Senior UX Researcher

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX Researcher

Company: InvestEngine

Location: London, United Kingdom

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: User Experience (UX) Research

Date Posted: 2026-06-04T12:42:38

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

Remote Status: Remote OK

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the foundational development of InvestEngine's UX research practice, establishing a robust framework for evidence-based product decision-making.

• Drive the planning, execution, and synthesis of user research initiatives, including concept validation, prototype testing, and usability studies for critical product flows.

• Partner cross-functionally with Product Design, Product Management, Marketing, and Compliance teams to elevate research quality and define company-wide evidence standards.

• Implement and manage a lightweight, scalable research operations model, encompassing participant recruitment, toolset selection, and repository management.

• Leverage advanced AI tools to enhance research workflows, including transcription, synthesis, and analysis, while rigorously maintaining research integrity.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a "founding-researcher" role, indicating a high degree of autonomy and strategic input. The emphasis on building a practice from scratch and partnering across departments suggests a senior individual contributor with strong influence and leadership potential within the research domain.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Strategic Research Planning & Execution: Design and conduct comprehensive UX research studies (concept tests, prototype tests, usability studies, journey-level research) to validate key product initiatives and inform design decisions before development.

• Evidence Standard Setting: Define and champion the benchmark for "good enough evidence" within the product organization, ensuring all significant design decisions and product launches are rigorously informed by user research findings.

• Research Operations Model Development: Establish and maintain a streamlined, scalable research operations model, including efficient participant recruitment processes, consent management, standardized interview guides, templating, and a centralized research repository.

• Post-Release Evaluation: Conduct systematic post-launch checks of key customer journeys to assess task success, comprehension, usability, and friction points, feeding actionable insights back into iterative design improvements.

• Research Quality Assurance: Proactively identify and address weaknesses or biases in research methodologies, challenge unsupported conclusions, and ensure transparency regarding the scope and limitations of research evidence.

• Cross-Functional Research Quality Partnership: Act as a research quality advisor to Marketing, Product, and Compliance teams, offering guidance on study design, reviewing research approaches, and helping to establish cohesive evidence standards across the entire organization.

• Toolset Management & Optimization: Select, implement, and maintain the core UX research toolset, including repositories and workflows, to ensure an effective and efficient research practice.

• AI-Powered Research Enhancement: Actively integrate and apply AI tools to optimize research workflows, focusing on improving transcription accuracy, synthesis efficiency, and analytical capabilities while upholding stringent research quality and rigor.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of hands-on research execution and strategic operational development. The emphasis on "setting the evidence bar" and acting as a "research quality partner" indicates a senior individual expected to influence organizational practices beyond just conducting research.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong foundation in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, or a related field is highly beneficial for understanding user behavior and research methodologies.

Experience:

• Minimum of 6 years of hands-on experience in User Experience (UX) Research, Product Research, or Design Research roles.

• Experience building and scaling UX research practices within high-growth startups or scale-ups is highly desirable.

• Experience running UX research in a UK-regulated fintech, financial services business, or another regulated consumer-facing environment is preferred. Required Skills:

• Deep UX Research Expertise: Profound knowledge and practical application of moderated usability testing, prototype testing, concept validation, in-depth user interviews, task-based studies, and journey-level research.

• Research Operations Acumen: Proven ability to build lightweight research operations, establish participant recruitment pipelines, develop research standards, and implement effective ways of working.

• Methodology & Quality Focus: Strong understanding of research methodology, participant screening, rigorous study design, bias identification techniques, and ensuring high-quality, actionable evidence.

• Quantitative Reasoning & Survey Design: Proficient in survey design, with a strong grasp of statistical concepts like sample sizes, segmentation, and interpreting quantitative findings accurately.

• AI Tool Integration: Demonstrable experience in successfully integrating AI tools into research workflows to enhance efficiency and insights.

• Independent Operation: Comfort and proven ability to operate autonomously, take ownership, and establish a new UX research practice from inception.

• Financial Domain Understanding: Good understanding of investing principles, ETFs, personal finance, and the behavioral aspects of financial decision-making, with the capacity to apply this context to research design and interpretation.

• Communication & Stakeholder Management: Excellent communication skills with a proven ability to manage stakeholders effectively and constructively challenge weak or unsupported evidence.

• English Fluency: C1 level or above, essential for regular communication within the UK-based team.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience integrating research tooling and workflows with design tools like Figma.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for 6+ years of experience, coupled with the "founding-researcher" aspect, signifies a role demanding significant autonomy and strategic foresight. The emphasis on financial domain understanding and AI integration are key differentiators for this role.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Case Studies of Research Impact: Showcase detailed case studies demonstrating how your UX research directly influenced product design decisions, led to measurable improvements in user experience, and contributed to business objectives.

• Research Operations Framework Examples: Provide examples or documentation of research operations models you have built or improved, highlighting recruitment strategies, repository structures, and standardized workflows.

• Methodology & Study Design Documentation: Include examples of research plans, study designs, and interview guides that demonstrate a rigorous approach to methodology and bias mitigation.

• Evidence Synthesis & Reporting: Showcase how you synthesize complex qualitative and quantitative data into clear, actionable insights and compelling reports or presentations for diverse stakeholders.

• AI Integration Demonstrations: If possible, include examples or descriptions of how you've leveraged AI tools within your research process, detailing the tools used and the benefits achieved.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Evidence of designing and optimizing end-to-end research workflows, from initial planning and participant recruitment to data analysis and reporting.

• Implementation & Automation Methods: Examples of how you've implemented research processes and utilized tools (including AI) to automate tasks and improve efficiency.

• Measurement & Performance Analysis: Demonstrate how you measure the effectiveness of research initiatives and the impact of research findings on product outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given this is a founding role, the portfolio should emphasize the ability to build research capabilities, not just execute them. Examples of establishing processes, defining standards, and demonstrating strategic impact will be crucial.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: For a Senior UX Researcher with 6+ years of experience in London, UK, the estimated salary range is typically between £65,000 to £90,000 per annum. This estimate is based on industry benchmarks for senior-level UX research roles in the UK tech and fintech sectors, considering the cost of living in London and the specific demands of a founding researcher role.

Benefits:

• Meaningful Impact: Opportunity to drive significant impact from day one by shaping the company's product direction through foundational research.

• Growth & Development: Ample opportunities for career expansion, responsibility growth, and influencing the long-term strategic direction of the company as it scales.

• Transparent & Open Culture: Work within an environment that prioritizes open communication, clear decision-making, and collaborative dialogue across all business functions.

• Supportive & Expert Team: Collaborate with highly skilled professionals who are experts in their respective fields, fostering a knowledge-sharing and supportive atmosphere.

• Remote-First & Flexible Working: Embrace a flexible work model focused on results rather than rigid hours, trusting individuals to manage their time effectively to achieve goals.

Working Hours: The role is described as "Remote first and flexible," with a focus on results rather than rigid hours. A standard full-time week is typically considered 40 hours, but the company culture encourages autonomy in managing one's schedule to deliver effectively.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimation is based on typical UK market rates for senior UX Researchers in London, considering the fintech industry and the "founding" nature of the role. Benefits are directly extracted from the provided text and framed for operations relevance.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Technology (Fintech), specifically focused on modern investing platforms offering automation and value for long-term investors. InvestEngine operates in a competitive space requiring innovation, trust, and user-centric design.

Company Size: InvestEngine has a passionate team and has already achieved significant milestones (£2.5 billion invested). While not explicitly stated as a number, the description implies a scale-up phase, moving beyond a small startup but still maintaining agility and a lean team structure. This means operations professionals will likely experience a dynamic environment with opportunities to influence processes.

Founded: InvestEngine has built a "strong foundation," suggesting it is past its initial startup phase and has established market presence and product-market fit. The focus is now on scaling.

Team Structure:

• Design Team Embedding: The Senior UX Researcher will be embedded within the Design team, working closely with Product Designers and Product Managers.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The role requires significant partnership with Marketing, Product, and Compliance teams, acting as a research quality partner. This indicates a highly collaborative GTM and product development structure.

• Lean & Agile Operations: The "lean, fast-moving team" description suggests an operational philosophy that values speed, ownership, and transparency, with minimal bureaucracy.

Methodology:

• Evidence-Based Decision Making: A core methodology is to "raise the overall quality of evidence used in product decision-making," emphasizing data and user insights.

• Iterative Design & Validation: The focus on testing concepts before building, validating after release, and running post-release checks highlights an iterative approach to product development.

• Problem Solving at the Root: The company culture emphasizes "solving problems at the root, not just treating the symptoms," indicating a preference for deep analysis and systemic solutions.

Company Website: https://careers.investengine.com

📝 Enhancement Note: The company context suggests a dynamic, growth-oriented fintech environment where operations professionals can make a tangible impact. The emphasis on data-driven decisions and cross-functional collaboration is key for anyone entering this GTM or product operations space.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is classified as "Senior UX Researcher," signifying a mid-to-senior level individual contributor. It's a foundational role, meaning the individual will be instrumental in shaping the research practice, which offers significant scope for leadership and influence.

Reporting Structure: The Senior UX Researcher will be embedded in the Design team. While direct reporting lines aren't specified, it's likely they will report to a Head of Design, Head of Product, or a similar senior leadership role overseeing product development.

Operations Impact: The Senior UX Researcher's impact is centered on ensuring product development is user-centric and data-informed. This directly influences product adoption, customer satisfaction, and ultimately, the stability and growth of InvestEngine's investment platform by validating offerings and identifying friction points.

Growth Opportunities:

• Practice Leadership: As the founding researcher, there's a clear path to evolve into a Research Lead or Head of UX Research, building and managing a research team as the company scales.

• Strategic Influence: Opportunity to significantly influence product strategy by shaping the evidence base for key decisions and establishing research standards across the company.

• Skill Specialization & Expansion: Potential to deepen expertise in specific research areas, expand into related fields like product analytics or user research operations, or take on broader product strategy responsibilities.

• Fintech Domain Expertise: Develop deep knowledge within the regulated fintech space, becoming a valuable asset in a high-growth industry.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "founding-researcher" aspect is critical here. It implies a growth trajectory from establishing a practice to potentially leading it, with significant opportunities to shape operational processes and strategic direction within the product organization.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: While the role is "Remote first and flexible," the company has a physical presence at 47-51 Great Suffolk St, London, SE1 0BS. This suggests a hybrid-friendly approach where remote work is the default, but office-based collaboration or team events are possible.

Office Location(s): The primary office is located in London, United Kingdom (SE1 0BS), a central hub for businesses and talent in the UK.

Workspace Context:

• Remote-First Flexibility: The work environment prioritizes flexibility, allowing individuals to manage their work location and schedule, focusing on output and results.

• Collaborative Tools & Technology: Expect access to and utilization of modern collaboration tools and a relevant technology stack (e.g., Figma integration, AI tools) to support remote and cross-functional teamwork.

• Team Interaction: While remote, the culture emphasizes "open dialogue" and "collaboration across every part of the business," suggesting regular virtual meetings, asynchronous communication channels, and potentially occasional in-person gatherings.

Work Schedule: The company emphasizes "results, not rigid hours, and trust you to manage your time effectively." This indicates a flexible work schedule, accommodating different working styles while ensuring productivity and project delivery within the UK time zone (Europe/London).

📝 Enhancement Note: The "remote-first" nature combined with a London office presence implies a need for strong asynchronous communication skills and self-discipline, while still offering opportunities for in-person connection if desired.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

1. Introductory Call (Talent Team): An initial screening to assess general fit, motivation, and basic qualifications.

2. **Competency