Senior UX Researcher

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX Researcher

Company: Global Payments Inc.

Location: Texas - Remote (United States)

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: User Experience Research / Product Design

Date Posted: December 18, 2025

Experience Level: 6+ years

Remote Status: Remote Solely

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive user-centered product design and strategy through comprehensive qualitative and quantitative UX research initiatives.

• Establish and nurture strong stakeholder relationships across Product, Engineering, Sales, and Support to gather participant access and disseminate critical user insights.

• Translate complex business requirements and technical constraints into actionable research plans and methodologies.

• Conduct rigorous user research, including interviews, surveys, field visits, and usability testing, to uncover deep user needs and behaviors.

• Develop key user artifacts such as personas, user journeys, and workflows to effectively communicate user understanding to product teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Senior UX Researcher, indicating a need for an experienced individual capable of not only executing research but also mentoring junior team members and championing UX research practices across the organization. The emphasis on translating business requirements into research initiatives and communicating findings to diverse audiences highlights a strategic component to the role beyond pure research execution.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Champion the strategic value of UX Research by implementing and promoting effective research tools and processes across the Design Organization.

• Build and maintain robust relationships with key internal stakeholders to facilitate research participant recruitment and ensure widespread dissemination of user insights.

• Elicit, clarify, and translate business objectives and product constraints into well-defined research questions and study designs.

• Execute a variety of qualitative research methods, including in-depth stakeholder and user interviews, contextual inquiries, surveys, field visits, and both moderated and unmoderated usability testing.

• Synthesize research findings into compelling user personas, detailed user journey maps, and clear workflow diagrams to foster a shared understanding of end-user needs and behaviors.

• Present research findings, actionable insights, and strategic recommendations to diverse audiences, including executive leadership, product teams, and engineering, through clear written documentation and impactful oral presentations.

• Partner closely with Product Managers and Designers to prioritize research findings, ensuring they are integrated into product roadmaps and design iterations within a fast-paced development cycle.

• Proactively engage with cross-functional teams to anticipate potential user challenges and identify opportunities for novel research methods and innovative solutions.

• Mentor and guide less experienced UX Researchers, providing support on research approaches, methodologies, and skill development to foster team growth.

• Stay current with emerging industry trends, best practices in user experience research, and new methodologies, actively promoting research knowledge and its application within the team and broader organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly outline a senior-level role requiring leadership in research methodology, stakeholder management, and mentorship. The expectation to "promote research within the team" and "keep abreast of industry trends" suggests a proactive role in shaping the UX research function at Global Payments Inc.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

Required Skills:

• Demonstrated expertise in research design, encompassing a broad spectrum of qualitative methods such as foundational research, contextual inquiries, persona development, user journey mapping, surveys, and various forms of usability studies (e.g., moderated, unmoderated, remote, in-person).

• Proficiency with remote research platforms and tools such as User Interviews, UserTesting.com, Maze, Lookback, or similar, for conducting effective distributed research.

• Ability to make informed, data-driven decisions and adapt research strategies based on a clear understanding of business objectives, user needs, and project constraints.

• Exceptional time management and project prioritization skills, with the capacity to effectively manage multiple concurrent research projects and adapt to shifting priorities in a dynamic environment.

• Proven collaborator and team player, adept at working effectively within cross-functional teams and fostering positive working relationships.

• Strong observational and analytical skills to interpret user behavior and identify patterns and insights.

Preferred Skills:

• Master’s degree or higher in a relevant field (e.g., HCI, Psychology, Anthropology) to deepen theoretical understanding and research expertise.

• 6-8 years of specialized work experience in user experience, Human-Computer Interaction, or product design research, with a focus on complex product ecosystems.

• Familiarity with analytics tools such as Google Analytics, Pendo, Amplitude, or similar, to complement qualitative insights with quantitative user behavior data.

• Experience conducting field research and ethnographic studies in real-world user environments.

• Knowledge of design thinking principles and agile development methodologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for a Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience, coupled with a minimum of 6 years of relevant work, firmly places this role at a senior level. The emphasis on both qualitative and quantitative research methods, along with specific tool proficiencies, indicates a need for a well-rounded researcher. The preferred qualifications further suggest an ideal candidate will have advanced degrees and experience with analytics platforms.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a diverse range of UX research projects, demonstrating end-to-end research execution from planning and participant recruitment to analysis and reporting.

• Case studies that clearly articulate research objectives, methodologies employed, key findings, and the tangible impact of research insights on product design decisions and business outcomes.

• Evidence of creating and utilizing user artifacts such as personas, journey maps, and user flows to effectively communicate user understanding to cross-functional teams.

• Demonstrations of how research findings have influenced product strategy, feature development, or user experience improvements, highlighting problem-solving skills and strategic thinking.

Process Documentation:

• Deliverables that clearly document the research process, including research plans, study protocols, participant screening criteria, and data collection instruments.

• Examples of synthesized research findings, presented in formats suitable for various audiences, such as detailed reports, executive summaries, or compelling presentations.

• Evidence of iterative research cycles, showing how feedback and findings were incorporated into subsequent design or research phases.

• Documentation illustrating collaboration with designers and product managers to translate research insights into actionable design recommendations and product requirements.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior UX Researcher, a portfolio is crucial. It needs to go beyond simply listing projects; it should tell a story of impact. Candidates should be prepared to detail their process, demonstrate how they adapted methodologies, and quantify the business value derived from their research. This includes showing how they translated raw data into actionable insights that directly influenced product strategy or design.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Based on industry benchmarks for Senior UX Researchers in remote US positions, particularly in Texas, a competitive salary range is estimated between $110,000 and $150,000 annually. This estimate considers factors such as the required 6+ years of experience, the senior level of the role, the remote work arrangement, and the company's standing in the financial technology sector.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance: Coverage for employees and eligible dependents, often with multiple plan options.

• Retirement Savings Plan: Including 401(k) with company match, designed to support long-term financial security.

• Paid Time Off (PTO): Generous vacation, sick leave, and paid holidays to ensure work-life balance.

• Life and Disability Insurance: Providing financial protection for employees and their families.

• Professional Development Opportunities: Including access to training, conferences, and educational resources to support career growth in UX research.

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Confidential counseling and support services for personal and work-related challenges.

• Stock Purchase Plan: Opportunity to invest in the company's growth.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time hours, typically 40 hours per week.

• Flexibility may be offered for arranging work schedules, with the understanding that collaboration with teams across different time zones may necessitate some adjusted hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the remote nature and the Senior level of this role, the salary range is estimated based on current market data for comparable positions in the US. Benefits are typical for a large, established corporation like Global Payments Inc., with a focus on comprehensive support for employees and their families, as well as professional growth.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Technology (FinTech) / Payments Solutions. Global Payments Inc. operates at the intersection of finance and technology, providing essential payment processing and technology solutions to businesses worldwide. This industry demands innovation, security, reliability, and a deep understanding of customer needs.

Company Size: Global Payments Inc. is a large, publicly traded company with a significant global presence, employing over 600 million cardholders and serving millions of companies and financial institutions. This scale implies robust infrastructure, established processes, and a diverse workforce.

Founded: Founded in 1967, Global Payments Inc. (formerly TSYS) has a long history in the payments industry, evolving significantly with technological advancements. This longevity suggests stability, experience, and a deep understanding of market dynamics.

Team Structure:

• The Senior UX Researcher will be part of the Design Organization, working within a team that likely includes other UX researchers, UX designers, UI designers, and potentially UX writers.

• This role will report to a Design Lead or Director of UX Research, with a dotted line reporting or close collaboration with Product Management and Engineering leads.

Methodology:

• Data-driven decision-making is paramount in FinTech; the UX Research team will leverage both qualitative insights and quantitative data from analytics tools to inform product strategy and design.

• A user-centered design methodology will guide product development, with UX Research acting as a critical input at various stages of the product lifecycle, from discovery to iteration.

• Emphasis will likely be placed on agile research practices, enabling rapid iteration and timely delivery of insights in a fast-paced development environment.

Company Website: https://www.globalpaymentsinc.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: As a large, established player in the FinTech space, Global Payments Inc. likely has a culture that balances innovation with rigorous processes and a strong emphasis on security and compliance. The UX Research team plays a vital role in ensuring that complex financial products are user-friendly and meet the diverse needs of their global customer base.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is firmly positioned as a Senior Individual Contributor within the UX Research discipline. It signifies a level of expertise where the individual is expected to lead research initiatives independently, mentor junior colleagues, and contribute to the strategic direction of UX research within the organization. The scope includes complex projects and influencing product strategy.

Reporting Structure: The Senior UX Researcher will likely report to a Manager or Director of UX Research within the Design Organization. They will collaborate closely with Product Managers, Designers, and Engineering Leads on specific product teams, acting as the primary research expert for those initiatives.

Operations Impact: The impact of this role is significant, directly influencing the usability, desirability, and effectiveness of Global Payments' product suite. By providing deep user insights, this researcher will help reduce product development risks, improve customer satisfaction, drive user adoption, and ultimately contribute to increased revenue and market competitiveness. Their work will shape how millions of users interact with critical financial services.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership in Research: Opportunity to lead larger, more complex research programs, define new research methodologies, and establish best practices for the UX Research team.

• Specialization: Potential to specialize in specific product areas (e.g., merchant services, consumer payments, B2B solutions) or research methodologies (e.g., advanced analytics integration, generative research).

• Mentorship & Team Development: Formalize mentoring responsibilities, contributing to the growth and development of junior researchers and shaping the overall skill set of the research team.

• Cross-functional Influence: Expand influence across product strategy, contributing to roadmap planning and advocating for user-centricity at higher organizational levels.

• Management Track: For those interested in management, this senior role can serve as a stepping stone to a Lead UX Researcher or Manager of UX Research position, overseeing a team and its strategic direction.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior" title implies a significant level of autonomy and strategic input. Growth opportunities are geared towards deepening expertise, taking on leadership responsibilities, and influencing the broader product development lifecycle within a large enterprise.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: While the position is listed as "Remote Solely," it's important to understand that Global Payments Inc. is a large corporation with established office locations. The remote work arrangement indicates a commitment to distributed teams, likely supported by robust digital collaboration tools and policies.

Office Location(s): Although remote, the primary derived location is Texas, United States. The company has a significant presence in multiple locations globally, including various offices across the US. This means there will be colleagues and teams operating from different physical locations, requiring strong virtual collaboration.

Workspace Context:

• The remote work environment necessitates a high degree of self-discipline, proactive communication, and effective use of digital collaboration tools (e.g., Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Miro, Figma).

• Researchers will have access to a suite of digital tools for research execution, data analysis, and presentation, supported by the company's IT infrastructure.

Work Schedule:

• The base is a 40-hour work week, but the remote nature may offer some flexibility in daily scheduling.

• However, due to the global nature of Global Payments Inc. and potential collaboration with teams in different time zones, some flexibility and willingness to adjust working hours for crucial meetings or project deadlines will be expected.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote nature of this role means the candidate must be comfortable working independently, with a strong emphasis on asynchronous communication and digital collaboration tools. Understanding the company's broader office presence provides context for potential future hybrid opportunities or company-wide events.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review applications and resumes to assess basic qualifications and experience.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A conversation with the hiring manager to discuss your background, motivations, and fit with the team and role. This stage will likely delve into your approach to UX research and your understanding of the product domain.

• Portfolio Review & Presentation: A dedicated session where you will present 2-3 key UX research projects from your portfolio. Be prepared to discuss your process, the challenges you faced, your insights, and the impact of your work. This is a critical stage for assessing your practical skills and communication abilities.

• Skills-Based Interview/Case Study: This may involve a practical exercise or a discussion around a hypothetical research problem. You might be asked to outline a research plan, discuss methodologies, or interpret sample data to assess your problem-solving and analytical skills.

• Cross-functional Stakeholder Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers, Designers, and/or Engineers to evaluate your collaboration style, ability to influence, and how you integrate research into product development workflows.

• Final Interview: Potentially with a senior leader within the Design or Product organization to confirm overall fit and strategic alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 2-3 projects that best showcase your senior-level capabilities, diverse methodologies, and demonstrable impact on product outcomes. Tailor your selection to the specific requirements of this role.

• Focus on Impact: For each project, clearly articulate the business problem, your research objectives, the methodologies you used, your key findings, and the concrete actions taken based on your insights. Quantify impact where possible (e.g., "led to a 15% increase in task completion rate," "informed a feature redesign that reduced support tickets by 10%").

• Highlight Your Process: Explain your thought process, how you made decisions about research methods, and how you navigated challenges or constraints. Show your understanding of the trade-offs between different approaches.

• Tell a Story: Structure your presentations like a narrative, guiding the interviewers through the problem, your journey of discovery, and the resolution or impact.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your methods, data analysis, and recommendations. Be ready to discuss alternative approaches you considered.

Challenge Preparation:

• Research Plan Design: Practice outlining a comprehensive research plan for a given product or feature, including objectives, target users, methodologies, timeline, and key deliverables.

• Methodology Justification: Be ready to defend your choice of research methods, explaining why a particular approach is suitable for a given problem and user group.

• Data Interpretation: Practice analyzing mock data (e.g., survey results, usability test findings) and synthesizing them into actionable insights.

• Stakeholder Communication: Prepare examples of how you would communicate sensitive or challenging research findings to different stakeholders (e.g., product managers, engineers, executives).

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to assess not only research skills but also strategic thinking, collaboration, and communication. A strong portfolio that clearly demonstrates impact and a well-articulated research process are paramount. The case study or practical exercise will likely focus on problem-solving within the FinTech domain.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Remote Research Platforms: User Interviews, UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze, Respondent.io (for participant recruitment and moderated/unmoderated testing).

• Collaboration & Whiteboarding: Miro, Mural, Figma (for collaborative ideation, journey mapping, and synthesizing research findings).

• Survey Tools: Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey, Google Forms (for quantitative data collection and user surveys).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web/Product Analytics: Google Analytics, Pendo, Amplitude, Mixpanel (for understanding user behavior patterns, tracking feature adoption, and measuring impact).

• Data Visualization: Tableau, Power BI (potentially used for presenting quantitative data alongside qualitative insights).

CRM & Automation:

• While not a primary focus, understanding how CRM data (e.g., Salesforce) or customer feedback platforms might inform research questions could be beneficial.

• Familiarity with project management tools like Jira or Asana for tracking research tasks and collaborating with product teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency with a range of remote research tools is essential. Experience with analytics platforms is a strong plus, as it indicates an ability to connect qualitative insights with quantitative user behavior data, a crucial skill for driving impactful product decisions in a data-driven organization like Global Payments Inc.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and advocating for the end-user, ensuring products are intuitive, useful, and valuable.

• Data-Driven Insights: Valuing rigorous research and analysis to inform decisions, moving beyond assumptions to evidence-based strategies.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: Fostering an environment where cross-functional teams work together seamlessly, sharing knowledge and expertise to achieve common goals.

• Innovation & Continuous Improvement: Encouraging exploration of new methodologies, technologies, and approaches to elevate the user experience and product offerings.

• Integrity & Security: Upholding the highest standards of data privacy, security, and ethical conduct, especially critical in the financial services industry.

Collaboration Style:

• Partnership-Oriented: Working closely with Product Management and Design to ensure research is integrated early and often into the product development lifecycle.

• Consultative: Acting as a trusted advisor to stakeholders, providing objective insights and strategic recommendations based on user data.

• Transparent: Clearly communicating research plans, findings, and limitations to ensure alignment and buy-in from all relevant parties.

• Knowledge Sharing: Actively participating in team discussions, sharing learnings, and contributing to the collective growth of the UX Research practice.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture at Global Payments Inc. likely emphasizes professionalism, a strong work ethic, and a commitment to delivering reliable and secure financial solutions. For a UX Researcher, this translates to a need for meticulous research, clear communication, and a focus on how user experience directly impacts business objectives and customer trust.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Complex Financial Products: Understanding and researching intricate financial services and payment systems requires a steep learning curve and the ability to translate complex concepts into user-friendly experiences.

• Balancing Research Rigor with Fast-Paced Development: In an agile environment, ensuring sufficient depth of research while meeting tight deadlines is a constant challenge.

• Influencing Stakeholders Across Diverse Teams: Gaining buy-in and driving action from various departments (e.g., Engineering, Marketing, Sales) who may have different priorities or levels of UX understanding.

• Remote Collaboration at Scale: Maintaining strong team cohesion and effective collaboration across a globally distributed workforce requires deliberate effort and sophisticated communication strategies.

• Measuring Long-Term Impact: Demonstrating the ROI of UX research beyond immediate project improvements, and linking it to broader business metrics over time.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Research Methodologies: Opportunities to learn and implement cutting-edge research techniques, such as generative AI in research, advanced ethnographic methods, or sophisticated diary studies.

• Domain Expertise: Deepen knowledge in specific areas of FinTech, such as payment processing, fraud prevention, or digital banking, becoming a subject matter expert.

• Leadership Development: Access to training and mentorship programs focused on leadership, strategic influence, and team management for those aspiring to higher-level roles.

• Industry Conferences & Certifications: Support for attending leading UX research conferences (e.g., UXRConf, CHI) and pursuing relevant certifications to enhance skills and professional network.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Opportunities to collaborate with and learn from experts in Product Management, Engineering, Data Science, and Business Strategy.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are typical for a senior role in a large, complex industry. The growth opportunities highlight a supportive environment for continuous learning and career advancement, catering to both technical specialization and leadership aspirations.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to influence a product roadmap or design decision with your research findings. What was the situation, your approach, and the outcome?" (Focus on your ability to translate insights into strategic action and stakeholder management.)

• "How do you prioritize research requests when multiple stakeholders have urgent needs? Walk us through your process for managing competing demands." (Demonstrate your time management, prioritization, and negotiation skills.)

• "Imagine we are launching a new feature for our mobile payment app. How would you approach researching its usability and user adoption?" (Outline a research plan, including methodologies, target users, and key metrics, showcasing your strategic thinking.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Global Payments Inc. and the FinTech industry?" (Research the company's mission, recent news, and products. Connect your interest to their business objectives and the impact of UX.)

• "How do you see UX research contributing to the success of a company like ours, which operates in a highly regulated and competitive financial services market?" (Show you understand the unique challenges and opportunities in FinTech UX.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly define the problem, your role, the research questions, the methods used, key findings, and the impact. Use a consistent framework.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals – mockups, journey maps, key quotes, even short video clips (if appropriate and anonymized) – to bring your research to life.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, present metrics related to the impact of your research (e.g., improved conversion rates, reduced error rates, increased user satisfaction scores).

• Be Prepared for Questions: Anticipate questions about your methodology choices, how you handled challenges, and what you would do differently.

• Connect to Global Payments: If possible, subtly tie your examples to aspects of Global Payments' business or user base, showing you've thought about their specific context.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating senior-level strategic thinking, robust methodological knowledge, strong communication, and a proven ability to drive product impact. Your portfolio is your primary tool for showcasing these capabilities.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior UX Researcher position:

• Submit your application through the Global Payments Inc. careers portal via the provided link.

• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your resume and portfolio are tailored to highlight your experience in qualitative and quantitative research, stakeholder management, and driving product impact, particularly within complex or regulated industries if possible. Select 2-3 projects that best showcase your senior-level capabilities and relevance to Global Payments Inc.

• Resume Optimization: Clearly articulate your years of experience, specific research methodologies used, tools proficiency, and quantifiable achievements. Use keywords from the job description such as "UX Research," "Qualitative Research," "Usability Testing," "Stakeholder Engagement," and "Product Strategy."

• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio projects, focusing on the narrative, your process, and the impact of your work. Prepare to discuss your approach to research strategy, collaboration, and problem-solving, especially in the context of FinTech.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research Global Payments Inc., its products, its mission, and recent news. Understand the FinTech landscape and how UX research contributes to success in this industry. Prepare thoughtful questions for the interviewers.

⚠️ 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.

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