Senior UX Researcher/ Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX Researcher / Designer

Company: Genio

Location: Leeds, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: User Experience (UX) / Product Design Operations

Date Posted: September 23, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead foundational generative research to uncover deep, evidence-based insights into learner needs, behaviors, and unmet problems within ambiguous, early-stage problem spaces.

• Establish and maintain continuous discovery practices to ensure ongoing understanding of the target user.

• Apply rigorous, structured research methodologies, including study design, sampling strategies, and bias mitigation, to ensure the validity and reliability of findings.

• Translate complex research insights into elegant, accessible, and production-ready user experience design solutions, contributing approximately 30% of your capacity to direct design delivery.

• Foster a culture of research maturity by collaborating closely with and mentoring colleagues, particularly within the Learning Experience (LX) division.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the role is "Senior UX Researcher/Designer," the focus on foundational research and translating insights into design suggests a strong emphasis on the "operations" of the UX process – ensuring repeatable, scalable research practices and efficient design implementation. The "IC4" career track typically indicates an individual contributor role with significant autonomy and expected impact.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead exploratory and foundational generative research initiatives to build a comprehensive, evidence-based understanding of the learner audience, their motivations, pain points, and desired outcomes.

• Develop and implement robust research infrastructure, including a centralized research repository and knowledge base, to ensure insights are compounded and accessible over time.

• Design and execute studies using a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods, such as interview design, diary studies, Jobs-to-be-Done frameworks, and segmentation research, with a strong emphasis on methodological rigor and bias mitigation.

• Collaborate closely with Product Management, UX Design, and Growth Marketing teams to effectively share generative insights, influencing strategic decisions, product roadmaps, and commercial positioning.

• Dedicate approximately 30% of your time to hands-on user experience design, translating research findings into high-quality, simple, elegant, and accessible design solutions that align with the company's design system.

• Work in partnership with the Lead UX Designer to manage and balance design and research capacity across product squads, ensuring efficient resource allocation.

• Mentor and guide fellow team members to enhance research capabilities and raise the overall research maturity within the Learning Experience division.

• Ensure all research and design outputs adhere to accessibility standards, including WCAG guidelines, to cater to diverse user needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on building research infrastructure (repository, knowledge base) and compounding insights over time highlights the operational aspect of research, aiming for long-term efficiency and impact. The ~30% design delivery requirement indicates a need for operational efficiency in translating research into tangible product features.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• A Bachelor's or Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Design, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. Experience:

• 5-10 years of progressive experience in UX research and/or UX design, with a significant portion focused on foundational, generative research in early-stage product development.

• Proven track record of successfully defining and executing research strategies that have directly influenced product strategy and delivered measurable business impact.

• Experience working within a startup-like environment or a dedicated innovation unit within a larger organization, demonstrating adaptability and comfort with ambiguity. Required Skills:

• Generative Research Expertise: Deep understanding and practical application of foundational research methods, including interview design, diary studies, sacrificial concepts, prototyping, Jobs-to-be-Done frameworks, and segmentation research.

• Methodological Rigour & Bias Mitigation: Proven ability to apply structured study design, sampling strategies, and bias mitigation techniques with high precision. Skill in developing synthesis frameworks that transform raw data into actionable insights.

• Hands-on Design Delivery: Demonstrated ability to translate research insights into high-quality, elegant, and shippable user experience design solutions, proficient in utilizing design systems.

• Accessibility Standards: Experienced in designing and researching inclusively to meet WCAG standards for diverse access requirements, ensuring products are usable by all.

• Collaboration & Mentorship: Passionate about knowledge sharing, mentoring peers to enhance research maturity, and providing direct, empathetic feedback to foster team growth.

• Cross-Functional Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate complex research findings and design rationale to diverse stakeholders, including Product Managers, engineers, and marketing teams.

Preferred Skills:

• AI-Driven Experiences: Familiarity with researching and designing for AI-mediated interactions, focusing on user control, trust-building, and balancing AI visibility.

• AI Tool Integration: Intentional and effective use of AI tools within research and design practice for tasks such as synthesis, prototyping, or accelerating exploration.

• Agile/Scrum Methodologies: Experience working within an Agile development framework, understanding iterative design and research cycles.

• Data Analysis Tools: Proficiency with analytics platforms or tools that can complement qualitative research findings.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "IC4" designation and the blend of deep research and hands-on design suggest a candidate who can operate with significant autonomy but also contribute directly to product output, requiring a strong operational understanding of the entire UX lifecycle. The emphasis on mentorship points to an individual who can scale their impact beyond their own work.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Case Studies Highlighting Generative Research: Showcase 2-3 detailed case studies that demonstrate your ability to lead foundational generative research from problem definition through to actionable insights and strategic recommendations.

• Design Translation Examples: Include examples within your case studies or as separate pieces, illustrating how you translated research findings into tangible, user-centered design solutions. Highlight the problem, your insight, the design solution, and the impact.

• Methodological Documentation: Provide evidence of your structured approach to research design, including study plans, sampling strategies, and how you mitigated potential biases.

• Accessibility Integration: Demonstrate examples where accessibility was a core consideration in your research and design process, referencing WCAG standards where applicable.

• Collaboration and Impact: Portray how you collaborated with cross-functional teams (Product, Engineering, Marketing) and the impact of your work on product direction or business outcomes.

Process Documentation:

• Research Process Workflows: Clearly articulate your approach to defining research objectives, planning studies, recruiting participants, conducting research, analyzing data, and synthesizing findings.

• Design Process Integration: Detail how your design process integrates with research findings, from ideation and wireframing to prototyping and high-fidelity design, with a focus on iterative development based on user feedback.

• Knowledge Management: Explain how you would contribute to building and maintaining a research repository or knowledge base to ensure insights are discoverable and reusable by the wider team.

• Cross-Functional Communication Protocols: Outline how you ensure effective communication and buy-in from stakeholders throughout the research and design lifecycle.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio for this role must not only showcase finished products but also the process behind them, emphasizing the operational rigor of research and design. Demonstrating how insights are systematically generated, documented, shared, and translated into actionable design is crucial.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: £69,000 - £81,000 per annum, dependent upon experience.

Benefits:

• Generous Leave: 33 days annual leave (inclusive of bank holidays) plus 3 gifted days off at Christmas.

• Equity: EMI Share Options Scheme, offering participation in the company's success.

• Professional Development: A generous individual learning and training allowance to support continuous skill enhancement and career growth.

• Work-Life Balance: Truly flexible working hours to accommodate personal needs and optimize productivity, alongside a hybrid working model.

• Home Office Support: A full home working setup provided, and access to a beautiful, collaborative office space in Leeds.

• Commuting Convenience: Free parking at the Leeds City Centre office.

• Global Mobility: Nomad working policy supported by family travel insurance, allowing for international work arrangements.

• Enhanced Family Leave: 26 weeks fully paid maternity leave and 4 weeks fully paid paternity leave.

• Health & Wellness: Health cash plan covering expenses from glasses to massages.

• Retirement: 6% employer pension contribution.

Working Hours: The role offers truly flexible hours, allowing individuals to work when they are most productive, with an estimated standard full-time commitment of 40 hours per week.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is competitive for a Senior UX role in Leeds, reflecting the dual expertise in research and design, and the early-stage, high-impact nature of the LX division. The extensive benefits package underscores the company's commitment to employee well-being and work-life integration, which are critical operational considerations for attracting and retaining top talent.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology / Education Technology (EdTech) / SaaS. Genio operates within the established business context of a larger entity, functioning as a "zero to one" startup focused on Learner Experience (LX). This dual nature offers the stability of an established company with the agility and innovation drive of a startup.

Company Size: Genio is presented as a "fully-funded zero to one startup within our established business." While the exact size of Genio is not specified, the parent company's size and reach would be relevant. The LX division itself is likely a growing, focused team.

Founded: The founding date of Genio as a startup within the established business is not specified, but the parent company's founding would provide historical context. The startup's focus is on building new learner experiences.

Team Structure:

• Reporting Line: You will report directly to the Chief Product Officer (CPO), indicating a high level of strategic oversight and influence.

• Daily Collaboration: You will work closely with the Lead UX Designer to coordinate design and research capacity.

• Cross-Functional Squads: Daily collaboration will occur with Learning Experience Product Managers, Technical Leads, the Growth Marketing Lead, and the broader Learning Experience division, forming agile product squads.

• Mentorship Focus: A key aspect of the role involves mentoring colleagues to raise research maturity, suggesting a collaborative and supportive team environment.

Methodology:

• Continuous Discovery: Emphasis on establishing continuous discovery practices to ensure ongoing user understanding.

• Evidence-Based Understanding: A strong commitment to building deep, evidence-based insights to guide product development.

• Agile & Iterative: The "startup-style team" and collaboration within squads suggest an agile and iterative approach to product development, where research and design are integral to rapid prototyping and learning.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: The role's core function is to provide data (insights) to shape decisions, product directions, and commercial conversations.

Company Website: https://genio.co/ (This is a placeholder; the actual Genio company website would be inserted here if available.)

📝 Enhancement Note: The "zero to one startup within our established business" model implies a culture that values innovation, rapid iteration, and user-centricity, while benefiting from the resources and stability of a larger organization. The LX division's focus suggests a mission-driven team passionate about improving learning experiences.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: IC4 (Individual Contributor, Level 4). This level typically signifies a senior individual contributor who is expected to operate with a high degree of autonomy, drive significant projects, and influence technical or product direction within their domain. For this role, it means independently leading complex research initiatives and contributing significantly to design output, while also acting as a mentor.

Reporting Structure: You will report directly to the Chief Product Officer (CPO). This high-level reporting line provides direct exposure to executive leadership and strategic decision-making processes. Day-to-day coordination will be with the Lead UX Designer.

Operations Impact: This role has a direct impact on product strategy and execution. By providing foundational generative insights, you will shape what Genio builds before design work begins. Your ability to translate these insights into shippable designs will directly influence the learner experience, user adoption, and potentially commercial success metrics of the LX division. The focus on building research infrastructure also creates a lasting operational impact by compounding knowledge and improving efficiency for future initiatives.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership in Research & Design: Opportunity to become a go-to expert and leader in UX research and design within the LX division, potentially shaping the future of the team's methodologies.

• Strategic Influence: Direct access to the CPO and involvement in early-stage product strategy offers significant opportunities to influence the direction of a new venture.

• Skill Expansion: Deepen expertise in AI-driven experiences and AI tool integration through hands-on work and company support.

• Mentorship & Team Development: Develop leadership and coaching skills by mentoring colleagues, contributing to team growth and research maturity.

• Career Progression: Potential to move into more senior individual contributor roles (e.g., Principal UX Researcher/Designer) or transition into management roles as the LX division scales.

📝 Enhancement Note: The IC4 level combined with direct reporting to the CPO suggests a role with substantial responsibility and opportunity for strategic impact. The blend of research depth and design execution offers a unique growth path for professionals who excel in both areas, with a clear operational mandate to build sustainable UX practices.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid with a "beautiful collaborative office space" in Leeds acting as the primary hub. The company also supports remote workers across the UK, with provisions for those more than 50 miles away. This indicates a flexible, modern work environment that values both in-person collaboration and remote flexibility.

Office Location(s): The primary collaboration hub is in Leeds City Centre, offering convenience with free parking. Remote support is available for UK-based employees.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The Leeds office is designed for collaboration, suggesting an environment conducive to brainstorming, workshops, and team sprints.

• Remote Flexibility: Acknowledgment of remote work needs, implying a culture that trusts employees to manage their time and work effectively from home, supported by provided equipment.

• Technology Enablement: Provision of a "full home working set up" indicates investment in ensuring employees have the necessary tools to be productive regardless of location.

• Team Interaction: While hybrid, the emphasis on in-person collaboration several times a year for remote employees, and the office hub, ensures opportunities for direct team interaction, knowledge sharing, and building rapport.

Work Schedule: The company offers "truly flexible hours" to suit individual productivity peaks and personal needs, with an implied standard full-time workload. This flexibility is a key operational aspect, allowing individuals to manage their time effectively around research cycles, design sprints, and personal commitments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model with a strong emphasis on a collaborative office hub, coupled with flexible hours, creates an operational framework designed to maximize both focused work and team synergy. This environment is well-suited for roles requiring deep concentration (research, design) and collaborative problem-solving.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Likely a brief call with a recruiter to assess basic qualifications, cultural fit, and salary expectations.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A more in-depth conversation with the Chief Product Officer (CPO) or Lead UX Designer to discuss your experience, approach to research and design, and strategic thinking.

• Portfolio Presentation & Case Study: A core part of the process will involve presenting 1-2 detailed case studies from your portfolio. Be prepared to walk through your research process, design decisions, and the impact of your work. Expect to discuss your methodology, challenges faced, and how you overcame them.

• Skills Assessment / Practical Exercise: Potentially a take-home exercise or a live design/research challenge focused on a hypothetical learner problem. This will assess your practical application of research methods and design skills.

• Team Interviews: You may meet with other members of the LX team (Product Managers, other Designers, Engineers) to assess collaboration style and cultural fit.

• Final Round: Possibly a final discussion with senior leadership to confirm alignment on strategic vision and role expectations.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Process, Not Just Polish: While visuals are important, emphasize the why and how behind your work. Detail your research methodology, participant selection, data synthesis, and iterative design process.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the impact of your research and design decisions. This could include improvements in user engagement, task completion rates, conversion rates, or reduction in support tickets.

• Showcase Generative Research: Highlight specific examples where your foundational research directly uncovered unmet needs and shaped product strategy from its inception.

• Address Ambiguity: Be prepared to discuss how you approach ambiguous or ill-defined problems, demonstrating your comfort with early-stage exploration.

• Accessibility Integration: Clearly articulate how accessibility was integrated into your design and research process, referencing relevant standards like WCAG.

• Tailor to Genio: Research Genio's mission and the LX division's goals. Frame your case studies to show how your skills and experience align with their specific needs and challenges.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Learner Persona: If a challenge is given, thoroughly analyze the provided persona or problem statement for the learner audience.

• Articulate a Research Plan: Be ready to outline a research plan, including objectives, methodologies, participant criteria, and key questions you would seek to answer.

• Demonstrate Design Thinking: Show your ability to quickly ideate, sketch, and prototype potential solutions based on hypothetical insights.

• Justify Decisions: Be prepared to explain the rationale behind your research choices and design decisions, linking them back to user needs and business goals.

• Time Management: Practice working within time constraints if a live exercise or take-home task is involved.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "foundational generative research" and "ambiguous, early-stage problem spaces" means interviewers will be looking for a strategic thinker who can operate independently and build understanding from the ground up, not just execute on defined requirements. The portfolio must clearly demonstrate this capability.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• UX Research Tools: Proficiency with tools for conducting user interviews (e.g., Zoom, Google Meet), usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, Maze), diary studies, and survey creation (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Typeform, Qualtrics).

• Prototyping & Design Tools: Strong skills in industry-standard design and prototyping software such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, or InVision.

• Design Systems: Experience working with and contributing to design systems to ensure consistency and efficiency in design delivery.

• Collaboration Platforms: Familiarity with tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Jira, Confluence for team communication and project management.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Insight Synthesis Tools: Experience with tools or methodologies for synthesizing qualitative data (e.g., affinity mapping, thematic analysis).

• Basic Analytics Familiarity: While not a primary focus, an understanding of how to interpret quantitative data from analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Amplitude) to complement research findings would be beneficial.

CRM & Automation:

• N/A (Not directly relevant to UX Research/Design role): This section is typically more relevant for Sales/Revenue Operations roles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core technology stack will revolve around UX research and design tools. The mention of "AI-Driven Experiences" and "AI Tool Integration" suggests a forward-thinking approach, and familiarity with AI tools that can assist in synthesis, ideation, or prototyping would be a significant advantage.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and advocating for the learner, ensuring their needs are at the forefront of all product decisions.

• Curiosity & Exploration: A drive to explore ambiguous problems, ask "why," and uncover novel insights that lead to breakthrough solutions.

• Methodological Rigor: A dedication to applying sound research principles and structured processes to ensure the reliability and validity of insights.

• Collaboration & Inclusivity: Valuing diverse perspectives, working effectively across teams, and fostering an environment where everyone's contributions are respected and leveraged.

• Impact & Delivery: A focus on translating insights into tangible, shippable product features that deliver real value to learners.

• Continuous Improvement: A mindset of learning, iterating, and striving to enhance both the product and the team's processes.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Seamless collaboration with Product Management, UX Design, and Growth Marketing to ensure research and design efforts are aligned with broader business objectives.

• Open Communication: Encouraging direct, empathetic feedback and open dialogue to foster a healthy and productive working relationship.

• Knowledge Sharing: Proactively sharing insights, best practices, and learnings across the team and wider organization to build collective intelligence.

• Mentorship and Support: A culture where senior members actively mentor and support junior colleagues, contributing to overall team development and research maturity.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values emphasize a blend of scientific rigor in research and agile execution in design, all driven by a user-centric mission. The collaborative style is designed to break down silos and ensure that insights effectively inform product development.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Ambiguity: Operating in an early-stage, "zero to one" environment means dealing with ill-defined problems and evolving priorities. The challenge is to bring structure and clarity through research.

• Balancing Research Depth and Design Speed: The ~30% design allocation requires efficiently translating deep research insights into actionable designs without compromising quality or speed.

• Scaling Research Infrastructure: Building and maintaining a robust research repository and knowledge base requires ongoing effort and discipline to ensure it remains a valuable asset.

• Driving Research Maturity: Mentoring colleagues who may have varying levels of research experience presents a challenge in raising overall team research maturity effectively.

• Integrating AI Responsibly: If AI becomes a significant part of the product, the challenge will be researching and designing AI interactions that are trustworthy, controllable, and genuinely beneficial to learners.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into Learner Experience: Gain extensive expertise in the specific needs, behaviors, and challenges of the target learner audience.

• AI in UX: Develop cutting-edge skills in researching and designing AI-powered user experiences, a rapidly evolving field.

• Strategic Product Influence: Grow your ability to influence product strategy at the executive level through direct reporting to the CPO.

• Leadership & Mentorship: Hone your leadership and coaching skills by mentoring team members and contributing to the growth of the LX division.

• Advanced Research & Design Methodologies: Opportunity to experiment with and refine advanced research techniques and design patterns within a supportive environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are inherent to an innovative, early-stage environment, presenting significant opportunities for personal and professional growth. The company actively supports learning, particularly in emerging areas like AI.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you led foundational generative research in an ambiguous, early-stage problem space. What was your process, what did you learn, and how did those insights shape the product?" (Focus: Generative Research, Ambiguity Navigation, Impact)

• "How do you balance the need for deep, rigorous research with the demands of rapid product development and design delivery? Can you provide an example where you had to make trade-offs?" (Focus: Operational Efficiency, Research-to-Design Translation)

• "Imagine you've discovered a significant unmet need for our learners. How would you go about validating this insight, prioritizing it, and translating it into a design solution?" (Focus: Insight Validation, Prioritization, Design Process)

• "How do you ensure your research and design processes are inclusive and meet accessibility standards like WCAG? Can you share an example?" (Focus: Accessibility, Inclusive Design)

• "Describe your approach to building and maintaining a research repository or knowledge base. What are the key elements, and how do you ensure its ongoing value?" (Focus: Research Operations, Knowledge Management) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Genio and specifically our Learner Experience division?" (Focus: Motivation, Alignment with Mission)

• "How do you approach mentoring junior colleagues or raising research maturity within a team?" (Focus: Collaboration, Leadership Potential)

• "Given our hybrid work model, how do you ensure effective collaboration and communication with both in-office and remote team members?" (Focus: Adaptability, Communication Skills)

• "How do you stay updated on the latest trends in UX research, design, and potentially AI-driven experiences?" (Focus: Continuous Learning, Industry Awareness) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly define the problem, your role, your process (research & design), the key insights, the solution, and the measurable impact.

• Highlight Your Operational Rigor: Emphasize the structure of your research plans, your sampling strategies, how you synthesized data, and how you translated insights into design.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals for your research artifacts (e.g., interview guides, personas, journey maps) and design deliverables (e.g., wireframes, mockups, prototypes).

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about your methodology, why you chose certain tools or methods, how you handled challenges, and what you would do differently.

• Connect to Genio: Frame your experiences to demonstrate how they directly address the needs and challenges outlined in the job description, particularly regarding learner experience and early-stage product development.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interviews will assess not only your technical UX skills but also your strategic thinking, operational efficiency in research and design, and your ability to operate autonomously and collaboratively in a growing startup environment. Be ready to discuss your process and impact in detail.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior UX Researcher / Designer position:

• Submit your application through the Genio careers portal via the provided link.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight experience in generative research, early-stage product development, and hands-on design delivery. Use keywords from the job description such as "foundational research," "Jobs-to-be-Done," "WCAG," "design systems," and "mentorship." Quantify achievements where possible.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 case studies that best showcase your ability to lead generative research, translate insights into elegant designs, and work effectively in cross-functional teams. Ensure your portfolio clearly demonstrates your process, methodological rigor, and impact. Prepare to present these case studies concisely and engagingly.

• Prepare for Behavioral & Situational Questions: Review common interview questions for senior UX roles and practice articulating your approach to research strategy, design problem-solving, collaboration, and mentorship. Consider how you would handle the specific challenges of an early-stage startup.

• Research Genio & the LX Division: Understand Genio's mission, its place within the broader business, and the specific goals of the Learner Experience division. This will help you tailor your answers and demonstrate genuine interest.

⚠️ 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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