UX Research Lead

 Lead UX Researcher

We’re looking for a UX Researcher based either in Berlin (Germany) or Barcelona (Spain) to join our growing UX Research community.

The UX Research community is spread across six countries; our mission is to elevate the user experience research discipline in our organisation and improve UX Research Operations capability to make it easier to do ux research and deliver actionable insights that will inform various phases of product development. 

You’ll be part of the global UXD practice at Springer Nature and you’ll work with colleagues around the world.

We currently work on a hybrid model.

If you currently live somewhere else but have the desire of relocating either in Berlin or Barcelona please talk to us and we’ll figure out how to best support you.

Visit sndigital.springernature.com to learn more about who we are and what we do.

About you

You are a Lead User Experience Researcher with multiple years of experience in qualitative and quantitative research. You have experience in researching the different stages of product development and you are always willing to try out new approaches to share and apply the findings of your research.

You have experience in coaching less experienced researchers and designers: you have been successful at helping them grow their confidence and technical skills.

In the past you have successfully worked with teams to design research strategies that help the organisation gain insights on key areas. You have experience in feeding actionable insights into multiple product teams from foundational research.

Why we need you

The Springer Nature digital department works in a domain model. Domains group products and projects related to similar user and business needs (e.g. ‘content consumption’, ‘content acquisition’). 

You will support the Content Consumption program of work, where we help scientists find and use scientific content they need to get on with their main tasks.

Product teams are focused on improving these experiences  and you will collaborate with them in order to deliver and guarantee an outstanding and innovative experience. Designers work mostly in embedded teams (Designers, Business Analysts, Product Owners, Front End and Back End Developers, QAs). You will work both with teams and with domain-wide roles in Content Consumption, supporting and leading the programme level research activities. You will adapt your approach across different areas of the domain with similar or different user and business needs.

In collaboration with the Content Consumption Leads and with the Head of UX Research and UX you will have the opportunity to tackle and shape the UX user research strategy for Content Consumption.

You will mentor and support less experienced researchers and designers in the content consumption domain. This role has line management responsibilities.

You’ll be supported by the Research Community on a daily basis.

What you’ll be doing

Within 3 months

• Absorb the research that has been done in the past to get yourself familiar with our users, their behaviours and their needs

• Start having a broader understanding of the publishing trends and markets

• STM trends will be familiar to you

• Understand how our platforms are currently performing to help users achieve their goals

• Build relationships with stakeholders to understand goals and priorities

• Start highlighting gaps in our knowledge to be covered in the research strategy

• Create a unified view of the most fundamental goals users want to achieve on our platforms

• Build a relationship with teams in the Content Consumption domain to understand their priorities and research strategies 

• Support the UX Research Team in sharing and encouraging best practices and ways of working in terms of how we do research, how we share it, present it and make actionable

Within 6 months

• Utilise both existing and ongoing research to agree with the Content Consumption teams and stakeholders a list of priorities that should be considered for the research strategy.

• Use other data available (market research, analytics, customer service team insights) to shape the most appropriate user research that will offer deeper insights into how our researchers are using the vast and complex landscape of services to achieve their goals

• Design and socialise the research strategy

• Plan and conduct the research

• Start working closely with UXers in Content Consumption to help with scoping, planning and execution of their research projects 

• Help teams use the outcomes of the research to feed roadmaps, product strategies and OKRs

• Help teams plan just enough research so that findings are available at the right time in delivery teams but also make sure they recognize the importance of being proactive about discovering user needs and opportunities 

Beyond 12 months

• You will have conducted and communicated the insights of your first pieces of research

• You will keep observing the market and its trends to recommend our business how to improve our offer and add value to our product and services

• You will do the necessary work to make sure research is used and understood by stakeholders to make strategic decisions

• You will mentor, or coach, our colleagues that will participate in research activities with you as well as less experienced researchers in Content Consumption domain

• You will proactively promote your role within our department

• You will find ways to improve the research activities in order to have a more efficient approach to research. 

• You will have supported the Research Community at shaping a culture of sharing actionable and clear findings to make research accessible and relevant for our business 

• Contribute and lead part of the the UX Research Community work

At Springer Nature, we value the diversity of our teams and work to build an inclusive culture, where people are treated fairly and can bring their differences to work and thrive. We empower our colleagues and value their diverse perspectives as we strive to attract, nurture and develop the very best talent.

Springer Nature was awarded Diversity Team of the Year at the 2022 British Diversity Awards. Find out more about our DEI work here.

If you have any access needs related to disability, neurodivergence or a chronic condition, please contact us so we can make all necessary accommodation.