunities:

• Strategic Leadership: Opportunity to shape the future of UX research at Koru, defining methodologies, best practices, and the agency's research vision.

• Domain Specialization: Deepen expertise in high-growth sectors like HealthTech and AI, working on cutting-edge enterprise products.

• Operational Excellence: Develop and hone skills in ResearchOps, process optimization, and team scaling, which are highly transferable to broader operations management roles.

• Client Influence: Gain experience in influencing senior stakeholders within large enterprise organizations, building a reputation for strategic research leadership.

• Mentorship & Development: Lead and mentor a growing team, developing coaching and leadership skills.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Lead" title combined with "ResearchOps infrastructure" and "practice model" definition points to a role with significant operational oversight and strategic development responsibilities, offering clear pathways for career growth into broader operational leadership or specialized research strategy roles.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is fully remote, indicating a distributed work environment. This means there is no physical office for this specific position, offering maximum flexibility.

Office Location(s): While the role is listed as "India," the fully remote nature means candidates can work from anywhere within India, allowing for flexibility in choosing their work location.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Despite being remote, the emphasis on working as an "integrated extension of client teams" and "collaborative culture" suggests a strong focus on virtual collaboration tools and communication. Expect frequent video calls, shared digital workspaces, and asynchronous communication channels.

• Operations Tools & Technology: Access to standard remote work tools (e.g., Slack, Zoom, Google Workspace) and specialized UX research tools (e.g., user testing platforms, collaboration boards like Miro/Mural). The role will also involve evaluating and potentially implementing new tools for ResearchOps.

• Team Interaction: Regular team meetings, mentorship sessions, and knowledge-sharing forums will be crucial for maintaining connection and fostering a sense of team within a remote setting.

Work Schedule: The role offers "Flexible working hours," which is a significant advantage for remote operations professionals. This allows individuals to structure their workday to accommodate personal needs, optimize productivity, and manage varying client time zone requirements effectively. While the core expectation is likely full-time commitment (approx. 40 hours/week), the flexibility in scheduling is a key benefit.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote and flexible nature of the work environment is a significant draw for operations professionals who often value autonomy and the ability to manage their own schedules. The success of this role hinges on effective virtual collaboration and self-management.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess experience, skills, and alignment with the role's requirements, particularly focusing on enterprise/B2B research and leadership experience.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion with the hiring manager (likely a senior leader in Research or Design) to delve deeper into your background, leadership style, strategic thinking, and experience with ResearchOps.

• Team/Peer Interview: Interviews with other researchers or UX designers to assess cultural fit, collaboration style, and mentoring capabilities. This stage may include discussions about your approach to research methodology and operational challenges.

• Client/Stakeholder Simulation (Potential): You might be asked to present a case study from your portfolio or participate in a simulated client interaction to demonstrate your client management and presentation skills.

• Final Interview: A concluding interview, potentially with a senior executive, to discuss the role's strategic impact, your vision for the research practice, and finalize hiring decisions.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Structure for Impact: Organize your portfolio by project, clearly outlining the business problem, your role, research objectives, methodology, key findings, and the resulting impact or recommendations. Quantify impact where possible (e.g., "led to a 15% reduction in task completion time").

• Showcase Operations: Include at least one example where you built or improved research processes, templates, or frameworks. Detail the problem, your solution, and the benefits realized (e.g., "implemented a new template that reduced report generation time by 20%").

• AI/Enterprise Focus: Prioritize projects conducted for enterprise or B2B clients, especially those involving AI, HealthTech, or complex SaaS products.

• Clarity and Conciseness: Ensure your descriptions are clear, concise, and easy for non-researchers to understand. Avoid jargon where possible, or explain it clearly.

• Visual Appeal: Use visuals (screenshots, diagrams, photos of artifacts) to illustrate your work, but ensure they enhance understanding rather than distract.

Challenge Preparation:

• ResearchOps Case Study: Be prepared to discuss how you would approach building or scaling ResearchOps at Koru. Think about key components like recruitment panels, tooling, knowledge management, onboarding, and process standardization.

• Ambiguity Navigation: Practice how you would tackle an ambiguous brief. Outline the steps you would take to clarify objectives, define scope, and plan research.

• Mentorship Scenarios: Be ready to discuss how you mentor junior team members, provide constructive feedback, and help them grow their skills.

• AI Research: Prepare to discuss your understanding of researching AI products, including challenges related to trust, mental models, and explainability.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process and portfolio review will likely emphasize not just research craft but also strategic thinking, operational capability (ResearchOps), and client management skills, reflecting the "Lead" designation and the agency's service-oriented business model.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• UX Research Platforms: Tools for conducting remote usability testing, user interviews, and surveys (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze, Optimal Workshop).

• Collaboration Tools: Digital whiteboarding and collaboration platforms for synthesis and workshops (e.g., Miro, Mural, FigJam).

• Prototyping/Design Tools (Familiarity): Understanding of tools used by designers (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD) to better integrate research with the design process.

• Data Analysis Tools: Software for qualitative data analysis (e.g., Dovetail, NVivo) and potentially quantitative analysis (e.g., Excel, Google Sheets, basic statistical software).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Presentation Software: For creating crisp reports and stakeholder readouts (e.g., Google Slides, PowerPoint, Keynote).

• Data Visualization Tools (Familiarity): Understanding of how data is visualized for reporting (e.g., Tableau, Power BI) might be beneficial.

CRM & Automation:

• Project Management Tools: For managing research projects and timelines (e.g., Asana, Trello, Jira).

• Communication Platforms: For internal and client communication (e.g., Slack, Microsoft Teams).

• Recruitment Tools: Platforms or methodologies for recruiting enterprise users, which may involve specialized services or CRM integration.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the primary focus is on UX research tools, the role's operational aspect means familiarity with project management, collaboration platforms, and potentially CRM systems for client engagement and recruitment management is highly advantageous. The ability to evaluate and integrate new tools for ResearchOps is also key.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and representing the user's needs and perspectives in all product development.

• Strategic Impact: Focus on delivering research that has a tangible business impact, influencing product strategy and driving successful outcomes for clients.

• Collaboration: A strong emphasis on teamwork, both internally within Koru and externally with client teams, fostering an integrated approach to design and research.

• Excellence & Innovation: Striving for high-quality research delivery while staying at the forefront of emerging methods and technologies, particularly in AI and specialized domains.

• Operational Rigor: Commitment to building efficient, scalable, and repeatable processes (ResearchOps) that enhance the agency's delivery capabilities.

Collaboration Style:

• Integrated Teams: Working seamlessly as part of client product teams, fostering strong relationships and shared ownership.

• Proactive Communication: Regular, transparent communication with clients and internal stakeholders to manage expectations, share progress, and solicit feedback.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging a culture where insights, best practices, and learnings are shared openly among team members to elevate collective expertise.

• Mentorship & Coaching: A supportive environment where senior members actively coach and develop junior talent, promoting skill growth and career progression.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture values strategic thinking, collaboration, and operational efficiency. Candidates should demonstrate an understanding of how to integrate research seamlessly into product development and how to optimize the delivery process.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Managing Ambiguity: Handling open-ended client briefs and complex problem spaces requires strong analytical skills and the ability to define research direction independently.

• Client Stakeholder Management: Navigating diverse stakeholder needs, managing expectations, and influencing decision-makers within enterprise organizations can be demanding.

• Scaling ResearchOps: Developing and implementing effective ResearchOps infrastructure that supports a growing agency and diverse client needs requires strategic planning and execution.

• AI Research Complexity: Researching AI products presents unique challenges related to user trust, mental models, and the evaluation of emergent behaviors.

• Remote Team Cohesion: Maintaining strong team connection, collaboration, and a consistent research standard across a distributed, remote team requires intentional effort.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Methodologies: Opportunity to explore and master cutting-edge research techniques, particularly for AI and complex enterprise applications.

• Research Leadership: Develop skills in team management, mentorship, and strategic practice development within a growing agency.

• Domain Expertise: Deepen knowledge in HealthTech, AI, and Finance sectors, becoming a subject matter expert.

• Operational Strategy: Gain hands-on experience in defining and implementing operational frameworks (ResearchOps) that drive business efficiency and scalability.

• Industry Exposure: Access to professional trainings, conferences, and LinkedIn Learning to stay current with industry trends and best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for senior roles in consulting or agency environments, requiring strong problem-solving, strategic thinking, and operational acumen. The growth opportunities are substantial, offering a path to leadership and specialized expertise.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you received a highly ambiguous research brief. How did you approach clarifying the problem, defining the scope, and planning the research?" (Focus on your structured approach and how you brought clarity).

• "How would you build or improve Research Operations at an agency like Koru to ensure consistent, high-quality research delivery across multiple client engagements?" (Highlight your understanding of ResearchOps components like frameworks, templates, tools, and team enablement).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Koru UX Design and our focus on HealthTech and AI?" (Demonstrate your understanding of the company's niche and your alignment with it).

• "How do you approach mentoring junior researchers or UX designers? Can you give an example?" (Highlight your leadership and coaching style).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Select Key Projects: Choose 2-3 projects that best showcase your leadership, strategic thinking, ResearchOps contributions, and experience with enterprise/AI products.

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly articulate: The Problem, Your Role/Challenge, Your Approach (Methodology & ResearchOps), The Solution/Findings, and The Impact/Outcome.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the value of your research (e.g., "This research led to a redesign that improved user adoption by X%," or "Implemented a new template that reduced report generation time by Y%").

• Highlight ResearchOps: Explicitly point out any elements of your portfolio where you built or improved research processes, templates, or operational efficiency.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your methodology, decision-making process, and how you handled specific challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic leadership, operational capability (ResearchOps), client management, and specific expertise in enterprise/AI research, not just standard UX research skills.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations-aligned UX Research Lead position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Workable.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your most impactful projects that highlight leadership, enterprise/B2B research, and any contributions to research operations or process improvement. Tailor your portfolio presentation to emphasize the strategic and operational aspects of your work.

• Optimize Your Resume: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your years of experience, leadership roles, specific methodologies, and quantifiable achievements. Use keywords relevant to UX Research, ResearchOps, AI research, and enterprise/B2B product development.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice articulating your experience, particularly your approach to ambiguous briefs, stakeholder management, mentoring, and building operational frameworks. Be ready to discuss your vision for research at Koru.

• Research Koru UX Design: Understand their client base (HealthTech, AI, Finance), their mission, and their approach to design. Prepare thoughtful questions about their research practice, team growth, and operational challenges.

⚠️ 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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