Sr Lead UX Researcher

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Sr Lead UX Researcher

Company: Cox Enterprises

Location: Atlanta, GA, United States

Job Type: Full time

Category: User Experience Research / Product Development Operations

Date Posted: 2026-09-11

Experience Level: 10+ years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead enterprise-level research systems, governance, and strategy to drive significant business impact across multiple product portfolios.

• Architect and implement AI-native research workflows and tools to enhance efficiency and expand research capabilities.

• Serve as an organizational authority on research methodology, setting standards for quality, ethics, and privacy.

• Lead high-complexity initiatives, synthesizing insights from diverse sources to influence strategic product investments and SVP-level decisions.

• Partner closely with Research Operations to scale research practices, manage vendor relationships, and optimize tooling.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a "Sr Manager - Non People Leader," indicating a senior individual contributor role focused on strategic leadership and expertise rather than direct people management. The emphasis on "enterprise-level" and "multi-portfolio" research suggests a broad scope of influence and responsibility for establishing foundational research practices and frameworks across Cox Automotive.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Architect enterprise-level research systems, including taxonomies, sampling frameworks, and insight lifecycle management to ensure standardized and scalable research operations.

• Lead multi-portfolio research programs, synthesizing data from various sources to inform strategic product investments and identify enterprise-wide user problems, patterns, and opportunities.

• Establish and enforce enterprise-wide standards for research quality, ethics, privacy, and governance to maintain integrity and compliance.

• Develop and implement AI-native research tools, advanced evaluation methods, and automation pipelines to accelerate research cycles and enhance insight generation.

• Collaborate with Research Operations on governance, research frameworks, panel strategy, vendor selection, and tooling decisions to optimize research scalability and efficiency.

• Drive alignment and communication across product, design, analytics, and engineering teams, fostering a data-driven culture.

• Develop and deliver internal research curriculum and training programs for research practitioners, enhancing overall research capability within the organization.

• Review and approve methodologies for high-risk or high-visibility initiatives, ensuring robust and reliable research outcomes.

• Build and maintain longitudinal insight systems to track trends and user behavior over extended periods, providing long-term strategic direction.

• Oversee the architecture, metadata, and organizational discoverability of the insight repository, ensuring accessibility and utility of research findings.

• Champion and shape the culture of research excellence across Cox Automotive, defining mechanisms to measure research quality enterprise-wide.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a strategic, systemic approach to UX research, moving beyond individual project execution to building the infrastructure and processes that enable research at scale. The inclusion of "AI-native research tools" and "automation pipelines" highlights a forward-thinking approach to research operations.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field required. Advanced degree strongly preferred. Experience:

• 10+ years of applied research experience.

• Demonstrated success shaping research strategy for large enterprises.

• Experience mentoring and developing Lead and Senior-level researchers. Required Skills:

• Mastery across all core user research methods and advanced techniques, including qualitative and quantitative approaches.

• Expertise in multi-source synthesis, longitudinal studies, and enterprise framework development for robust insight generation.

• Excellent communication and persuasion skills, with a proven ability to influence at executive (SVP) levels.

• Deep understanding of Cox Automotive's product ecosystems, customer journeys, and the automotive industry landscape.

• Strong business literacy and the ability to connect research insights directly to P&L (Profit & Loss) outcomes.

• Proven ability to manage complex cross-functional alignment initiatives involving diverse stakeholders.

• Expert-level understanding of privacy, compliance, and ethical research constraints.

• Highly skilled in behavioral analytics, experimentation, and complex modeling for data-driven decision-making.

• Proficiency in using general-purpose LLM (Large Language Model) tools to analyze user behavior, identify patterns, and prioritize opportunities.

• Experience leveraging AI to accelerate discovery, experimentation, development, and recommend improvements throughout the product design process. Preferred Skills:

• Experience in developing and implementing AI-supported research workflows.

• Familiarity with Research Operations (ResearchOps) principles and practices.

• Skills in building and managing insight repositories and knowledge management systems.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "Mastery across all core user research methods and advanced techniques" coupled with "10+ years of applied research experience" signifies a highly senior and specialized role. The emphasis on AI and LLM tools indicates a need for candidates who are forward-thinking and adept at integrating new technologies into research practices.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrations of architecting and implementing enterprise-level research systems, frameworks, or taxonomies.

• Case studies showcasing the development and execution of multi-portfolio research programs with significant business impact.

• Examples of establishing and enforcing research quality, ethics, and governance standards across an organization.

• Evidence of designing and utilizing AI-native research tools or automation pipelines to enhance research efficiency.

• Documentation of successful cross-functional alignment and influence on strategic product investments at an executive level. Process Documentation:

• Detailed explanations of how you have designed and managed insight lifecycle management processes.

• Examples of building and maintaining longitudinal insight systems and their impact on strategic decision-making.

• Documentation illustrating collaboration with Research Operations on scaling practices, vendor management, or tooling integration.

• Case studies detailing how research findings were translated into actionable product improvements with measurable ROI.

• Examples of developing internal research curriculum or training programs for research practitioners.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio for this role must go beyond showcasing individual research projects. It needs to demonstrate strategic thinking, system design, and the ability to influence at an enterprise level, particularly in areas like AI integration and governance.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• The anticipated base pay range for this position is $148,500.00 - $247,500.00 USD per year.

• 📝 Enhancement Note: This salary range is based on the provided compensation details. The final salary will be determined by factors such as the candidate's ultimate work location, their specific knowledge, skills, and abilities, and may be adjusted based on regional cost of living and market benchmarks for senior-level UX Research roles in major metropolitan areas like Atlanta. This range is competitive for a Sr. Lead position in a large enterprise.

Benefits:

• Health care insurance (medical, dental, vision)

• Retirement planning (401(k))

• Flexible vacation with pay

• Seven paid holidays

• Up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually

• Bereavement leave

• Time off to vote

• Jury duty leave

• Volunteer time off

• Military leave

• Parental leave Working Hours:

• Standard work hours are typically 40 hours per week, with flexibility for hybrid work arrangements.

• 📝 Enhancement Note: While the core work week is 40 hours, the role's senior and strategic nature may require occasional flexibility to accommodate executive workshops, critical project deadlines, or global team coordination. The hybrid model allows for remote work, but significant travel (up to 15%) is expected for executive workshops and ecosystem research.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Automotive Technology & Services. Cox Automotive operates at the intersection of automotive retail, technology, and data, transforming how the world buys, owns, and uses vehicles. This industry context implies a need for researchers who understand complex ecosystems and diverse customer segments (consumers, dealers, fleet managers).

Company Size: Large enterprise. Cox Enterprises is a major global company, and Cox Automotive is a significant division. This size suggests a structured environment with established processes but also opportunities for broad impact and influence.

Founded: Cox Enterprises was founded in 1898, bringing a long history and deep roots. Cox Automotive itself has evolved through various acquisitions and integrations, indicating a dynamic and continuously developing landscape.

Team Structure:

• The role is within the Engineering / Product Development group, specifically as a "Sr Manager - Non People Leader" in User Experience Research.

• This implies a matrixed reporting structure where the Sr Lead UX Researcher will likely report to a Director or VP of Product Development or UX, while collaborating extensively with Product Managers, Designers, Engineers, and Analytics teams across various "portfolios" (business units or product lines) within Cox Automotive.

• The role is expected to mentor senior researchers, indicating a leadership position within the research community, even without direct reports. Methodology:

• The role emphasizes architecting "enterprise-level research systems, governance, and strategy," suggesting a focus on building scalable, standardized, and robust research processes.

• A strong emphasis is placed on "AI-native research tools, evaluation methods, and automation pipelines," indicating a commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology for efficiency and effectiveness.

• The position requires "multi-source synthesis, longitudinal studies, and enterprise frameworks," pointing towards a sophisticated, data-driven approach to understanding user behavior and market trends over time.

Company Website: https://www.coxenterprises.com/ | https://www.coxauto.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's focus on transforming the automotive industry through technology implies a culture that values innovation, data-driven decision-making, and cross-functional collaboration. The "Sr Manager - Non People Leader" title is key to understanding the leadership expectations – strategic influence and expertise, not direct team management.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role represents a senior individual contributor path within UX Research, often referred to as a "Principal" or "Lead" individual contributor. It's a strategic leadership role focused on shaping the direction and capabilities of research across a large organization, influencing product strategy and operational excellence in research.

Reporting Structure: The Sr Lead UX Researcher reports into a management level within Engineering/Product Development, likely a Director or VP. They will work closely with various product teams, design leaders, and potentially Research Operations leads, requiring strong collaboration and influence without direct authority over these teams.

Operations Impact: The impact of this role is significant and enterprise-wide. By architecting research systems, informing strategic product investments, and influencing SVP-level decisions, the Sr Lead UX Researcher directly contributes to the success of Cox Automotive's products, customer experiences, and ultimately, its P&L outcomes. The focus on AI and automation also positions them to drive operational efficiency and innovation within the research function.

Growth Opportunities:

• Strategic Leadership: Opportunity to become the foremost authority on UX research strategy and methodology within Cox Automotive, shaping the future of how the company understands its users.

• Skill Development: Deepen expertise in AI-driven research, complex modeling, and enterprise-scale research operations, staying at the forefront of the UX research field.

• Mentorship & Influence: Develop leadership skills through mentoring senior researchers and influencing cross-functional leaders and executives, building a strong reputation and network.

• Industry Recognition: Potential to contribute to industry best practices through thought leadership, presentations, or publications stemming from the innovative work at Cox Automotive.

• Career Progression: Path may lead to Principal Researcher roles, Head of UX Research (if people management becomes a focus later), or strategic advisory roles within product development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Non People Leader" designation is crucial. Growth here is about increasing scope, strategic influence, technical depth, and mentorship impact, rather than managing a team. This is a highly valued path for senior individual contributors in operations and product development.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid. This role offers the flexibility to work remotely part of the week, balancing in-office collaboration with remote productivity.

Office Location(s): Primarily based in Atlanta, GA, with a specific address at 6305 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd Bldg B. The company also has a broad presence across the US, indicated by "Cox Automotive - USA" and multiple derived locations.

Workspace Context:

• The hybrid model suggests a modern workspace designed for both focused individual work and collaborative team sessions. Expect access to standard office amenities, meeting rooms equipped for hybrid collaboration, and potentially specialized research labs or studios.

• The role requires close interaction with product, design, engineering, and analytics teams, fostering a highly collaborative environment.

• Access to advanced technology and tools, including AI platforms and research software, will be essential for executing the responsibilities. Work Schedule:

• The role is designated as "Day" shift, typically aligning with standard business hours.

• A 40-hour work week is standard, but the hybrid nature and potential for significant travel (15%) mean the schedule can be dynamic, requiring adaptability.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid environment and significant travel indicate a need for self-discipline, strong time management, and excellent remote communication skills, alongside the ability to effectively engage in-person for key strategic meetings and workshops.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Likely a recruiter or hiring manager call to assess basic qualifications, experience alignment, and interest.

• Technical/Deep Dive Interviews: Multiple rounds focusing on UX research methodology, strategic thinking, AI integration experience, and enterprise-level problem-solving. Expect behavioral questions and scenario-based challenges.

• Portfolio Presentation: A critical stage where candidates present their work, focusing on strategic impact, system design, and influencing executive decisions. Prepare 2-3 in-depth case studies.

• Cross-Functional Stakeholder Interviews: Meetings with potential collaborators from Product, Design, Engineering, and Analytics to assess collaboration style and ability to drive alignment.

• Executive/Leadership Interview: A final interview with senior leadership (potentially SVP level) to evaluate strategic vision, business acumen, and overall fit for influencing enterprise decisions.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Strategy and Systems: Showcase how you've architected research systems, shaped enterprise strategy, and implemented governance. Don't just show individual studies; demonstrate the framework and impact of your systemic approach.

• Highlight AI Integration: Clearly articulate how you've used AI, LLMs, or automation in your research processes – what problems did it solve, what efficiencies were gained, and what was the impact?

• Demonstrate Executive Influence: Present case studies where your insights directly influenced strategic investments or major product decisions, detailing how you communicated with and persuaded executive stakeholders.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the business impact of your work (e.g., P&L improvements, cost savings, revenue growth, efficiency gains from automation).

• Showcase Mentorship: Include examples of how you've mentored or developed other researchers, illustrating your leadership capabilities within the research community.

Challenge Preparation:

• Enterprise Research System Design: Be prepared to discuss how you would design or improve a research system for a large, complex organization like Cox Automotive, considering aspects like taxonomy, governance, and scalability.

• AI in Research Scenarios: Anticipate questions about how to leverage AI for specific research challenges, such as synthesizing large datasets, identifying emerging trends, or automating reporting.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Practice articulating how you would gain buy-in and drive alignment for research initiatives across diverse departments with competing priorities.

• Ethical & Privacy Considerations: Be ready to discuss how you ensure research is conducted ethically and in compliance with privacy regulations, especially in an enterprise context.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily weigh strategic thinking, enterprise-level impact, and the ability to leverage advanced technologies like AI. A strong portfolio demonstrating these capabilities is paramount.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• UX Research Platforms: Tools for survey creation, participant recruitment, usability testing, and qualitative data analysis.

• AI & LLM Tools: General-purpose LLMs (e.g., for text analysis, summarization), potentially specialized AI tools for user behavior analysis, pattern identification, and insight generation.

• Data Analysis & Modeling Software: Tools for statistical analysis, complex modeling, and behavioral analytics (e.g., R, Python libraries, SPSS, specialized analytics suites).

• Experimentation Platforms: Tools for A/B testing, multivariate testing, and experimental design.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics Tools: (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics) for understanding user behavior on digital platforms.

• BI & Dashboarding Tools: (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, Looker) for visualizing research data, tracking trends, and communicating insights to stakeholders.

• Data Warehousing & SQL: Proficiency in querying and analyzing data from enterprise data warehouses.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: (e.g., Salesforce) for understanding customer data and segmentation.

• Workflow Automation Tools: Tools that might integrate with research processes to automate tasks or data pipelines.

• Insight Repositories/Knowledge Management Systems: Platforms for organizing, storing, and making research findings accessible across the organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency with AI and LLM tools is a specific and critical requirement. Beyond standard UX research tools, candidates must demonstrate experience integrating advanced technologies into their research workflows to accelerate discovery and analysis.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: A core value likely emphasized, where all strategic and product decisions are supported by robust, evidence-based insights derived from user research.

• Customer Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and advocating for the user throughout the product development lifecycle, ensuring solutions meet real needs.

• Innovation & Future-Forward Thinking: A culture that encourages exploring new methodologies, technologies (like AI), and approaches to research to stay ahead in the evolving automotive industry.

• Collaboration & Partnership: Strong emphasis on working effectively across diverse teams (Product, Design, Engineering, Analytics, Research Ops) to ensure research insights are integrated seamlessly into the product development process.

• Excellence & Rigor: A commitment to high standards in research quality, ethics, and methodology, ensuring the reliability and trustworthiness of insights generated.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: The role requires proactive engagement with teams across product development, fostering a collaborative environment where research is seen as an integral partner, not an isolated function.

• Influence and Persuasion: A style that relies on clear communication, compelling data, and strategic partnership to influence decisions and drive consensus among stakeholders at all levels, including executive leadership.

• Mentorship and Knowledge Sharing: A culture of sharing best practices, developing junior and senior researchers, and fostering continuous learning within the research community.

• Process Improvement Orientation: An ongoing effort to refine and optimize research processes, tools, and methodologies to increase efficiency, scalability, and impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values highlight a blend of technical expertise, strategic thinking, and strong interpersonal skills. Candidates should be prepared to demonstrate how they embody these values in their work and interactions.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Scaling Research Across a Large Enterprise: Implementing consistent, high-quality research practices across multiple diverse product portfolios within a large organization can be complex due to varying team maturity, priorities, and existing processes.

• Integrating AI Effectively and Ethically: Developing and deploying AI-native research tools and workflows requires careful consideration of data privacy, ethical implications, potential biases, and ensuring AI augments, rather than replaces, human judgment.

• Driving Executive Alignment and Influence: Persuading senior leadership (SVP level) to prioritize and act upon research insights requires exceptional communication, business acumen, and the ability to translate complex findings into clear strategic recommendations with demonstrable ROI.

• Maintaining Research Quality with Scale and Automation: Ensuring that increased efficiency through automation and AI doesn't compromise the depth, rigor, or ethical standards of research.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced AI in Research: Deepen expertise in applying AI and LLMs to complex research problems, potentially exploring custom model development or advanced AI-driven analytics.

• Enterprise Strategy & Governance: Gain extensive experience in designing and implementing large-scale operational systems, governance frameworks, and strategic planning for research functions.

• Leadership & Mentorship: Hone leadership skills through mentoring senior researchers and influencing organizational culture and strategic direction.

• Industry Best Practices: Stay at the forefront of UX research innovation, potentially contributing to industry standards or best practices through work on cutting-edge methodologies and technologies.

• Cross-Functional Acumen: Enhance understanding of product development, business strategy, and P&L management through close collaboration with diverse business units.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are inherent to a senior, strategic role in a large enterprise. The opportunities focus on pushing the boundaries of research practice, particularly with AI, and developing influential leadership capabilities.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your experience architecting enterprise-level research systems. What were the key components, challenges, and outcomes?" (Prepare to discuss taxonomies, governance, insight lifecycle management).

• "How have you leveraged AI or LLMs in your UX research practice? Provide specific examples of tools, methods, and the impact on efficiency or insight quality."

• "Walk me through a time you influenced an SVP-level decision with research insights. What was your approach, and what was the result?"

• "How would you approach setting research quality and ethical standards across multiple product portfolios in a large enterprise like Cox Automotive?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "Based on your understanding of Cox Automotive, what do you see as the biggest UX challenges or opportunities, and how would research address them?"

• "How do you foster collaboration between research, product, design, and engineering teams?"

• "Describe your philosophy on mentoring senior researchers and developing research talent."

• "How do you measure the impact and quality of research within an organization?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Begin with an executive summary of your role and the strategic context. Then, dive into 2-3 detailed case studies, ensuring each highlights a strategic initiative, your system design, AI/automation use, influence, and measurable impact.

• Emphasis on Systems & Strategy: For each case study, clearly articulate the "system" you built or influenced, the strategic problem it solved, and how it scaled or improved research operations.

• AI/LLM Integration: Dedicate specific slides or sections within your case studies to showcase your application of AI/LLMs, detailing the technology, the process, and the benefits derived.

• Executive Communication: Practice articulating your findings and recommendations concisely and persuasively, as if presenting to an executive audience. Focus on business outcomes and strategic implications.

• Q&A Readiness: Be prepared to answer in-depth questions about your methodologies, decision-making processes, and how you would apply your experience to Cox Automotive's specific challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: Your portfolio presentation is your primary tool for demonstrating strategic impact. Focus on systems, AI integration, and executive influence, using quantifiable results where possible.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided Workday link.

• Tailor your resume: Highlight your experience in enterprise-level research strategy, AI/LLM tool utilization, research governance, and influencing executive stakeholders. Quantify achievements related to process improvement, scalability, and business impact.

• Prepare your portfolio: Curate 2-3 in-depth case studies that clearly demonstrate your expertise in architecting research systems, leading multi-portfolio initiatives, and leveraging AI. Focus on strategic outcomes and executive influence.

• Research Cox Automotive: Understand their business, product ecosystems, and current industry trends. Consider how your expertise in UX research and AI can contribute to their transformation goals.

• Practice your presentation: Rehearse your portfolio walkthrough, focusing on clear, concise communication of strategic impact, system design, and AI integration, as if presenting to senior leadership.

⚠️ 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.