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 (Hybrid)

Job Type: Full-time

Category: User Research / UX Research / Product Operations

Date Posted: 2026-09-29

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (5-10 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid (2 days in office per week)

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive human-centricity in financial services by deeply understanding consumer needs, behaviors, and pain points through advanced user research methodologies.

• Translate complex qualitative and quantitative research findings into actionable insights that strategically influence product vision, service design, and long-term customer experiences.

• Collaborate extensively with Product Managers, Designers, Engineers, and Data Analysts to embed evidence-based decision-making throughout the entire product development lifecycle, from discovery to continuous improvement and automation.

• Champion a data-informed, customer-centric culture across the organization, advocating for user needs while balancing business objectives and technical feasibility.

• Contribute to the strategic direction of Riverty's consumer-facing products by connecting user insights with market trends, organizational priorities, and product goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a critical, foundational User Researcher within the Consumer Design organization. The emphasis on influencing "product direction and long-term customer experiences" and being the "first strictly User Researcher" suggests a high degree of autonomy and strategic impact, moving beyond tactical research execution to shaping research strategy and operations. The hybrid model with specific office days is a key detail for candidates.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Plan, execute, and synthesize mixed-method user research (qualitative and quantitative) to uncover deep customer needs, motivations, and pain points.

• Conduct various research activities including interviews, usability testing, surveys, diary studies, and contextual inquiries to gather comprehensive user feedback.

• Analyze and synthesize research findings into clear, compelling insights and actionable recommendations that directly inform product strategy, service improvements, and customer journey optimization.

• Partner closely with Product Managers, UX/Service Designers, Engineers, Data Analysts, Marketing, and Brand teams to integrate research insights into all stages of product development, delivery, and automation.

• Combine qualitative research findings with analytics, experimentation data (e.g., A/B testing), and business metrics to provide a holistic understanding of customer behavior and business impact.

• Identify strategic opportunities for product innovation and improvement by effectively connecting customer insights with market trends, organizational goals, and product roadmaps.

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

• Contribute to the development and maintenance of research repositories, insight libraries, and research operations to foster organizational knowledge sharing and best practices.

• Act as a vocal advocate for customer needs and human-centered design principles, ensuring a balance between user value, business objectives, and technical feasibility.

• Coach and mentor colleagues across product teams on user research methodologies and customer-centric thinking, building research capabilities throughout the organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of hands-on research execution and strategic influence. The explicit mention of "automation" and "AI-enabled research practices" suggests a forward-thinking approach to research operations and tool utilization. The role also involves a significant coaching and advocacy component, indicating the need for strong communication and interpersonal skills beyond pure research execution.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Design Research, or a related field is typically expected for this level of role.

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

Required Skills:

• Proven expertise in a wide range of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies (e.g., interviews, usability testing, surveys, diary studies, contextual inquiry).

• Strong ability to select and apply appropriate research methods to address specific product and business questions.

• Demonstrated experience applying a design strategy mindset, linking customer insights to influence product vision and long-term direction.

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

• Solid understanding of data analysis, experimentation frameworks (e.g., A/B testing), customer metrics, and research triangulation.

• Excellent synthesis, storytelling, and communication skills to persuasively present complex research findings 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 abilities with a focus on identifying broader opportunities.

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

• Experience with AI-enabled research methodologies and shaping such practices is a significant plus. Preferred Skills:

• Experience building and scaling a user research capability across multidisciplinary teams.

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

• Experience shaping product strategy or design strategy through research.

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

• Experience within the financial services or fintech industry.

• Familiarity with accessibility standards and guidelines (e.g., WCAG).

• Experience with B2C and/or B2B2C products.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "nice to haves" are crucial for candidates to understand where they might have an advantage or areas for development. The emphasis on "building a research capability" and "establishing research operations" suggests the company is looking for someone who can help mature their research function, not just execute research.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a range of qualitative and quantitative research projects demonstrating end-to-end research execution (planning, execution, synthesis, impact).

• Highlight case studies that clearly articulate the research problem, methodology used, key insights derived, and the tangible impact on product strategy or user experience.

• Include examples of how research findings were translated into actionable recommendations and how these recommendations influenced product decisions.

• Demonstrate experience combining qualitative insights with quantitative data (analytics, experimentation) to support strategic decision-making.

• Evidence of research collaboration with cross-functional teams (Product, Design, Engineering, Data) and stakeholder management. Process Documentation:

• Examples of research plans outlining objectives, methodologies, participant criteria, and timelines.

• Artifacts illustrating synthesis methods (e.g., affinity mapping, journey maps, personas, insight reports).

• Documentation of how research findings were communicated and integrated into product development workflows.

• Evidence of contribution to or establishment of research repositories, insight libraries, or research operations processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior User Researcher, the portfolio is paramount. It needs to demonstrate not just research skills, but strategic thinking, influence, and the ability to drive impact. The focus should be on the "so what?" and the business/user outcomes of the research, not just the "what" and "how."

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: For a Senior User Researcher with 5-10 years of experience in Amsterdam, Netherlands, the estimated annual salary range is typically between €70,000 and €95,000 gross. This can vary based on specific skills, experience, and the company's compensation structure.

Benefits:

• Hybrid working model offering flexibility between home and office.

• Access to 30 hybrid workspaces designed for collaboration and learning.

• International community with diverse colleagues representing nearly 80 nationalities.

• Opportunities for professional development and continuous learning.

• Potential for involvement in shaping innovative FinTech solutions.

• Contribution to a mission of combining empathy, technology, and data for financial services.

• Benefits package typically includes competitive health insurance, pension contributions, and paid time off, standard for Dutch employment.

Working Hours: Full-time position, likely based on a standard 40-hour work week, with flexibility offered within the hybrid model. Occasional travel for team huddles or workshops may be required.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary ranges for Amsterdam are based on typical market rates for similar senior-level roles in technology and research. Benefits are inferred from the company description emphasizing flexible working and a strong international community.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Technology (FinTech), specifically focusing on enabling flexible payments and simplifying financial management for consumers and businesses. Riverty is part of the Bertelsmann group, a large, established media, services, and education conglomerate.

Company Size: Over 4,000 employees across 11 countries, indicating a significant global presence and operational scale.

Founded: Riverty operates within the Bertelsmann group, which was founded in 1835, suggesting a stable, established corporate backing.

Team Structure:

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

• They will be part of an international team of UX designers, UI designers, and UX writers.

• The role involves close collaboration with cross-disciplinary consumer teams and stakeholders across product, engineering, data, marketing, and brand departments.

• The team operates in a "regionally-distributed-hybrid setup," implying a distributed team structure with a focus on collaborative in-person interaction when needed. Methodology:

• Emphasis on human-centricity, advanced technology, and data-driven insights.

• Focus on creating sustainable financial services and keeping people and businesses in flow.

• Commitment to evidence-based decision-making, combining qualitative research with quantitative data and analytics.

• Agile product development practices are implied by the mention of iterative environments and collaboration with product teams.

Company Website: https://www.riverty.com/ (Inferred from context)

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture appears to balance a mission-driven, customer-centric approach with the stability and resources of a large corporate group (Bertelsmann). The "hybrid workspaces" suggest an investment in collaborative environments. The "FinTech" focus combined with a large corporate structure is a unique aspect.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior-level individual contributor role. It offers the opportunity to establish and lead user research practices within the consumer division, influencing product strategy and design direction. It’s a key role for someone looking to deepen their expertise in user research and potentially grow into a research lead or manager position in the future.

Reporting Structure: The Senior User Researcher reports to the UX Design Lead, Consumer. This positions them within the design function but with a broad mandate to collaborate across product, data, and engineering.

Operations Impact: The role directly impacts product success by ensuring that consumer-facing financial services are designed with a deep understanding of user needs, leading to improved customer satisfaction, adoption, and loyalty. By advocating for evidence-based decisions, the researcher helps de-risk product development and optimize resource allocation, contributing to business efficiency and revenue growth.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Advancement: Deepen expertise in advanced research methodologies, AI-enabled research, and strategic product development.

• Leadership Development: Opportunity to mentor junior researchers, establish research operations, and potentially lead research initiatives or teams as the function matures.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Gain broad experience working with diverse teams across product, engineering, data analytics, and marketing in a FinTech environment.

• Industry Expertise: Develop specialized knowledge in the complex and evolving FinTech and consumer finance sectors.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is presented as a significant opportunity for impact and growth, particularly for someone who can shape the user research function. The "first strictly User Researcher" aspect implies a significant opportunity to define processes and build out capabilities.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The company utilizes "hybrid workspaces" designed for idea exchange and learning. This suggests modern, collaborative office environments that support both focused work and team interaction.

Office Location(s): Amsterdam, Heerenveen (Netherlands), or Berlin (Germany) are listed as potential locations. The hybrid model requires approximately 2 days per week in the office, with flexibility.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative environments designed to foster idea exchange and learning.

• International and diverse team setting, encouraging cross-cultural collaboration.

• Access to tools and technology to support research and product development.

• Opportunities for physical meetups for team huddles and cross-functional workshops.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time hours (approx. 40 hours/week) with a hybrid work arrangement, offering a balance between in-office collaboration and remote flexibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature and the mention of specific office locations are critical for candidates to consider for their work-life balance and commute. The emphasis on collaborative workspaces suggests an environment where team interaction is valued.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of CV and portfolio to assess relevant experience and research approach.

• Hiring Manager Interview: Discussion about experience, motivations, and alignment with the role's strategic objectives. Focus on understanding your approach to research strategy and impact.

• Portfolio Presentation: A dedicated session to walk through 1-2 key case studies from your portfolio. Be prepared to discuss your process, insights, influence, and outcomes.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Conversations with key stakeholders (e.g., Product Managers, Designers, Data Analysts) to assess collaboration style, communication skills, and ability to translate research into actionable insights for different disciplines.

• Final Interview: Potentially with senior leadership to discuss overall fit, strategic vision for research, and long-term contribution.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 2-3 impactful projects that showcase your end-to-end research process, strategic thinking, and demonstrable impact on product or business outcomes. Prioritize projects relevant to consumer-facing products and financial services if possible.

• Focus on Impact: Clearly articulate the problem, your approach, the key insights, and crucially, how your research influenced decisions and what the resulting outcomes were (e.g., improved conversion rates, reduced user errors, new feature adoption). Quantify impact where possible.

• Showcase Methodological Breadth: Demonstrate your ability to select and apply appropriate mixed-methods research techniques.

• Tell a Story: Structure your case studies as narratives that highlight challenges, your role, your decision-making process, and the resolution or impact.

• Prepare for Questions: Anticipate questions about your research philosophy, how you handle conflicting feedback, how you collaborate with non-researchers, and how you measure research success.

Challenge Preparation:

• While no specific challenge is mentioned, be prepared for a potential take-home assignment or a live problem-solving exercise during an interview.

• If a take-home is given, focus on demonstrating your research process, analytical skills, and ability to synthesize information into actionable recommendations.

• For live exercises, practice articulating your thought process clearly, asking clarifying questions, and proposing well-reasoned solutions based on limited information, mimicking a real-world scenario.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on portfolio presentation and the mention of "Product Operations" in the category suggests that the ability to operationalize research and integrate it into workflows is highly valued. Preparing to discuss how you build research capabilities and repositories is key.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Research & Data Management: Condens, TheyDo, Lyssna, Qualtrics, or similar platforms for managing research data, insights, and participant recruitment.

• Analytics & Reporting: PowerBI, New Relic, or similar tools for analyzing quantitative data, user behavior, and business metrics.

• Collaboration & Design: Tools like Miro, Figma, or similar for workshop facilitation, prototyping, and design collaboration.

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

Analytics & Reporting:

• Experience with product analytics platforms to combine qualitative insights with user behavior data.

• Ability to interpret dashboards and reports to identify trends and opportunities. CRM & Automation:

• While not primary tools for a researcher, understanding how research insights can inform CRM strategies or automated customer journeys is beneficial.

• Familiarity with concepts of automation in product development and customer experience is expected.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of Condens, TheyDo, Lyssna, Qualtrics, PowerBI, and New Relic indicates specific tool proficiency that would be advantageous. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their experience with these or comparable tools. The inclusion of "AI-enabled research" suggests potential use of AI tools in the future.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Human-Centricity: A core value, emphasizing understanding and advocating for the customer in all product decisions.

• Data-Driven Insights: Commitment to using both qualitative and quantitative data to inform strategy and validate assumptions.

• Collaboration: Strong emphasis on cross-functional teamwork and open communication across departments.

• Innovation: Driving forward in the fast-paced FinTech industry, seeking new ways to improve financial services.

• Empathy: A key component in understanding user needs and building trust in financial services.

• Efficiency: Striving to optimize processes and deliver value effectively, especially with the mention of automation.

Collaboration Style:

• Highly collaborative, working closely with Product, Design, Engineering, and Data teams.

• Proactive in sharing insights and advocating for user needs.

• Facilitative, helping teams engage with research findings and make informed decisions.

• Open to feedback and continuous improvement, both in research methods and team processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture seems to be a blend of user advocacy and data-informed strategy, embedded within a collaborative and innovative FinTech environment. The values align well with a Senior User Researcher's role in bridging user needs with business objectives.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Establishing Research Maturity: As the "first strictly User Researcher," a key challenge will be defining and embedding research processes, building research operations, and growing research maturity across the organization.

• Balancing Stakeholder Needs: Effectively managing diverse stakeholder expectations and priorities while ensuring user needs remain central.

• Integrating Mixed Methods: Seamlessly combining qualitative insights with quantitative data and experimentation to provide holistic, actionable recommendations.

• Navigating a Large Organization: Operating effectively within a large, established group (Bertelsmann) while fostering agility and rapid iteration in the FinTech space.

• Staying Ahead of AI: Keeping pace with and integrating AI-enabled research tools and methodologies effectively.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Strategic Research Leadership: Opportunity to define and lead the user research strategy for the consumer division.

• Process & Operations Development: Design and implement research operations, repositories, and best practices.

• FinTech Specialization: Deepen expertise in the unique challenges and opportunities within the financial technology sector.

• Cross-Functional Mentorship: Learning from and mentoring colleagues across product, design, and data disciplines.

• Industry Conferences & Training: Potential for participation in relevant conferences and specialized training programs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are framed as opportunities for growth and impact, particularly for a senior individual looking to shape a function. The mention of AI-enabled research highlights a forward-looking aspect of professional development.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach building a user research capability from the ground up within a consumer-focused product team?" (Focus on process, stakeholder buy-in, and early wins.)

• "Describe a time you had to influence a product decision with research findings that went against stakeholder expectations. How did you approach it?" (Demonstrate persuasion, data-driven arguments, and collaboration.)

• "How do you combine qualitative research insights with quantitative data (e.g., A/B test results, product analytics) to inform product strategy?" (Showcase mixed-methods expertise and strategic thinking.)

• "What are your thoughts on leveraging AI in user research, and how would you explore its application at Riverty?" (Assess forward-thinking and adaptability.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Riverty and the FinTech industry, specifically in consumer financial services?" (Research Riverty's mission, values, and recent news. Connect to your passion for user-centric FinTech.)

• "How do you foster a human-centered culture within cross-functional teams?" (Discuss advocacy, education, and collaborative methods.)

• "Describe your experience working in agile environments and collaborating with product managers and engineers." (Highlight adaptability and teamwork.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Case Studies: For each project, clearly define:

  1. The Challenge: What was the business or user problem?
  2. Your Role & Approach: What was your specific contribution and the methodologies you chose?
  3. The Insights: What key findings did you uncover?
  4. The Impact: How did your research influence decisions, and what were the outcomes? (Quantify if possible.)

• Be Ready to Deep Dive: Expect detailed questions on your methodology choices, synthesis process, and how you translated insights into action.

• Demonstrate Strategic Thinking: Show how your research contributed to broader product goals and long-term strategy, not just isolated feature improvements.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation emphasizes strategic thinking, impact measurement, and collaborative skills, which are critical for a senior role. Preparing specific examples for each question type will be crucial.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior User Researcher position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on SmartRecruiters.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight keywords from the job description, focusing on your extensive experience in qualitative and quantitative research, product strategy influence, mixed-methods application, and collaboration with product/data teams. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 strong case studies that best demonstrate your end-to-end research process, strategic impact, and ability to drive user-centric decisions in product development. Ensure it's easily accessible (e.g., via a link).

• Prepare for Portfolio Presentation: Practice walking through your chosen case studies, focusing on narrative, insights, and demonstrable impact. Be ready to answer in-depth questions about your methodology and decision-making.

• Research Riverty: Understand their mission, target audience, and the FinTech landscape. Prepare thoughtful questions about their current research practices, challenges, and future vision for user-centered design.

⚠️ 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.