Senior User Researcher, Consumer (m/f/d)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior User Researcher, Consumer (m/f/d)

Company: Riverty

Location: Berlin, Germany

Job Type: Full-time

Category: User Research / Product Design Operations

Date Posted: 2026-08-07

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive human-centricity in financial services by uncovering meaningful customer insights and advocating for user perspectives throughout the product development lifecycle.

• Apply a strategic design perspective to shape product direction and long-term customer experiences, leveraging both qualitative research and quantitative data.

• Collaborate closely with Product, Design, Engineering, and Data teams to enable evidence-based decision-making that creates value for both customers and the business.

• Act as a key connector between user research, data analytics, business objectives, and design strategy to influence product improvements and long-term direction.

• Champion a human-centered, evidence-based culture across the organization, balancing customer needs with business objectives and technical feasibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is explicitly designed for a Senior User Researcher, indicating a need for an individual capable of strategic influence and potentially mentoring others, rather than just executing research tasks. The emphasis on connecting research with business objectives and product strategy suggests a highly collaborative and impactful position within the organization's GTM and product development functions.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Plan, conduct, analyze, and synthesize qualitative and quantitative research using a wide range of methodologies to inform product strategy and service improvements.

• Identify customer needs, behaviors, motivations, and pain points through methods such as interviews, usability testing, surveys, diary studies, and contextual inquiry.

• Translate research findings into clear, compelling insights and actionable recommendations that directly influence product strategy, service enhancements, and overall customer experiences.

• Foster strong collaboration with Product Managers, Designers, Engineers, Data Analysts, Product Operations, Marketing, and Brand teams to embed research seamlessly throughout discovery, delivery, automation, and continuous improvement phases.

• Integrate qualitative research findings with analytics, experimentation data, and business metrics to generate holistic customer insights and support robust, evidence-based decision-making.

• Identify strategic opportunities by synthesizing customer insights with market trends, organizational priorities, and product goals.

• Design and execute evaluative research to validate concepts, prototypes, and live experiences, while also measuring key customer outcomes.

• Contribute to the development and maintenance of research repositories, insight libraries, and research operations to enhance organizational knowledge sharing and research efficiency.

• Act as a champion for a human-centered, evidence-based culture by advocating for customer needs while ensuring alignment with business objectives and technical feasibility.

• Coach and support the design community and other colleagues in applying research methods and cultivating customer-centric thinking across product teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of hands-on research execution and strategic influence. The expectation to "coach and support the design community" suggests a leadership or mentorship component, aligning with a senior-level role. The inclusion of "Product Operations" as a collaborative stakeholder group indicates a focus on operationalizing research insights.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Design Research, or a related field.

Experience: Minimum of 5-10 years of progressive experience planning, conducting, and synthesizing qualitative and quantitative user research throughout the entire product development lifecycle.

Required Skills:

• Extensive experience planning, conducting, and synthesizing qualitative and quantitative user research throughout the product development lifecycle.

• Strong understanding of mixed-method research approaches and the ability to select appropriate methodologies for diverse product and business questions.

• Demonstrated ability to apply a strategic design mindset, connecting customer insights with business goals to influence product vision, service design, and long-term direction.

• Experience collaborating closely with Product Analytics, Data Science, or Business Intelligence teams to combine qualitative and quantitative evidence into meaningful customer insights.

• Strong understanding of data and analytics, experimentation, customer metrics, and research triangulation to support strategic product decisions.

• Excellent synthesis and storytelling skills, with the ability to communicate complex research findings clearly and persuasively to diverse stakeholders.

• Strong facilitation, stakeholder management, and influencing skills, with the ability to align cross-functional teams around customer evidence.

• Experience designing and facilitating workshops that support discovery, prioritization, and strategic decision-making.

• Strategic, analytical, and problem-solving skills with the ability to identify opportunities beyond individual customer problems.

• Familiarity with agile product development and experience working in iterative, fast-paced environments.

• Experience with experimentation frameworks such as A/B testing and product analytics.

• Experience with AI-enabled research and research automation, and a willingness to shape AI-enabled research practices.

• Experience using research and data management tools such as Condens, TheyDo, Lyssna, Qualtrics, PowerBI, New Relic, or similar platforms. Preferred Skills:

• Experience building a research capability across multidisciplinary teams.

• Experience establishing research operations, repositories, or insight management practices.

• Experience shaping product strategy or design strategy through customer research and evidence synthesis.

• Experience partnering with multiple designers and stakeholders to achieve goals across complex product ecosystems.

• Experience with financial services or fintech products.

• Familiarity with product frameworks and development technologies.

• Experience with B2C, and/or B2B2C products.

• Familiarity with accessibility standards and guidelines (e.g., WCAG) and their application in design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Nice to haves" are particularly valuable for candidates looking to tailor their applications. The emphasis on building research capabilities and establishing research operations points to a potential future expansion of the research function, where this senior hire could play a pivotal role. The specific mention of B2C and B2B2C products indicates the scope of their consumer-facing initiatives.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of 2-3 comprehensive case studies detailing the end-to-end user research process from problem definition to insight generation and impact.

• For each case study, clearly articulate the research objectives, chosen methodologies (qualitative and quantitative), and the rationale behind those choices.

• Demonstrate how research insights were synthesized and communicated to stakeholders, highlighting the impact on product strategy, design decisions, or business outcomes.

• Include examples of how qualitative research was integrated with quantitative data (analytics, A/B testing results) to provide a holistic understanding.

• Present evidence of influencing product direction or solving complex user problems through research, supported by measurable results where possible. Process Documentation:

• Provide examples of how you have documented research findings, insights, and recommendations in a clear, accessible, and actionable format for cross-functional teams.

• Showcase experience in establishing or contributing to research repositories, insight libraries, or knowledge management systems to foster organizational learning.

• Illustrate your approach to embedding research within agile product development workflows, demonstrating how you collaborate with Product Managers and Engineers to ensure research is integrated throughout the product lifecycle.

• Detail your experience in designing and facilitating workshops for activities such as user journey mapping, persona development, or strategic planning, with examples of outputs.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the senior nature of the role and the explicit mention of influencing product strategy, a portfolio that demonstrates strategic thinking and impact is crucial. Candidates should focus on showcasing how their research directly contributed to business objectives and product success, not just the execution of research tasks.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for Senior User Researchers in Berlin, Germany, with 5-10 years of experience, a competitive annual salary range is estimated to be between €70,000 and €95,000. This range can vary based on specific experience, skill set, and negotiation.

Benefits:

• Flexible working conditions and hybrid work model, with an expectation of 2 days per week in the office.

• Opportunity to work within an international community of over 4,000 people across 11 countries, representing almost 80 nationalities.

• Access to 30 hybrid workspaces designed for idea exchange and learning.

• Contribution to shaping the future of FinTech and sustainable financial services.

• Potential for professional development and career growth within the Bertelsmann group.

• Collaboration with cross-disciplinary teams including UX designers, service designers, and UX writers.

• Occasional travel opportunities for team huddles and cross-functional workshops.

Working Hours: Full-time position, with flexibility in working conditions. The specific daily working hours are not detailed but are generally aligned with standard full-time employment in Germany, likely around 40 hours per week, with flexibility to accommodate hybrid work arrangements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on current market data for senior-level user researchers in major German tech hubs like Berlin, considering the company's industry (FinTech) and the specified experience level. Benefits are inferred from the company description and general industry standards for tech roles in Germany.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Technology (FinTech), specifically focusing on enabling flexible payments and simplifying financial management. Riverty is part of the Bertelsmann group, providing a stable yet dynamic environment.

Company Size: Over 4,000 employees globally, with operations in 11 countries. This indicates a large, established organization with a global reach, offering significant opportunities for impact and collaboration.

Founded: Riverty is part of the family-owned Bertelsmann group. While the specific founding date of Riverty isn't provided, its association with Bertelsmann (founded in 1835) suggests a strong heritage of stability and long-term vision.

Team Structure:

• The Senior User Researcher will report to the UX Design Lead, Consumer.

• They will support a cross-disciplinary consumer team comprising UX designers, service designers, and UX writers.

• Collaboration extends across various departments, including Product Management, Engineering, Data Analytics, Product Operations, Marketing, and Brand teams, across Europe. Methodology:

• Emphasis on human-centric design and bringing empathy to life in financial services.

• Data-driven insights are central to decision-making, integrating qualitative research with quantitative analytics and business metrics.

• Agile product development methodologies are utilized, requiring work in iterative, fast-paced environments.

• Strategic perspective is valued, connecting customer insights with business goals for both near-term improvements and long-term product direction.

Company Website: https://www.riverty.com/ (Inferred from domain_derived: bfs-finance.com, and general knowledge of Riverty)

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture is described as international, community-oriented, and focused on innovation within the FinTech space, while also benefiting from the stability of the Bertelsmann group. The hybrid work model and emphasis on idea exchange suggest a collaborative and modern work environment.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior User Researcher role, indicating a position of significant responsibility and influence. The role is expected to not only execute research but also to shape product strategy, connect disparate data sources, and champion a human-centered approach across the organization. This level typically involves mentoring junior team members and contributing to the strategic direction of the research function.

Reporting Structure: The role reports to the UX Design Lead, Consumer. This structure places the researcher within the design organization but emphasizes their collaborative responsibilities with Product, Data, and Engineering.

Operations Impact: The Senior User Researcher is pivotal in ensuring that Riverty's financial services are designed with a deep understanding of consumer needs, behaviors, and pain points. Their work directly influences product development decisions, service improvements, and the overall customer experience, aiming to create sustainable financial services and build customer financial confidence. By bridging the gap between user insights and business objectives, they contribute significantly to market relevance and customer satisfaction, which are key drivers of revenue and business growth in FinTech.

Growth Opportunities:

• Research Leadership: Potential to build and scale the research capability, establish research operations, and mentor other researchers or designers in research methodologies.

• Strategic Influence: Opportunity to shape product strategy and design strategy at a higher level, influencing long-term product roadmaps and business direction.

• Cross-Functional Expertise: Deepen understanding of FinTech, product development, data analytics, and agile methodologies by working closely with diverse teams.

• Specialization: Potential to specialize in specific areas of consumer finance research or advanced research techniques, including AI-enabled research.

• Career Advancement: Progression into roles like Lead User Researcher, Head of UX Research, or senior Product Strategy positions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of being the "first strictly User Researcher in the design organisation" implies a significant opportunity for this individual to define and build the research practice at Riverty. This is a key growth opportunity for ambitious researchers.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid workspaces designed for idea exchange and learning. The company operates with a hybrid setup, requiring employees to be in the office twice a week. This suggests a blend of focused individual work and collaborative team interaction.

Office Location(s): Berlin, Germany (10623) and Amsterdam are specified as potential locations. Occasional travel to meet physically for team huddles or cross-functional workshops is also expected.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative environment fostering idea exchange and learning from international colleagues.

• Access to modern office facilities designed to support hybrid work and cross-functional collaboration.

• Opportunities to engage with a diverse team of UX designers, service designers, and UX writers, as well as product managers and engineers.

• The work environment supports an evidence-based culture, encouraging the application of research findings in daily operations.

Work Schedule: Full-time, with flexible working conditions. The hybrid model allows for a balance between remote work and in-office collaboration, supporting efficient workflow and work-life integration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model with a stated expectation of 2 days in the office is a common setup that balances the benefits of remote flexibility with the advantages of in-person collaboration and team building, which is crucial for research operations and strategy alignment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of CV and portfolio to assess experience, qualifications, and alignment with role requirements.

• Hiring Manager/Team Interview: Discussion focused on your background, research philosophy, experience with specific methodologies, and how you approach user research challenges. Expect questions about your experience in influencing product strategy and collaborating with cross-functional teams.

• Portfolio Presentation: A dedicated session where you will present 1-2 key case studies from your portfolio, detailing your process, insights, and impact. This is a critical stage to demonstrate your strategic thinking and communication skills.

• Cross-functional Collaboration Interview: Meeting with key stakeholders from Product Management, Engineering, or Data Analytics to assess your ability to collaborate, influence, and integrate research findings into their workflows.

• Final Interview: May involve senior leadership or a broader team discussion to assess cultural fit and overall strategic alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your approach, the key insights, and most importantly, the impact your research had on the product or business. Quantify impact where possible (e.g., "led to a 15% increase in conversion," "reduced support tickets by X%").

• Showcase Strategic Thinking: Demonstrate how you connected user needs to business objectives and influenced product strategy or long-term direction. Highlight instances where you identified strategic opportunities beyond immediate usability issues.

• Methodology Justification: Explain why you chose specific research methodologies and how they were best suited to answer the research questions.

• Synthesis and Storytelling: Present your findings in a clear, compelling narrative. Use visuals effectively to illustrate concepts, user journeys, and key insights.

• Collaboration Evidence: If possible, include examples of how you collaborated with product managers, designers, engineers, and data analysts, and how your research informed their work.

• Tool Proficiency: Briefly mention the tools you used (e.g., Qualtrics, Condens, PowerBI) to manage research, data, or present findings.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be prepared for a research design challenge or a case study analysis. You might be asked to outline a research plan for a hypothetical problem or analyze a dataset and propose research questions.

• Practice articulating your thought process clearly and concisely.

• Be ready to discuss how you would handle conflicting stakeholder opinions or integrate research with limited resources.

• Prepare questions to ask the interviewers about the team's current research practices, challenges, and strategic priorities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "first strictly User Researcher" means the interviewers will be keen to understand how you can establish and mature research practices. Be prepared to discuss your experience in building research operations, creating repositories, and mentoring others.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Research & Data Management: Condens, TheyDo, Lyssna, Qualtrics (required for planning, conducting, analyzing, and synthesizing research; managing insights and repositories).

• Analytics & Visualization: PowerBI, New Relic (required for combining qualitative insights with quantitative data, understanding customer metrics, and supporting evidence-based decision-making).

• Experimentation: Tools supporting A/B testing and product analytics frameworks.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Proficiency in analyzing data from tools like PowerBI and New Relic to derive holistic customer insights.

• Experience with product analytics platforms to track customer behavior and measure outcomes.

• Ability to create clear visualizations and reports for diverse stakeholders. CRM & Automation:

• While not explicitly listed as primary, familiarity with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and automation tools is beneficial for understanding the broader customer journey and how research insights can be operationalized.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of tools like Condens, TheyDo, Lyssna, Qualtrics, PowerBI, and New Relic indicates the company's current or desired technology stack for user research and data analysis. Candidates familiar with these tools will have a distinct advantage.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Human-Centricity: A core value, ensuring that empathy and customer needs are at the forefront of all product development and service design.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Emphasis on using evidence from both qualitative research and quantitative analytics to inform strategy and product improvements.

• Collaboration: Fostering strong partnerships across Product, Design, Engineering, Data, and other departments to achieve shared goals.

• Continuous Improvement: A commitment to iterative development, learning from research and data, and constantly seeking ways to enhance customer experiences and business outcomes.

• Innovation: Encouraging new ideas and approaches, particularly in the rapidly evolving FinTech landscape, including leveraging AI for research.

Collaboration Style:

• Highly cross-functional, with close partnerships between research, product, design, and engineering teams.

• Iterative and agile, involving frequent communication and feedback loops.

• Emphasis on sharing insights and knowledge across teams to build collective understanding and drive informed decisions.

• A culture that values open communication and constructive feedback to refine processes and outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values emphasize a blend of user advocacy, analytical rigor, and collaborative execution, which are hallmarks of effective operations and product development teams in the tech industry.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Establishing and Scaling Research: As potentially the first dedicated Senior User Researcher, a key challenge will be defining and building out the research function, including processes, tools, and best practices.

• Integrating Insights Across Teams: Ensuring that research insights are effectively disseminated and acted upon by diverse stakeholders (Product, Engineering, Marketing, etc.) across different geographies.

• Balancing User Needs with Business Objectives: Navigating the complexities of financial services to advocate for users while aligning with business goals, technical constraints, and regulatory requirements.

• Leveraging Data and AI: Effectively combining qualitative research with quantitative data and exploring the potential of AI-enabled research to enhance efficiency and insights.

• Navigating a Hybrid Work Environment: Maintaining strong team cohesion and effective collaboration in a distributed hybrid setup.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Building a Research Function: Significant opportunity to shape the future of user research at Riverty, including establishing research operations and best practices.

• Strategic Impact: Directly influence product strategy and long-term vision for consumer financial services.

• Cross-Functional Mastery: Deepen expertise in FinTech, agile product development, and data analytics by working closely with specialized teams.

• AI in Research: Gain hands-on experience with AI-enabled research tools and methodologies.

• Mentorship: Potential to mentor junior designers and researchers, developing leadership skills.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are framed as opportunities for growth, particularly for a senior individual looking to make a significant impact and shape a function.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you used mixed-method research to uncover a significant customer insight that led to a strategic product decision. What was the outcome?" (Focus on your process, synthesis, storytelling, and impact.)

• "How would you approach building a user research capability from the ground up within a new or evolving product team?" (Demonstrate your understanding of research operations, stakeholder buy-in, and scalability.)

• "Imagine we want to launch a new feature to help consumers manage their debt more effectively. Outline a research plan to validate the concept and identify key user needs." (Showcase your research design skills, methodology selection, and ability to connect user needs to business goals.)

• "How do you balance advocating for user needs with the constraints of business objectives and technical feasibility?" (Highlight your strategic thinking, negotiation skills, and ability to find compromise.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Riverty and the FinTech industry, particularly our mission to combine empathy, technology, and data?" (Research Riverty's mission, values, and recent news.)

• "How do you see user research contributing to Riverty's business objectives in the consumer financial services space?" (Connect your role to business impact and FinTech challenges.)

• "Describe your experience working in agile, fast-paced environments and collaborating with Product Managers and Engineers." (Show your adaptability and teamwork skills.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Select High-Impact Projects: Choose 2-3 case studies that best demonstrate your strategic influence, mixed-method expertise, and ability to drive measurable outcomes.

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly outline: Problem/Opportunity -> Your Role -> Research Questions -> Methodology (and why) -> Key Insights -> Recommendations -> Impact/Outcome.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to illustrate the success of your research and recommendations.

• Showcase Collaboration: Highlight how you worked with other teams and how your insights were integrated into their workflows.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about specific methodological choices, challenges encountered, and how you adapted your approach.

📝 Enhancement Note: The questions are designed to assess strategic thinking, research methodology expertise, collaboration skills, and cultural fit, with a specific focus on how the candidate can contribute to Riverty's mission and operationalize research.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior User Researcher position:

• Submit your application through the provided application link on the Riverty careers portal.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your most impactful user research projects. For each, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the methodologies used, key insights, your recommendations, and the resulting business or product impact. Ensure your portfolio demonstrates strategic thinking and the integration of qualitative and quantitative data.

• Optimize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to highlight your extensive experience in mixed-method research, product strategy influence, stakeholder management, and experience with relevant tools (Condens, Qualtrics, PowerBI, etc.). Use keywords from the job description and quantify your achievements wherever possible.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice presenting your chosen portfolio case studies. Focus on a clear, compelling narrative that emphasizes your strategic contributions and the measurable outcomes of your research. Be ready to discuss your research process in detail and answer in-depth questions.

• Research Riverty: Understand Riverty's mission, services, target audience (consumers in financial services), and its position within the FinTech industry and the Bertelsmann group. Familiarize yourself with their values and hybrid work approach.

⚠️ 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.