Manager, UX Research

Cox
$119,600.00 - $199,400.00 / yr
parental leave, paid time off, paid holidays, sick time, flex time, 401(k)
United States, Georgia, Scottdale
Feb 08, 2025
Manager, UX Research The UX Research Manager will lead the adoption and application of research methods within a human-centered design discipline to provide actionable insights that guide data-driven, client-centered solutions. This role leads a team in defining, templatizing, and eliciting research outputs that inform product design, business process improvements, team member tools, product roadmaps, and any other initiatives that benefit from strategic research. The Research Manager will support, mentor, and nurture the UX research team, ensuring that members have the training, tools, and collaborative environment needed for success. The Manager will also lead team members in achieving their two primary functions: conducting formative research (discovery) to understand a product's problem space and performing usability testing to gauge the success of proposed solutions. The Research Manager acts as an ambassador to our product and business partners, advocating for continuous client focus through research and testing and ensuring our methods and implementations are beyond reproach and well-suited to current needs. The Manager will set standards, schedule and staff research projects, monitor and measure progress, solve problems and improve process, and keep UX and Product leadership apprised of findings. This Agile discovery-focused team is responsible for research, journey mapping, jobs-to-be-done, and problem framing for all release trains. Insights can then be distributed, reused and refined by individual trains offering increased collaboration and efficiency. At the same time, we are working to co-locate teams together as much as possible who will benefit from hybrid work practices. Sound like a good fit for you? Get the details below and apply today! What's In It for You? Here's a sneak peek at the benefits you could experience as a Cox employee: A competitive salary and top-notch bonus/incentive plans. Professional development and continuing education opportunities. The chance to work with fascinating, cutting-edge platforms. Exceptional work-life balance, flexible time-off policies and accommodating work schedules. Comprehensive healthcare, with multiple options for individuals and families. Generous 401(k) retirement plans with company match. Inclusive parental leave policies, plus comprehensive fertility coverage and adoption assistance. Check out all our benefits. What You'll Do Lead the UX Research team in developing and deploying research best practices to produce client insights: Provide guidance and support that facilitates best practices, leverages common toolsets, and increases client insights Build a toolkit of research methods for addressing common and uncommon research scenarios Build process that is repeatable enough to enhance efficiency but flexible enough to cover the spectrum of research needs Build, maintain, and enhance templates to streamline and homogenize team deliverables Leverage the skills and experience of Research Leads to help build effective process and artifacts Institute reviews and collaborative partnering to ensure high quality findings and deliverables Work with UX leadership to resolve discipline pain points (e.g., recruiting) Maintain peer relationships across the business to facilitate effective knowledge sharing and avoid duplication of effort Manage the staffing, tracking, quality and reporting of product research projects: Manage the full slate of research projects moving through the department Track metrics for each research project including start date, end date, researcher, research method(s), number of qualitative participants, number of quantitative participants, etc Keep UX leadership apprised of current and completed research efforts Build and maintain research "cheat sheets" for each release train Work with leadership and Interaction Design to enable traceability of research findings into design solutions Staff and fully support the strategic growth of the research repository Develop research team members to their full potential: Mentor, motivate, and develop practitioners and serve as a resource to facilitate their professional development Build professional development plans. Work with team members to identify and fulfill training needs and opportunities. Build team expertise across the spectrum of research methods Coach and develop team members in collecting and interpreting client feedback to establish a clear fact base for analysis Institute reviews and collaborative partnering to help develop all researchers Use strategic staffing assignments to build team member skills and experience Continue informal team learning activities (e.g., Brown Bag sessions) Build a team of skilled moderators Perform people management duties, including time tracking, progress checks, PTO approval, etc. Educate the organization on the importance of client discovery and testing and advocate for a strong foundation of research Increase the discovery and understanding of client needs and priorities across key stakeholders Guide all key stakeholders in the proper methods of research to inform outcome-driven innovation Support strategic research efforts in addition to roadmap initiatives Represent Research in technical presentations to leadership Who You Are An independent self-starter with excellent leadership skills, you're committed to the details and consistent follow-through on tasks. You have a portfolio of work that demonstrates the effectiveness of your design solutions, and how you manage user needs and achieve business results. Here's what else you bring to the table: Minimum: Bachelor's degree in a related discipline and 6 years' experience in a related field. The right candidate could also have a different combination, such as a master's degree and 4 years' experience; a Ph.D. and 1 year experience in a related field; or 10 years' experience in a related field 1+ year of experience in management or lead role 6+ years of hands-on UX research expertise, strong moderation skills, mentoring and change management. 1+ years of experience directly managing UX resources under aggressive deadlines. Experience in iterative software delivery methodologies. Experience working with engineering and product teams. Knowledge of UX design strategies and trends across web and mobile platforms. Proficiency with leading design tools, including Figma. Excellent oral, written and verbal communication skills and interpersonal skills. Excellent time-management skills. Create beautiful digital experiences - and a meaningful career for yourself. Apply now! USD 119,600.00 - 199,400.00 per year Compensation: Compensation includes a base salary of $119,600.00 - $199,400.00. The base salary may vary within the anticipated base pay range based on factors such as the ultimate location of the position and the selected candidate's knowledge, skills, and abilities. Position may be eligible for additional compensation that may include an incentive program. Benefits: The Company offers eligible employees the flexibility to take as much vacation with pay as they deem consistent with their duties, the company's needs, and its obligations; seven paid holidays throughout the calendar year; and up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually for their own wellness or that of family members. Employees are also eligible for additional paid time off in the form of bereavement leave, time off to vote, jury duty leave, volunteer time off, military leave, and parental leave. Applicants must currently be authorized to work in the United States for any employer without current or future sponsorship. About Cox Automotive At Cox Automotive, people of every background are driven by their passion for mobility, innovation and community. We transform the way the world buys, sells, owns and uses cars, accelerating the industry with global powerhouse brands like Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, Manheim and more. What's more, we do it all with an emphasis on employee growth and happiness. Drive your future forward and join Cox Automotive today! About Cox Cox empowers employees to build a better future and has been doing so for over 120 years. With exciting investments and innovations across transportation, communications, cleantech and healthcare, our family of businesses - which includes Cox Automotive and Cox Communications - is forging a better future for us all. Ready to make your mark? Join us today! Benefits of working at Cox may include health care insurance (medical, dental, vision), retirement planning (401(k)), and paid days off (sick leave, parental leave, flexible vacation/wellness days, and/or PTO). For more details on what benefits you may be offered, visit our benefits page . Cox is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer - All qualified applicants/employees will receive consideration for employment without regard to that individual's age, race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, physical or mental disability, veteran status, genetic information, ethnicity, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by law. Cox provides reasonable accommodations when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with disability, unless such accommodations would cause an undue hardship. Statement to ALL Third-Party Agencies and Similar Organizations: Cox accepts resumes only from agencies with which we formally engage their services. Please do not forward resumes to our applicant tracking system, Cox employees, Cox hiring manager, or send to any Cox facility. Cox is not responsible for any fees or charges associated with unsolicited resumes.