Senior Human Centered Design Researcher

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Human Centered Design Researcher

Company: Medtronic

Location: Mounds View, Minnesota, United States

Job Type: Full time

Category: Human Centered Design / User Experience Research

Date Posted: July 30, 2026

Experience Level: 2-5 years (Mid-level to Senior)

Remote Status: Hybrid (4 days in-office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead human-centered design research initiatives within Medtronic's Innovation Lab to uncover unmet user needs and drive product innovation.

• Execute end-to-end research sprints, employing qualitative methods such as contextual inquiry, interviews, and concept evaluations to build deep user empathy.

• Synthesize complex qualitative data into actionable insights and strategic recommendations that inform product strategy and Medtronic business objectives.

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional partners including designers, strategists, marketing, and R&D leaders to align research objectives and ensure successful project outcomes.

• Contribute to the early-stage product development lifecycle, defining user needs, experience principles, and value propositions for innovative healthcare solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Senior Human Centered Design Researcher, implying a need for independent leadership of research initiatives and the ability to guide others, even if not directly managing. The "2-5 years" experience level suggests a mid-to-senior individual contributor role, focusing on execution and strategic input rather than pure management. The emphasis on "Innovation Lab" and "early-stage research" points to a need for individuals comfortable with ambiguity, exploration, and translating nascent ideas into concrete user requirements.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Scope, plan, and align Human-Centered Design (HCD) research activities with Medtronic Operating Unit (OU) marketing, R&D, and technology leaders, ensuring alignment on objectives, approach, deliverables, and impact.

• Lead and execute multiple concurrent research sprints independently, working in the field or providing strategic guidance for execution by others.

• Develop and drive research methodologies that explore conceptual use scenarios, workflows, and unmet needs through contextual inquiry, observation, and qualitative engagement with users and stakeholders.

• Collaborate with cross-functional partners to design and refine research materials, including recruitment criteria, screeners, interview guides, and concept stimuli.

• Synthesize complex qualitative data into clear, actionable insights and research outputs, with a strong emphasis on linking findings to user experience implications, product strategy, and Medtronic business objectives.

• Translate research findings into compelling deliverables such as user personas, journey maps, experience principles, and design recommendations to influence product development.

• Facilitate workshops and working sessions with cross-functional teams to co-create solutions and ensure alignment on user-centered strategies.

• Support global or cross-cultural research initiatives, adapting methodologies and insights for diverse user populations.

• Stay abreast of emerging trends in medical practice, technology, and human-centered design methodologies to continuously improve research practices.

• Contribute to the development and refinement of HCD processes and best practices within the Innovation Lab and broader Medtronic organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of independent execution and strategic guidance, emphasizing the "Senior" aspect of the role. The need to "lead and execute multiple concurrent research sprints" and "provide strategic guidance" suggests a capacity to manage projects autonomously and potentially mentor junior team members or partners. The focus on "early-stage research" and "unmet needs" points to a requirement for strong generative research skills and the ability to work with less defined problems.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Design Research, Human Centered Design, Human Factors, Psychology, Marketing, Anthropology, Sociology, Biomedical Engineering, Service Design, or a related field, OR equivalent professional experience.

• Master's degree in human-centered design or a behavioral science discipline is strongly preferred.

• For Bachelor's degrees earned outside the United States, a degree satisfying 8 C.F.R. § 214.2(h)(4)(iii)(A) is required. Experience:

• Minimum 4+ years of experience with a bachelor’s degree, or 2+ years of experience with an advanced degree.

• Demonstrated ability to independently lead end-to-end research initiatives, from scoping and method selection to field execution, synthesis, and delivery of actionable insights.

• Professional experience conducting qualitative design research within product,