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

📍 Job Overview

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

Company: Riverty (part of Bertelsmann group)

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands (Hybrid) / Berlin, Germany (Hybrid)

Job Type: Full-time

Category: User Research / Product Design Operations

Date Posted: 2026-08-07

Experience Level: 5-10 years

Remote Status: Hybrid (2 days in office expectation)

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive human-centricity in financial services by conducting in-depth user research to understand consumer needs, behaviors, and pain points.

• Shape product strategy and long-term customer experiences by translating qualitative and quantitative research insights into actionable recommendations.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Product, Design, Engineering, and Data teams to foster evidence-based decision-making across the entire product lifecycle.

• Champion a customer-centric culture by advocating for user needs and embedding research throughout discovery, delivery, and continuous improvement processes.

• Leverage a strategic design perspective, combining research findings with analytics and business objectives to influence both immediate product enhancements and future product direction.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as the first dedicated User Researcher within the Consumer design organization, indicating a significant opportunity to establish and scale user research practices. The emphasis on influencing product strategy and shaping long-term customer experiences suggests a senior-level individual contributor role with substantial impact. The hybrid setup with a specific office day expectation is typical for collaborative operations functions.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

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

• Identify and articulate customer needs, behaviors, motivations, and pain points to inform product development and service improvements.

• Synthesize research findings into clear, compelling insights and strategic recommendations that directly influence product strategy, service improvements, and overall customer experience.

• Foster close collaboration with Product Managers, Designers, Engineers, Data Analysts, Product Operations, Marketing, and Brand teams to embed research findings and customer perspectives throughout the product lifecycle.

• Integrate qualitative research with analytics, experimentation data, 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, ensuring alignment with customer outcomes and business objectives.

• Contribute to and maintain 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, balancing customer advocacy with business objectives and technical feasibility.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of hands-on research execution and strategic influence. The explicit mention of "Product Operations" and "automation" in collaboration points towards a need for understanding and integrating research into operational workflows, a key aspect of modern GTM and product operations.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

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

Experience: 5-10 years of extensive experience planning, conducting, and synthesizing qualitative and quantitative user research throughout the 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 the right methodology for different product and business questions.

• Demonstrated ability to apply a design strategy 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 working 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.

• Proficiency with 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 requirement for experience with "AI-enabled research and research automation" and specific tools like Condens, TheyDo, Lyssna, Qualtrics, PowerBI, and New Relic are critical for operations professionals to note. These tools are often part of a broader GTM or product operations tech stack. The emphasis on "research triangulation" and combining qualitative with quantitative evidence is a hallmark of advanced operations roles.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrate a portfolio showcasing a strong track record in planning and executing end-to-end user research projects for consumer-facing products.

• Include case studies that clearly articulate the research problem, methodologies employed, key insights generated, and the tangible impact on product decisions and business outcomes.

• Highlight experience in synthesizing complex qualitative and quantitative data into clear, actionable recommendations for product and design teams.

• Showcase examples of how research insights have influenced product strategy, design direction, and improved customer experiences, ideally with measurable results.

• Present evidence of strong collaboration with cross-functional teams (Product, Design, Engineering, Data) to embed research insights into the product development workflow. Process Documentation:

• Detail your approach to documenting research plans, methodologies, and findings in a structured and accessible manner, suitable for knowledge sharing.

• Provide examples of how you have contributed to or maintained research repositories, insight libraries, or research operations to improve organizational learning and efficiency.

• Showcase your ability to integrate research findings with other data sources (e.g., product analytics, A/B test results) to create a holistic understanding of the customer.

• Illustrate your process for translating research insights into actionable product requirements or design recommendations, ensuring clear communication and alignment with stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior User Researcher role, particularly one that is establishing research practices, a portfolio demonstrating process ownership and the ability to build scalable research operations is crucial. This aligns with the operational aspects of a GTM or product role, focusing on efficiency and knowledge management.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for Senior User Researchers in Amsterdam and Berlin with 5-10 years of experience, a competitive salary range is estimated between €70,000 - €100,000 annually. This range accounts for the strategic nature of the role, the required expertise in mixed-method research and product strategy influence, and the cost of living in these major European hubs.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health insurance and wellness programs.

• Generous paid time off (vacation, holidays, personal days).

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

• Retirement savings plan or pension contributions.

• Hybrid work model with flexibility for work-life balance.

• Potential for performance-based bonuses or incentives.

• International work environment with diverse colleagues.

• Access to employee assistance programs.

Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours, likely around 40 hours per week, with flexibility offered within the hybrid work model. Occasional travel may be required for team huddles or cross-functional workshops.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimation is based on current market data for senior-level research roles in major European tech hubs like Amsterdam and Berlin, factoring in the specified experience level and the company's industry (FinTech/Financial Services). Benefits are standard for a multinational organization in this sector.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: FinTech / Financial Services. Riverty operates in the fast-paced financial technology sector, enabling flexible payments and simplifying financial management for businesses and consumers. This industry demands a strong focus on data security, compliance, and customer trust.

Company Size: Over 4,000 employees across 11 countries, with a significant international presence. This indicates a well-established organization with structured processes, but also a need for agility and cross-functional collaboration.

Founded: Part of the established Bertelsmann group. While Riverty itself is a newer entity focused on FinTech, its parentage suggests a foundation of corporate stability and long-term vision.

Team Structure:

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

• They will be part of a highly international team of UX designers, UI designers, service designers, and UX writers.

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

• Emphasizes a human-centric approach, combining empathy, advanced technology, and data-driven insights.

• Focus on enabling flexible payments and building financial confidence for users.

• Data-driven decision-making is a core tenet, integrating research with analytics and business objectives.

• Embraces iterative, fast-paced product development within an agile framework.

Company Website: https://www.riverty.com/ (Note: The provided URL was for Bertelsmann Jobs, a general careers portal. A direct Riverty link is more relevant for company context.)

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding Riverty's mission to "keep people and businesses in flow" and "shape FinTech" is crucial. The company's hybrid workspace design emphasizes collaboration and learning, suggesting a culture that values knowledge sharing and professional development. The integration of "Product Operations" as a stakeholder highlights the operational focus of this role within the product development ecosystem.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Individual Contributor role. It signifies a high level of autonomy, strategic input, and the ability to influence direction. The "first strictly User Researcher" aspect implies a leadership opportunity in establishing and scaling research capabilities, which can be a stepping stone to Research Lead or Head of Research roles.

Reporting Structure: Reporting to the UX Design Lead, Consumer, provides a direct line into the design leadership and product strategy. Collaboration will extend across multiple product teams and functions, offering broad exposure.

Operations Impact: The role's core function is to reduce uncertainty and enable evidence-based decisions, directly impacting product success, customer satisfaction, and ultimately, business revenue. By championing user needs and identifying strategic opportunities, the researcher plays a vital role in the GTM strategy and product-market fit.

Growth Opportunities:

• Establishing Research Practice: Opportunity to define and build the user research function, including processes, tools, and best practices, potentially leading to a Research Operations Manager role or similar.

• Strategic Influence: Deep involvement in shaping product strategy and long-term customer experience vision, offering significant career advancement in product leadership or design strategy.

• Skill Development: Continuous learning in advanced research methodologies, AI-enabled research, data analytics integration, and cross-functional collaboration. Potential to coach and mentor others in research techniques.

• Industry Expertise: Gaining deep experience in the FinTech/financial services sector, a rapidly growing and dynamic industry.

• Leadership Potential: Demonstrating leadership in research and influencing product direction can pave the way for team lead or management positions within UX or Product.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "first strictly User Researcher" designation is a significant growth opportunity. It positions the candidate to not only perform research but to define the operational framework for research within the organization, which is a key aspect of operational leadership.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The company utilizes hybrid workspaces designed for idea exchange and learning, suggesting a modern, collaborative, and well-equipped office environment.

Office Location(s): Amsterdam, Netherlands and Berlin, Germany. These are major European hubs with excellent infrastructure and accessibility.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The hybrid setup (2 days in office expectation) is designed to foster in-person collaboration, idea sharing, and team cohesion, crucial for cross-functional operations.

• Tools & Technology: Access to standard design and research tools, with specific mention of Condens, TheyDo, Lyssna, Qualtrics, PowerBI, and New Relic, indicating a robust technology stack supporting research and data analysis.

• Team Interaction: Frequent interaction with UX designers, UI designers, service designers, UX writers, Product Managers, Engineers, and Data Analysts, providing ample opportunities for learning and networking.

Work Schedule: The hybrid model offers flexibility, with a general expectation of 2 days per week in the office. This structure supports focused work (remote) and collaborative sessions (office), aligning with the operational needs of research and product development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on hybrid workspaces and cross-functional collaboration is key for operations roles that thrive on communication and shared problem-solving. The specific mention of office days provides clarity on the expected in-office engagement.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your application and resume, focusing on relevant experience and qualifications.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion with the UX Design Lead, Consumer, to assess your experience, research philosophy, strategic thinking, and cultural fit. Be prepared to discuss your approach to mixed-method research and influencing product strategy.

• Portfolio Review & Presentation: You will likely be asked to present a selection of your work. Focus on 2-3 key projects that demonstrate your end-to-end research process, strategic impact, and collaboration skills. Prepare to discuss the challenges, your role, the methodologies used, key insights, and the resulting business/product outcomes.

• Cross-functional Interview: An interview with peers from Product, Design, or Data to assess collaboration skills, understanding of the product development lifecycle, and ability to integrate research into operational workflows.

• Final Interview: Potentially with a senior leader to confirm strategic alignment and overall fit.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: Clearly articulate the "so what?" of your research. Quantify impact where possible (e.g., "led to a 15% increase in conversion," "reduced support tickets by X%").

• Showcase Process: Detail your research process, from problem definition and methodology selection to synthesis and recommendation delivery.

• Highlight Collaboration: Provide examples of how you worked with cross-functional teams, managed stakeholders, and influenced decisions.

• Tailor to Riverty: Research Riverty's products and target audience. Be ready to discuss how your skills and experience can help them solve their specific user challenges in FinTech.

• Demonstrate Strategic Thinking: Show how you connect user insights to business goals and product strategy, not just individual feature improvements.

Challenge Preparation:

• Expect a potential take-home assignment or a live case study focused on a hypothetical Riverty product or user problem.

• Prepare to outline a research plan, suggest methodologies, and articulate how you would synthesize findings and present recommendations.

• Practice articulating your thought process clearly and concisely, demonstrating your ability to think strategically and operationally.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "Product Operations" and integrating research into operational workflows suggests that interviewers will be looking for candidates who can not only conduct research but also operationalize it within a team and across the organization. Demonstrating an understanding of agile methodologies and cross-functional collaboration is key.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Research & Data Management: Condens, TheyDo, Lyssna, Qualtrics (or similar platforms for qualitative data analysis, insight management, survey administration).

• Analytics & Reporting: PowerBI, New Relic (or similar for data visualization, performance monitoring, and combining qualitative with quantitative data).

• Experimentation: Familiarity with A/B testing tools and product analytics platforms.

• Collaboration: Standard collaboration tools (e.g., Slack, Microsoft Teams, Jira, Confluence) for cross-functional communication and project management.

• Design Tools: While not a primary requirement, familiarity with tools like Figma or Sketch may be beneficial for understanding design outputs.

Analytics & Reporting:

• PowerBI, New Relic: Essential for integrating research findings with business metrics and performance data.

• Product Analytics Platforms: For understanding user behavior at scale and informing research questions. CRM & Automation:

• While not directly managing CRM, understanding how user insights can feed into CRM strategies and marketing automation processes is valuable.

• Familiarity with how research can inform automated customer journeys and support processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The specific mention of Condens, TheyDo, Lyssna, Qualtrics, PowerBI, and New Relic is critical. These tools are directly relevant to operations professionals managing data, insights, and performance. Experience with these, or similar, tools will be highly valued. The inclusion of "AI-enabled research and research automation" suggests an interest in leveraging technology to streamline research processes.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Human-Centricity: A core value, driving decisions based on deep understanding of customer needs and behaviors.

• Data-Driven: Decisions are informed by a combination of qualitative research, quantitative data, and business objectives.

• Collaboration: Strong emphasis on working cross-functionally with Product, Design, Engineering, and Data teams to achieve shared goals.

• Agility & Iteration: Embracing fast-paced environments and iterative development processes.

• Impact & Ownership: Taking ownership of research outcomes and driving tangible impact on product and business success.

• Continuous Learning: A commitment to staying current with research methodologies, technology, and industry trends, especially in AI-enabled research.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Actively embedding research within product development teams and processes.

• Evidence-Based Communication: Presenting insights and recommendations persuasively, backed by data and user evidence.

• Coaching & Mentorship: Willingness to share research knowledge and best practices with colleagues across different disciplines.

• Proactive Engagement: Initiating research and insights generation to proactively inform strategy and identify opportunities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values emphasize a blend of user advocacy and business acumen, which is characteristic of successful operations professionals. The focus on "AI-enabled research" and "research automation" points towards a forward-thinking and efficiency-oriented team culture.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Establishing Research Practice: As the first dedicated researcher, defining and scaling research operations, processes, and tooling will be a significant undertaking.

• Integrating Research Across Regions: Collaborating effectively with distributed teams across Europe requires strong communication and coordination skills.

• Balancing Qualitative & Quantitative Data: Effectively triangulating insights from diverse data sources to form a cohesive understanding.

• Influencing Senior Stakeholders: Advocating for user needs and research-backed decisions in a potentially fast-paced, business-driven environment.

• Navigating FinTech Complexity: Understanding the nuances of financial services and consumer financial behavior to conduct relevant and impactful research.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Research Operations Leadership: Opportunity to build and lead the user research function from the ground up.

• Strategic Product Influence: Deep involvement in shaping product strategy and long-term vision for a growing FinTech company.

• Advanced Methodologies: Mastering mixed-methods research, AI-enabled research, and integrating with advanced analytics and experimentation.

• Cross-Functional Expertise: Developing a strong understanding of product management, engineering, data science, and product operations within a global organization.

• Industry Specialization: Becoming an expert in user behavior within the financial services and FinTech sectors.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are directly tied to the opportunity to build and shape the research function, aligning with growth expectations for senior operations roles. The focus on "research automation" and "AI-enabled research" presents a specific area for professional development.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you used mixed-methods research to solve a complex product problem. What was your process, what were the key insights, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, methodology selection, and impact.)

• "How would you approach building a user research practice at Riverty, given you are the first dedicated researcher? What would be your priorities in the first 90 days?" (Assess your ability to operationalize research and think strategically about scaling.)

• "How do you collaborate with Product Managers, Designers, and Data Analysts to ensure research insights are effectively integrated into product development and decision-making?" (Evaluate your cross-functional collaboration and communication skills.)

• "Tell me about a time you had to influence stakeholders who were resistant to user feedback or research findings. How did you handle it?" (Assess your stakeholder management and influencing capabilities.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "Based on your understanding of Riverty and the FinTech industry, what do you see as the biggest user research challenges or opportunities for our consumer products?" (Demonstrate your research and understanding of the company/industry.)

• "How do you champion a human-centered culture within an organization? Provide examples of how you've encouraged customer-centric thinking in teams." (Assess your cultural influence and advocacy skills.)

• "How do you balance user needs with business objectives and technical constraints?" (Evaluate your pragmatic approach to research and product development.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly outline the problem, your role, the methodology, key findings, recommendations, and the impact (quantified if possible).

• Showcase Your Process: Be prepared to walk through your entire research process, from planning and recruitment to synthesis and reporting.

• Highlight Strategic Thinking: Emphasize how your research informed strategy, not just tactical design decisions.

• Demonstrate Collaboration: Explain how you worked with other teams and stakeholders throughout the research process.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about your methodology choices, data analysis, and how you handled challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparing for questions about "building a user research practice" and "integrating research into product development" is critical, as these directly relate to the operational aspects of the role and the company's potential growth in this area.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior User Researcher position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on SmartRecruiters.

• Portfolio Customization: Curate your portfolio to specifically highlight projects demonstrating mixed-method research, strategic influence on product direction, and cross-functional collaboration. Tailor your case studies to showcase impact within consumer-facing products, ideally in regulated industries like finance.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly details your years of experience, proficiency with research tools (Condens, Qualtrics, etc.), and experience with data analysis, A/B testing, and agile methodologies. Quantify your achievements and impact whenever possible.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your research process, strategic thinking, and collaboration style. Be ready to present your portfolio and discuss how you would approach building research operations at Riverty. Research Riverty's mission, products, and target audience thoroughly.

• Company Research: Understand Riverty's position in the FinTech market, its values, and its hybrid work model. Prepare to discuss how your skills align with their goal of combining empathy, technology, and data-driven insights.

⚠️ 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.