Sr. Staff UX Researcher

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Sr. Staff UX Researcher

Company: Lilly

Location: Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: User Experience Research / Design Operations

Date Posted: 2026-08-11

Experience Level: 10+ Years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead complex, multi-stream UX research initiatives across digital products, services, and patient experiences within the healthcare ecosystem.

• Drive product and experience strategy by identifying critical knowledge gaps and translating user insights into actionable recommendations for product, design, engineering, clinical, and business leaders.

• Develop and mature the UX research practice by coaching other researchers and partners, establishing robust research standards, and creating scalable, efficient approaches for evidence generation and utilization.

• Act as a strategic partner, influencing key decisions through evidence-based insights and proactive identification of systemic patterns and strategic opportunities across diverse user populations and product lines.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role, while titled "Sr. Staff UX Researcher," aligns closely with advanced roles in Design Operations or Research Operations due to its emphasis on maturing the practice, coaching others, establishing standards, and developing scalable processes. The focus on influencing strategy and working in complex, regulated environments within a large pharmaceutical company suggests a need for strong strategic thinking and operational excellence beyond individual study execution.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Spearhead complex, multi-stream research initiatives that span multiple products, platforms, services, or therapeutic areas, ensuring alignment with high-impact decision-making needs.

• Define and shape overarching research strategy by identifying critical knowledge gaps, prioritizing high-value user questions, and aligning research efforts with product, business, and user outcomes.

• Translate ambiguous or poorly defined requests into clear decision frameworks, guiding teams to articulate what needs to be learned, its strategic importance, and how the resulting evidence should be integrated into product development.

• Select and apply appropriate qualitative, quantitative, or mixed research methods, ensuring methodological rigor and fit-for-purpose based on decision risk, timelines, product maturity, and existing evidence.

• Establish an appropriate level of research rigor for each decision context, balancing the need for speed and depth with confidence in the evidence to support sound product and business choices.

• Design and implement ethical, accessible, and unbiased research approaches that minimize participant burden while ensuring validity, inclusivity, and adherence to regulatory compliance standards.

• Synthesize complex data from multiple sources into clear, decision-ready insights, implications, and actionable recommendations that directly influence product direction and experience strategy.

• Proactively connect research findings across studies, products, timeframes, and user populations to identify systemic patterns, unmet user needs, and strategic opportunities for innovation.

• Influence product, design, engineering, clinical, and business leaders by effectively communicating research findings and their implications to diverse audiences, including senior executive leadership.

• Act as a trusted strategic partner to cross-functional leaders, shaping decisions through evidence, insightful framing, and deep understanding, rather than relying on formal authority.

• Coach and mentor other UX researchers and cross-functional partners to enhance their research rigor, methodological judgment, synthesis quality, and effectiveness in communicating evidence.

• Drive improvements in organizational research maturity by identifying gaps in methods, tools, standards, and processes, and leading practical initiatives that scale research impact.

• Develop reusable frameworks, playbooks, templates, and knowledge management systems to enhance consistency, efficiency, and overall quality of research activities across various teams.

• Advance the responsible adoption of AI and emerging technologies within research workflows, ensuring appropriate human oversight, methodological integrity, and ethical application.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a significant strategic and leadership component. The emphasis on "maturing the UX research practice," "coaching others," and "driving practical improvements that scale impact" suggests a role that contributes to the operational excellence and strategic direction of the UX research function within Lilly, not just executing individual research projects. This includes developing scalable methodologies and knowledge systems, which are core to operational efficiency.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Cognitive Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology, Design, Behavioral Science, or a closely related field.

Experience: 8+ years of progressive, hands-on UX research experience supporting digital products, services, platforms, or complex workflows, with a strong track record of influencing product and business decisions.

Required Skills:

• Deep expertise in qualitative research methodologies, including user interviews, ethnographic studies, usability testing, and contextual inquiry.

• Proficient in quantitative research methods such as surveys, A/B testing, statistical analysis, and data modeling to derive actionable insights.

• Advanced proficiency in mixed-methods research design and execution, integrating qualitative and quantitative data for comprehensive understanding.

• Strong research judgment and the ability to select the appropriate level of methodological rigor for diverse decision contexts, balancing speed, depth, and confidence.

• Exceptional ability to synthesize complex, multi-source data into clear, concise, and decision-ready insights, implications, and actionable recommendations.

• Systems thinking capability, with a proven ability to connect insights across products, user populations, and broader business priorities to identify systemic patterns and strategic opportunities.

• Demonstrated product and business acumen, understanding how research insights translate into tangible business value and strategic direction.

• Comfort navigating ambiguity, framing ill-defined problems, and developing structured approaches for exploration and problem-solving.

• Proven ability to influence decisions without direct authority, building trust and credibility with cross-functional stakeholders, including senior leadership.

• Executive-level communication, storytelling, and presentation skills, adept at tailoring messages to diverse audiences and driving understanding of research findings.

• Experience in coaching and mentoring other researchers and cross-functional partners, elevating research quality and methodological understanding across teams.

• Pragmatic mindset focused on balancing research rigor with practical business needs, speed, and efficiency.

• Unwavering commitment to ethical research practices, accessibility standards, and participant privacy in all research endeavors.

• Curiosity and a proactive willingness to leverage AI and emerging technologies responsibly to enhance research effectiveness and efficiency. Preferred Skills:

• Experience in the pharmaceutical or healthcare industry, with an understanding of regulated environments, clinical workflows, and patient journeys.

• Familiarity with connected devices, therapeutic ecosystems, and data analytics platforms relevant to healthcare.

• Experience in developing and implementing scalable research processes, frameworks, and knowledge management systems.

• Familiarity with advanced statistical software or data visualization tools for complex data analysis and reporting.

• Experience in advancing responsible AI adoption within research methodologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "8+ years" requirement for a "Sr. Staff" level, combined with the emphasis on influencing strategy, coaching others, and maturing the practice, suggests that candidates are expected to possess a level of experience and strategic thinking typically found in Senior or Principal level researchers, with a strong operational mindset. The portfolio requirement is critical for demonstrating this depth.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio demonstrating methodological rigor across a range of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods.

• Case studies clearly illustrating sound research judgment in selecting appropriate methods for specific decision contexts and risk levels.

• Evidence of how your research informed critical product and business decisions, including specific outcomes, strategic shifts, or product improvements driven by your insights.

• Examples of synthesizing complex, multi-source data into clear, actionable recommendations that directly influenced product direction or experience strategy.

• Demonstrations of systems thinking by showcasing how you connected insights across different studies, products, or user populations to uncover broader patterns or strategic opportunities.

• Documentation of your collaborative approach, highlighting how you partnered with cross-functional teams (product, design, engineering, clinical, business) to integrate research findings.

• Examples of influencing stakeholders, particularly senior leaders, through effective communication and storytelling of research insights.

• Evidence of your contribution to maturing research practices, such as developing reusable frameworks, playbooks, or mentoring other researchers. Process Documentation:

• Showcase examples of how you have documented research processes for scalability, including defining research strategy, selecting methodologies, and ensuring ethical and regulatory compliance.

• Provide instances where you've developed or contributed to the development of reusable research frameworks, templates, or knowledge systems that improved consistency and efficiency across teams.

• Illustrate your approach to translating ambiguous requests into clear decision frameworks and research plans, demonstrating a structured process for problem definition and scope.

• Detail how you have established and applied appropriate levels of rigor for different decision contexts, balancing speed, depth, and confidence in evidence.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio is crucial for this role, as explicitly stated. For a "Sr. Staff" level, it needs to go beyond individual study execution to demonstrate strategic influence, operational impact on the research function, and leadership in developing scalable methodologies. This means showcasing not just what research was done, but how it was strategically applied, how it influenced decisions, and how it contributed to the broader research practice.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $141,000 - $246,400 USD per year.

Benefits:

• Company bonus eligibility (dependent on company and individual performance).

• Comprehensive company-sponsored 401(k) plan.

• Pension plan.

• Generous vacation benefits.

• Eligibility for medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug benefits.

• Flexible benefits options, including healthcare and/or dependent day care flexible spending accounts.

• Life insurance and death benefits.

• Certain time off and leave of absence benefits.

• Well-being benefits, including an employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities.

Working Hours: Full-time position, with an expected 40 hours per week.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is a critical piece of information for operations professionals. The mid-point of this range ($193,700) is a strong indicator for a senior-level role in a major pharmaceutical company in a location like Indianapolis. The extensive benefits package, including a pension, is notable and should be factored into the total compensation assessment. The salary range was researched based on provided data and industry benchmarks for Sr. Staff UX Researchers in major US metropolitan areas with a strong presence in the pharmaceutical sector.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Pharmaceutical & Healthcare. Lilly operates at the forefront of the global healthcare industry, focusing on discovering, developing, and manufacturing innovative medicines. This sector is characterized by rigorous regulatory oversight, long development cycles, high R&D investment, and a profound impact on patient lives.

Company Size: Over 50,000 employees globally. This large enterprise size indicates a mature organizational structure with established processes, significant resources, and opportunities for specialization, but also potential for bureaucracy. For operations roles, it means working within established frameworks and potentially influencing large-scale process improvements.

Founded: Eli Lilly and Company was founded in 1876. With a long history, Lilly has a deeply ingrained culture, established best practices, and a strong reputation within the industry. This longevity suggests stability and a commitment to long-term research and development.

Team Structure:

• The Design team at Lilly is described as working across every function, applying design thinking to solve complex challenges. The UX Research function likely operates within or closely alongside this Design team, with researchers embedded in product teams or potentially forming a centralized research hub.

• Researchers will partner closely with product, design, engineering, clinical, and business leaders, indicating a highly cross-functional and collaborative environment.

• The role involves influencing strategy without formal authority, suggesting a team dynamic that values expertise and evidence over hierarchical command. Methodology:

• Data Analysis and Insights: The company emphasizes leveraging cutting-edge technologies, data, and analytics to transform patient experiences and improve treatment outcomes, indicating a strong data-driven approach.

• Workflow Planning and Optimization: The UX Research role is tasked with defining research strategy, identifying knowledge gaps, and developing scalable approaches, all of which involve significant workflow planning and optimization for the research function.

• Automation and Efficiency: The mention of advancing the responsible adoption of AI and developing reusable frameworks suggests a push towards automation and efficiency in research processes.

Company Website: https://careers.lilly.com/us/en

📝 Enhancement Note: Lilly's position as a global healthcare leader means operations roles, including UX Research, operate within a highly regulated and impactful environment. The company's size and history suggest a need for researchers to be adept at navigating complex organizational structures and influencing change through data and strategic insights. The emphasis on "caring with discovery" points to a mission-driven culture.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Sr. Staff UX Researcher. This level signifies a senior individual contributor role with significant influence and responsibility. It implies a deep level of expertise in UX research methodologies, strategic thinking, and the ability to lead complex initiatives. At this level, the focus shifts from executing research to shaping research strategy, mentoring others, and contributing to the overall maturity and operational excellence of the research function. The "Staff" designation often indicates a role that is critical to a specific domain or strategic area.

Reporting Structure: While not explicitly stated, a Sr. Staff UX Researcher typically reports to a Director or VP of Design, Research, or Product. They will work closely with Product Managers, Designers, Engineers, and Clinical leads, acting as a strategic partner to these functions. The role's emphasis on influencing without authority suggests a flat or matrixed reporting structure where collaboration and expertise are paramount.

Operations Impact: The core impact of this role is to ensure that digital products, services, and experiences are user-centered, effective, and contribute to better patient outcomes and improved healthcare management. By bringing user perspective and behavioral insight to decision-making, this researcher will directly influence product strategy, identify unmet needs, and drive the development of solutions that are both impactful for users and align with Lilly's business objectives. The role's influence extends to shaping the research practice itself, enhancing its efficiency and effectiveness across the organization.

Growth Opportunities:

• Operations Skill Advancement: Opportunities to deepen expertise in specialized research areas, such as generative AI in research, advanced quantitative methods, or specific therapeutic areas. This could lead to a Principal or Director-level research role.

• Leadership Development: Potential to move into management roles, leading a team of researchers, or taking on a more strategic leadership position within the broader Design or Product organization. This could involve setting research strategy for larger product portfolios or driving organizational change initiatives.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Opportunities to lead strategic initiatives that span multiple departments, leveraging research insights to drive broader business transformation or innovation projects. This could involve roles focused on product strategy, user experience strategy, or innovation management.

• Mentorship and Practice Development: Continued opportunities to mentor junior researchers and contribute to the development of research standards, tools, and processes, solidifying expertise in research operations and best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Sr. Staff" designation is key here, indicating a role that is expected to operate with a high degree of autonomy, strategic foresight, and influence. Growth opportunities would likely involve further specialization, leadership, or broader strategic impact within the organization, rather than just incremental advancement in research execution.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is designated as "On-site," indicating a traditional office-based work environment. This suggests a focus on in-person collaboration, leveraging office amenities, and participating in the daily rhythm of a physical workspace.

Office Location(s): Indianapolis, Indiana, United States (Zip Code 46285). This is Lilly's headquarters, suggesting a central hub for innovation and corporate operations.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: As an on-site role, expect a dynamic workspace fostering collaboration with designers, product managers, engineers, and clinical teams. The emphasis on influencing without authority highlights a culture that values open discussion and evidence-based debate.

• Operations Tools and Technology: Access to a comprehensive suite of research tools, collaboration platforms, and potentially advanced analytics and AI technologies for research. The role also involves contributing to the improvement and standardization of these tools and processes.

• Team Interaction: Regular opportunities for direct interaction with colleagues, fostering strong working relationships and facilitating spontaneous knowledge sharing and problem-solving sessions crucial for complex research initiatives.

Work Schedule: A standard full-time work schedule, typically 40 hours per week, is expected. While the role is on-site, the nature of research often requires flexibility for participant recruitment and data collection, which may occasionally extend beyond standard hours, though this is typically managed through focused work blocks and effective time management.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement in Indianapolis at the company's headquarters suggests a highly integrated role within the core operations of Lilly's design and research functions. This environment likely offers significant opportunities for direct mentorship and cross-functional engagement.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will likely review applications and resumes, focusing on experience level, relevant skills, and alignment with the role's core responsibilities.

• Portfolio Presentation: A critical stage will involve presenting a portfolio that showcases your UX research expertise, methodological rigor, strategic thinking, and impact. Be prepared to walk through 2-3 key projects, detailing the problem, your approach, the insights derived, and the resulting decisions and outcomes.

• Behavioral and Situational Interviews: Expect questions assessing your experience in leading complex research, influencing stakeholders, coaching others, navigating ambiguity, and working in regulated environments. Prepare examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).

• Technical/Methodological Deep Dive: Interviews may include discussions about specific research methodologies, your judgment in applying them, and how you ensure rigor and ethical practices.

• Cross-Functional Panel: You may meet with potential collaborators from Product, Design, Engineering, and Clinical teams to assess your ability to partner effectively and communicate across disciplines.

• Final Round: Typically involves discussions with senior leadership to assess strategic alignment, leadership potential, and overall fit with Lilly's culture.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select projects that best demonstrate your Sr. Staff-level capabilities: strategic impact, methodological breadth and depth, systems thinking, and influence. Prioritize projects with clear business outcomes or significant product influence.

• Focus on "Why" and "So What": For each project, clearly articulate the business problem or user need, your strategic rationale for the research approach, the key insights, and the concrete actions taken as a result. Quantify impact whenever possible.

• Showcase Systems Thinking: Highlight examples where your research uncovered broader patterns or connected insights across different studies, products, or user segments.

• Demonstrate Influence: Provide evidence of how you successfully influenced product and business decisions, especially with senior stakeholders. Use specific examples of communication strategies and outcomes.

• Highlight Operational Contributions: If applicable, include examples of how you’ve contributed to maturing research practices, mentoring others, or developing scalable processes or frameworks.

• Prepare for Questions: Anticipate questions about your methodology choices, how you handle conflicting data, your approach to ethical research, and how you adapt rigor to different timelines and business needs.

Challenge Preparation:

• Hypothetical Scenario: You might be given a hypothetical product or business problem and asked to outline a research strategy to address it, including defining key questions, proposing methodologies, and identifying potential challenges.

• Data Interpretation: You could be presented with research data (qualitative or quantitative) and asked to synthesize findings, draw conclusions, and recommend next steps.

• Process Improvement: Be ready to discuss how you would approach improving a specific research process or establishing new standards within a team. Focus on scalability, efficiency, and impact.

• Presentation Skills: Practice articulating your thought process clearly and concisely, especially under time constraints. Focus on storytelling and making your recommendations compelling.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a portfolio and potential research challenges underscores the practical, impact-driven nature of this role. Candidates should be prepared to demonstrate their strategic thinking and operational contributions, not just their research execution skills. The interview process is designed to assess not only technical expertise but also leadership potential and cultural fit within a large, complex organization.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Research Platforms: Tools for conducting remote usability testing, user interviews, surveys, and diary studies (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, Sprig, Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey).

• Collaboration Suites: Platforms for team collaboration, documentation, and project management (e.g., Jira, Confluence, Asana, Trello, Microsoft Teams, Slack).

• Design & Prototyping Tools: Familiarity with tools used by designers and product teams, such as Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD, to understand workflows and integrate research findings.

• Data Analysis Software: Tools for qualitative data analysis (e.g., Dovetail, NVivo, ATLAS.ti) and quantitative analysis (e.g., SPSS, R, Python with libraries like Pandas/NumPy).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Tools like Google Analytics or Adobe Analytics to understand user behavior on digital platforms.

• Data Visualization Tools: Platforms for creating dashboards and reports (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, Looker) to communicate research findings and track key metrics.

• Customer Data Platforms (CDP) / CRM: Understanding how user data is managed and accessed within systems like Salesforce or similar platforms to contextualize research findings.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems (e.g., Salesforce): While not a direct CRM role, understanding how customer data is managed and utilized is beneficial for research context.

• Workflow Automation: Familiarity with tools or principles that can automate repetitive research tasks or streamline data collection and synthesis.

• AI and Machine Learning Tools: Growing importance of AI tools for research synthesis, transcription analysis, and potentially generative insights; understanding responsible adoption is key.

📝 Enhancement Note: While specific tools aren't listed, the role's focus on advanced research, data synthesis, and operational maturity implies proficiency with a broad spectrum of research and data analysis tools. The ability to work with cross-functional teams also means familiarity with their primary toolsets is advantageous. The mention of AI suggests a forward-looking approach to technology adoption.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Caring with Discovery: This core Lilly value translates to a deep commitment to patient well-being and a drive to uncover new solutions through rigorous research and innovation. Operations professionals are expected to approach their work with empathy and a focus on making a tangible difference.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: The emphasis on leveraging data and analytics means that research findings must be robust, clearly communicated, and directly inform strategic and tactical decisions. Operations are expected to champion evidence-based approaches.

• Integrity and Ethics: In a regulated industry like pharmaceuticals, upholding the highest ethical standards is paramount. This applies to research practices, data handling, and all professional interactions.

• Collaboration and Cross-Functional Partnership: The company fosters an environment where diverse teams work together to solve complex problems. Operations professionals are expected to be strong collaborators, effectively communicating and integrating with various departments.

• Excellence and Continuous Improvement: The drive to "unite caring with discovery" and make life better implies a culture of striving for excellence and continuously seeking ways to improve processes, products, and patient outcomes.

Collaboration Style:

• Evidence-Based Influence: Collaboration is characterized by leveraging research insights and data to guide discussions and decisions, influencing partners through expertise rather than formal authority.

• Cross-Functional Integration: Active engagement with Product Management, Design, Engineering, Clinical, and Business stakeholders is essential. This involves regular communication, shared understanding of goals, and joint problem-solving.

• Open Feedback and Iteration: A culture that encourages constructive feedback on research approaches, findings, and recommendations to refine strategies and ensure the highest quality of insights.

• Knowledge Sharing: Practices that promote the sharing of research findings, methodologies, and best practices across teams to build collective intelligence and avoid redundant efforts.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Caring with Discovery" ethos is central. For operations roles, this means understanding the profound impact of their work on patients and approaching process optimization and strategy development with a sense of purpose and responsibility. Collaboration is key, particularly in bridging the gap between research insights and actionable business/product decisions.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Ambiguity and Complexity: Working within a large pharmaceutical organization and healthcare ecosystem presents inherent ambiguity in problems and complex stakeholder landscapes. Developing clear research strategies and actionable insights requires strong problem-framing skills.

• Balancing Rigor with Speed: The need to conduct research with high methodological rigor in a regulated environment can sometimes conflict with the fast-paced demands of product development. Finding pragmatic solutions that balance these needs is a continuous challenge.

• Influencing Senior Stakeholders: Effectively communicating complex research findings and influencing strategic decisions among senior leaders who may have limited exposure to UX research requires exceptional communication and storytelling skills.

• Maturing Research Operations: Driving organizational change to enhance research maturity, standardize processes, and scale impact across diverse teams can be met with resistance or inertia. Requires strong change management and advocacy skills.

• Ethical and Regulatory Compliance: Ensuring all research activities adhere to strict ethical guidelines and regulatory requirements (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR) adds a layer of complexity to research design and execution.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Specialized Methodologies: Opportunities to deepen expertise in emerging research techniques, advanced statistical analysis, or specific areas like generative AI for research.

• Industry Knowledge: Gaining in-depth understanding of pharmaceutical R&D, clinical trials, patient journeys, and the healthcare technology landscape.

• Leadership and Strategy: Developing skills in strategic planning, organizational change management, and team leadership through mentorship and project assignments.

• Cross-Functional Acumen: Enhancing understanding of product management, software development lifecycles, and clinical development processes to become a more integrated strategic partner.

• Mentorship Programs: Access to formal or informal mentorship from senior leaders within Lilly who can guide career development and provide strategic insights.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges highlight the need for resilience, strategic thinking, and strong interpersonal skills. The growth opportunities are geared towards developing a well-rounded operations leader with deep domain expertise and broad strategic influence within the healthcare industry.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a complex research initiative you led from strategy to impact. What were the key decisions, your methodology, and the ultimate business outcome?" (Focus on strategy definition, methodological choice justification, and quantifiable impact.)

• "How do you approach identifying critical knowledge gaps and prioritizing research questions within a product roadmap? Walk us through your process." (Demonstrate strategic thinking and alignment with business objectives.)

• "Tell me about a time you had to influence senior leadership with research findings. What was the situation, your approach, and what was the result?" (Highlight stakeholder influence, communication skills, and ability to drive decisions.)

• "How would you define and improve research standards and processes within a large organization like Lilly? What are the key considerations for scalability and adoption?" (Showcase operational thinking, change management, and understanding of practice maturity.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about UX research at Lilly, specifically within the pharmaceutical industry?" (Connect your passion for research with Lilly's mission and industry.)

• "How do you embody Lilly's values of 'Caring with Discovery' in your research practice?" (Show how your work aligns with the company's core principles.)

• "Describe your experience working in regulated environments. What are the key considerations for UX research in such contexts?" (Demonstrate awareness of compliance and ethical research in healthcare.)

• "How do you foster collaboration with product, design, engineering, and clinical teams, especially when influencing without direct authority?" (Highlight your partnership and communication style.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate: 1) The Problem/Opportunity, 2) Your Strategic Approach (Why this research?), 3) Methodology, 4) Key Insights, 5) Recommendations & Influence, 6) Outcomes & Impact (quantified if possible).

• Highlight Strategic Thinking: Emphasize how you identified unmet needs, shaped research strategy, and connected findings to broader business goals.

• Showcase Methodological Depth: Be prepared to defend your methodological choices and discuss trade-offs.

• Demonstrate Influence: Use specific examples of how your insights changed product direction, informed business strategy, or improved user experiences.

• Focus on Systems Thinking: Point out instances where your research provided a holistic view or uncovered systemic issues.

• Practice Your Narrative: Rehearse your presentation to ensure a smooth, compelling, and concise delivery within the allotted time. Be ready for in-depth Q&A.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic leadership, operational excellence in research, and the ability to influence within a complex, mission-driven organization. Candidates should be ready to showcase not just research skills but also their strategic vision and impact.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the application link provided on the Lilly Careers website.

• Tailor your resume: Highlight your 8+ years of progressive UX research experience, focusing on leadership, strategic impact, methodological breadth (qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods), and experience in complex or regulated environments. Use keywords from the job description such as "research strategy," "stakeholder influence," "systems thinking," and "practice maturity."

• Curate your portfolio: Select 2-3 of your most impactful projects that best demonstrate your Sr. Staff-level capabilities. Ensure each project clearly outlines the problem, your strategic approach, methodology, key insights, recommendations, and quantifiable outcomes. Be prepared to discuss your role in influencing decisions and maturing research practices.

• Prepare for interview questions: Review common UX research interview questions and anticipate behavioral questions related to leadership, influence, and problem-solving. Practice articulating your experience using the STAR method, and be ready to discuss your approach to research strategy and operational excellence.

• Research Lilly and the Healthcare Industry: Understand Lilly's mission, values ("Caring with Discovery"), and the broader pharmaceutical/healthcare landscape. Be prepared to discuss how your skills and experience align with their goals and operational context.

⚠️ 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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