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

📍 Job Overview

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

Company: Riverty (part of Bertelsmann)

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands or Berlin, Germany

Job Type: Full-time

Category: User Experience Research / Product Research

Date Posted: 2026-08-07

Experience Level: 5-10 years

Remote Status: Hybrid (2 days in office expectation)

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive human-centricity across the organization by uncovering meaningful insights into consumer needs, behaviors, and pain points.

• Shape product direction and long-term customer experiences through a strategic design perspective that integrates qualitative and quantitative data.

• Enable evidence-based decision-making by collaborating closely with Product, Design, Engineering, and Data teams.

• Champion a customer-centric culture by advocating for user needs while balancing business objectives and technical feasibility.

• Contribute to the growth of research capabilities and best practices within a growing international FinTech company.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as the first strictly User Researcher within the design organization, indicating a foundational opportunity to build and shape the research function. The emphasis on integrating research with data, analytics, and business objectives suggests a strategic, high-impact role focused on influencing product vision and long-term strategy, rather than solely evaluative research. The hybrid setup with a specific office day expectation (2 days/week) is crucial for candidates to consider.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Plan, conduct, and synthesize qualitative and quantitative user research using a diverse range of methodologies (interviews, usability testing, surveys, diary studies, contextual inquiry, etc.).

• Identify unmet customer needs, motivations, and pain points to inform product strategy, service improvements, and customer experience enhancements.

• Collaborate closely with Product Managers, Designers, Engineers, Data Analysts, Product Operations, Marketing, and Brand teams to embed research insights throughout the product lifecycle, from discovery to continuous improvement.

• Combine qualitative research findings with analytics, experimentation (A/B testing), and business metrics to generate holistic customer insights and support data-driven decision-making.

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

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

• Contribute to and maintain research repositories, insight libraries, and research operations to enhance organizational knowledge sharing and research efficiency.

• Champion a human-centered, evidence-based culture by advocating for customer needs and demonstrating the value of research to stakeholders across the organization.

• Coach and support the design community and other colleagues in applying research methods and building customer-centric thinking.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of hands-on research execution and strategic influence. The emphasis on "connecting user research, data and analytics, business objectives, and design strategy" suggests a need for a researcher who can bridge tactical execution with strategic vision, influencing both near-term product improvements and long-term product direction. The mention of "Product Operations" indicates potential collaboration with teams focused on operationalizing product development and delivery.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is listed, an advanced degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Human Factors, or a related field is typically expected for senior-level research roles.

Experience: Extensive experience (5-10 years) planning, conducting, and synthesizing qualitative and quantitative user research throughout the entire product development lifecycle.

Required Skills:

• Extensive experience in planning, conducting, and synthesizing qualitative and quantitative user research.

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

• Demonstrated ability to apply a design strategy mindset, connecting customer insights with business goals to influence product vision and service design.

• Experience collaborating with Product Analytics, Data Science, or Business Intelligence teams to integrate qualitative and quantitative evidence.

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

• Excellent synthesis and storytelling skills to communicate complex research findings persuasively to diverse stakeholders.

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

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

• Strategic, analytical, and problem-solving skills with the ability to identify opportunities beyond immediate 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 shaping AI-enabled research practices.

• Familiarity with research and data management tools (e.g., Condens, TheyDo, Lyssna, Qualtrics, PowerBI, New Relic, or similar). 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 in 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 significant and point towards a desire for a candidate who can not only perform research but also help mature the research function within the organization. Experience in FinTech is highly valued, suggesting domain knowledge will be a strong advantage. The emphasis on "AI-enabled research" indicates a forward-thinking approach to research tools and methodologies.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a strong track record of end-to-end user research projects, demonstrating proficiency in planning, execution, analysis, and synthesis.

• Include case studies that highlight how your research directly influenced product strategy, design decisions, and business outcomes, emphasizing strategic impact.

• Present examples of mixed-method research approaches, illustrating your ability to select and apply appropriate methodologies for different research questions.

• Demonstrate your ability to translate complex research findings into clear, actionable insights and compelling narratives for diverse stakeholders.

• Include examples of how you've integrated qualitative insights with quantitative data, analytics, and experimentation to provide a holistic understanding of the customer. Process Documentation:

• Detail your process for defining research objectives and questions in alignment with business goals and product strategy.

• Showcase your methods for participant recruitment, consent management, and ethical research practices.

• Provide examples of how you document research plans, protocols, and findings for clarity and knowledge sharing.

• Illustrate your approach to synthesizing research data and generating impactful insights, including any frameworks or tools used.

• Document your process for disseminating research findings and recommendations to cross-functional teams and leadership.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a senior role, the portfolio should emphasize strategic impact and influence, not just execution. Candidates should be prepared to discuss how their research shaped product vision, identified new opportunities, or led to significant improvements in customer experience and business metrics. Demonstrating experience in building research operations or capabilities will be a strong plus.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry standards for a Senior User Researcher with 5-10 years of experience in Amsterdam or Berlin, the estimated annual gross salary range would be €70,000 - €95,000. This estimate accounts for the cost of living in these major European cities, the seniority of the role, and the FinTech industry context.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary and potential for performance-based bonuses.

• Comprehensive health insurance and wellness programs.

• Generous paid time off and holiday allowance.

• Opportunities for professional development, training, and conference attendance.

• Pension scheme contributions.

• Hybrid working model with flexible conditions and a focus on work-life balance.

• International work environment with diverse colleagues and opportunities for cross-cultural collaboration.

• Access to modern office spaces designed for collaboration and idea exchange.

• Employee assistance programs.

Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours (approximately 40 hours per week), with flexibility to accommodate hybrid work arrangements. Occasional travel may be required for team huddles or cross-functional workshops.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary ranges for senior roles in major European tech hubs like Amsterdam and Berlin can vary significantly based on specific company compensation strategies, the exact scope of responsibilities, and the candidate's experience. This estimate is based on publicly available data for similar roles and locations. The company's affiliation with Bertelsmann suggests a stable, well-established benefits package.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: FinTech, Financial Services, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) related to payments. Riverty focuses on enabling flexible payments and simplifying financial management.

Company Size: Over 4,000 employees, representing almost 80 nationalities across 11 countries.

Founded: Riverty is a relatively new brand (launched 2022) but is part of the established Bertelsmann group, a large, family-owned media, services, and education conglomerate founded in 1835. This provides a unique blend of established corporate structure with a fast-paced, innovative FinTech environment.

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.

• The role involves close collaboration with Product Managers, Engineers, Data Analysts, Product Operations, Marketing, and Brand teams across Europe.

• The research function is being built out, offering an opportunity to influence team structure and processes. Methodology:

• Emphasis on bringing "human centricity to life" through user research.

• Data-driven insights are key, combining qualitative research with quantitative evidence.

• Collaborative approach across product, design, engineering, and data teams.

• Focus on evidence-based decision-making to create value for customers and the business.

• Working within a hybrid, regionally-distributed setup, leveraging technology for collaboration.

Company Website: https://www.riverty.com/ (Note: Bertelsmann-Jobs is the recruitment platform, Riverty is the operating company.)

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture appears to be a blend of established corporate stability (Bertelsmann) and a dynamic, innovative FinTech environment (Riverty). The mission of "Combining empathy, advanced technology and data-driven insights" is central. The international aspect and diverse workforce are highlighted as key cultural elements.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior User Researcher role, indicating a mid-to-senior level position. It requires significant independent execution, strategic thinking, and the ability to mentor or coach others, as evidenced by the responsibility to "coach and support the design community." The role is instrumental in establishing and maturing the user research function within the consumer division.

Reporting Structure: The role reports to the UX Design Lead, Consumer. This suggests that research insights will be closely integrated with the design strategy and product development process for consumer-facing products. Collaboration will extend across various departments, offering broad exposure.

Operations Impact: The Senior User Researcher's impact is centered on ensuring that product development and strategic decisions are grounded in a deep understanding of consumer needs and behaviors. By providing actionable insights, they directly influence the creation of sustainable financial services, improve customer experiences, reduce uncertainty for product teams, and ultimately contribute to business growth and customer confidence. The role plays a crucial part in shaping the "evidence-based decision making" culture.

Growth Opportunities:

• Research Leadership: Opportunity to build and scale the user research function, potentially leading to a Research Manager or Head of Research role as the team grows.

• Strategic Influence: Grow influence on product strategy, roadmaps, and long-term vision by consistently delivering high-impact insights.

• Cross-functional Expertise: Deepen understanding of FinTech, product development, data analytics, and agile methodologies through close collaboration.

• Mentorship & Coaching: Develop leadership skills by mentoring junior researchers and educating colleagues on research best practices.

• Industry Specialization: Gain specialized knowledge in consumer financial services and FinTech product research.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role offers significant opportunities for shaping a nascent research function. The ability to influence product strategy and mentor others points to a clear growth path beyond individual contributor work, potentially into leadership or specialized strategic advisory roles within Riverty or the broader Bertelsmann group.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The company utilizes hybrid workspaces designed for idea exchange and learning. These are described as "modern office spaces."

Office Location(s): Amsterdam, Netherlands (Gelrestraat 30-46, 1079 MZ) and Berlin, Germany (Kantstrasse 17).

Workspace Context:

• The environment is international and collaborative, fostering idea exchange and learning from diverse colleagues.

• Hybrid setup requires 2 days per week in the office, promoting face-to-face collaboration and team connection.

• Occasional travel is expected for team huddles or cross-functional workshops, facilitating deeper in-person collaboration.

• Access to modern workspaces equipped for productive work and collaboration.

• The role involves working with cross-functional teams, requiring strong communication and interpersonal skills within this dynamic environment.

Work Schedule: Full-time employment with a hybrid work arrangement. The expectation is to be in the office twice a week, offering flexibility for remote work on other days. This structure aims to balance focused work with in-person collaboration and team building.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model is clearly defined with a specific office presence requirement. Candidates should consider their preference for working in either Amsterdam or Berlin and their comfort with this hybrid structure, including the occasional travel. The emphasis on collaborative workspaces suggests an environment that values team interaction and knowledge sharing.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

1. Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your application and resume, assessing alignment with core qualifications and experience.

2. Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion with the UX Design Lead to delve deeper into your research experience, strategic thinking, and fit with the team. Expect questions about your approach to mixed-method research, influencing stakeholders, and shaping product strategy.

3. Portfolio Presentation & Deep Dive: A session where you present selected case studies from your portfolio. This will focus on your research process, the insights generated, the impact of your work on product decisions and business outcomes, and your ability to integrate qualitative and quantitative data. Be prepared to discuss your strategic approach and how you've handled complex challenges.

4. Cross-functional Collaboration Interview: An interview with key stakeholders from Product Management, Engineering, or Data Analytics teams. This assesses your ability to collaborate effectively, communicate research findings to different audiences, and embed research into cross-functional workflows.

5. Final Interview/Cultural Fit: Potentially a final conversation with a senior leader to discuss cultural alignment, career aspirations, and overall fit within Riverty's values and working environment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-4 strong case studies that showcase your breadth of experience (qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods) and highlight your strategic impact. Prioritize projects where your research led to significant product or business outcomes.

• Focus on Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your research approach, the key insights, the product/business decisions influenced, and the measurable outcomes. Quantify impact whenever possible (e.g., "increased conversion by X%", "reduced support tickets by Y%").

• Demonstrate Process: Walk through your research process clearly, from defining objectives to synthesizing findings. Explain why you chose specific methodologies.

• Showcase Collaboration: Highlight how you partnered with Product, Design, Engineering, and Data teams. Illustrate your communication and influencing skills.

• Address Strategic Thinking: Emphasize how your research contributed to product vision, strategy, or identified new opportunities beyond immediate user problems.

• Prepare for Questions: Anticipate questions about your approach to challenges, ethical considerations, working with data, and coaching others.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be prepared for a potential take-home assignment or a live case study exercise focused on a hypothetical consumer FinTech problem. This might involve outlining a research plan, analyzing sample data, or proposing research methods to answer specific business questions.

• Practice articulating your research process and findings concisely and persuasively.

• Be ready to discuss your experience with specific research tools and data analytics platforms mentioned in the job description.

• Understand Riverty's mission and the FinTech landscape to contextualize your responses.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to assess not only research skills but also strategic thinking, collaboration, and the ability to drive impact. A strong portfolio that clearly demonstrates ROI and strategic influence will be critical. Candidates should be ready to articulate their experience with data integration and influencing cross-functional teams.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Research & Data Management: Condens, TheyDo, Lyssna, Qualtrics (or similar platforms for managing qualitative data, user feedback, and research insights).

• Analytics & Reporting: PowerBI (or similar Business Intelligence/data visualization tools for analyzing quantitative data and creating reports).

• Product Analytics: New Relic (or similar tools for monitoring application performance and user behavior).

• Experimentation: Familiarity with platforms supporting A/B testing and other experimentation frameworks.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Proficiency in analyzing user data and customer metrics to complement qualitative findings.

• Experience using BI tools to create dashboards and reports for stakeholders.

• Ability to interpret results from product analytics tools to understand user behavior.

CRM & Automation: While not explicitly listed as primary tools for the researcher, understanding how research insights feed into CRM strategies or automated customer journeys would be beneficial, especially in a FinTech context. Familiarity with agile development and related project management tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence) is also implied.

📝 Enhancement Note: The specific tools listed (Condens, TheyDo, Lyssna, Qualtrics, PowerBI, New Relic) indicate a need for practical experience. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their proficiency and experience with these or comparable systems. The emphasis on integrating qualitative research with quantitative analytics and experimentation tools is a key requirement.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Human Centricity: A core value, driving the need for user research to understand and advocate for customer needs in all product and service development.

• Empathy: Applied to understanding both customer challenges and colleague perspectives.

• Data-Driven Insights: Decisions are informed by both qualitative and quantitative evidence, emphasizing rigor and objectivity.

• Collaboration: Working effectively across diverse, international teams is essential for success.

• Innovation & Agility: Operating within a fast-paced FinTech environment requires adaptability and a willingness to embrace new technologies and methodologies.

• Sustainability: Building financial services that are sustainable for both customers and the business.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Research is embedded within product development teams, working closely with Product, Design, Engineering, and Data.

• Evidence-Based Advocacy: Researchers champion customer needs by presenting compelling, evidence-based insights.

• Knowledge Sharing: Contributing to research repositories and actively sharing findings to build organizational knowledge.

• Coaching & Mentorship: A willingness to share expertise and help colleagues develop customer-centric thinking.

• Hybrid Team Dynamics: Adapting collaboration methods to suit a hybrid work environment, leveraging both digital tools and in-person interactions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture seems to value a strong, evidence-based approach to product development, with a clear emphasis on understanding the human element. Collaboration is key, especially in a distributed, international team, and the ability to effectively communicate and advocate for user needs will be highly valued.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Establishing Research Maturity: As the first dedicated User Researcher, a key challenge will be establishing robust research processes, tools, and a strong research culture from the ground up.

• Balancing Strategic vs. Tactical Research: Juggling the need for deep, strategic research to inform long-term vision with more immediate, tactical research to support ongoing product iterations.

• Integrating Diverse Data Sources: Effectively synthesizing insights from qualitative research with complex quantitative data, analytics, and business metrics from various systems.

• Influencing Stakeholders Across Europe: Gaining buy-in and driving adoption of research findings across geographically dispersed and diverse teams and stakeholders.

• Navigating a Fast-Paced FinTech Environment: Adapting research methodologies and timelines to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving industry and business needs.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Research Operations Development: Opportunity to define and build research operations, repositories, and insight management practices.

• Strategic Impact: Grow as a strategic partner by shaping product strategy and design strategy through research.

• FinTech Expertise: Deepen knowledge of the financial services and FinTech industry, understanding unique customer needs and regulatory landscapes.

• AI in Research: Explore and implement AI-enabled research tools and techniques to enhance efficiency and depth.

• Leadership & Mentorship: Develop leadership skills through coaching and educating colleagues, potentially leading to future team management roles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are primarily related to building and scaling a function, which presents significant growth opportunities for an ambitious candidate. The FinTech domain and the focus on AI-enabled research are areas where a candidate can gain specialized, in-demand expertise.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time your research significantly influenced product strategy or vision. What was your process, and what was the outcome?"

• "How do you approach integrating qualitative research findings with quantitative data and analytics to form a holistic understanding of customer behavior?"

• "Imagine we want to launch a new feature to help consumers better manage their debt. How would you approach researching this opportunity and validating potential solutions?"

• "How do you balance advocating for user needs with business objectives and technical constraints?"

• "Describe your experience in coaching or mentoring others in user research methodologies or customer-centric thinking."

• "How would you go about establishing research operations or an insight repository within a growing organization?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Riverty and the FinTech industry?"

• "How do you see your role contributing to Riverty's mission of 'Combining empathy, advanced technology and data-driven insights'?"

• "Describe your ideal collaborative environment and how you foster strong working relationships with Product, Design, and Engineering."

• "How do you stay updated on industry trends, particularly in AI-enabled research and FinTech?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: Begin with a high-level overview of Riverty's business and the role's strategic importance. Then, dive into 2-3 key case studies. For each:

  • Context: Briefly explain the business problem or product challenge.
  • Your Role & Approach: Detail your research plan, methodologies used, and why.
  • Key Insights: Present the most impactful findings clearly.
  • Action & Impact: Show how these insights led to specific product decisions or strategic shifts, quantifying results where possible.
  • Learnings: Discuss what you learned and how it informed future work.

• Highlight Data Integration: Explicitly show examples where you combined qualitative data with quantitative metrics or analytics.

• Demonstrate Strategic Thinking: Emphasize how your research identified opportunities, shaped the product roadmap, or contributed to long-term vision.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your methodology, data analysis, and decision-making process.

• Showcase Tools: Mention any relevant tools you used within your case studies, especially those listed in the job description.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic impact, strong analytical skills (both qualitative and quantitative), and excellent collaboration capabilities. Candidates should be ready to articulate their experience in building research functions and influencing product strategy.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior User Researcher position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on SmartRecruiters.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight your extensive experience in mixed-method user research, design strategy, and influencing product development lifecycles. Specifically address your experience in FinTech or related industries if applicable.

• Portfolio Preparation: Curate your portfolio to showcase 2-3 of your most impactful research projects. Ensure these examples clearly demonstrate your end-to-end research process, strategic thinking, integration of qualitative and quantitative data, and measurable business/product outcomes. Be ready to present these in detail.

• Company & Role Research: Thoroughly research Riverty, its mission, its products, and the FinTech landscape. Understand the company's emphasis on human-centricity, data-driven insights, and innovation. Familiarize yourself with the specific responsibilities and preferred qualifications outlined in the job description.

• Interview Practice: Prepare for behavioral and situational interview questions, focusing on your experience with stakeholder management, influencing cross-functional teams, and driving product strategy through research. Practice articulating your research process and insights clearly and concisely.

⚠️ 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.