Lead Design Researcher_

The Rock Family of Companies is made up of nearly 100 separate businesses spanning fintech, sports, entertainment, real estate, startups and more. We’re united by our culture – a drive to find a better way that fuels our commitment to our clients, our community and our team members. We believe in and build inclusive workplaces, where every voice is heard and diverse perspectives are welcomed. Working for a company in the Family is about more than just a job – it’s about having the opportunity to become the best version of yourself.**Rocket Mortgage** , backed by **Rocket Companies®** , means more opportunities for you to carve your own career path forward. From our desire to revolutionize the way people get mortgages to addressing challenges big or small with outside-the-box solutions, we’re not your typical employer. We’ll provide you with everything you need to make sure you’re successful here._Apply today to join a team that offers career growth, amazing_ _benefits_ _and the chance to work with leading industry professionals._**Minimum Qualifications**+ 7+ years of experience guiding cross functional teams through product inception, launch and ongoing iteration. Owning all phases of research (i.e. foundational, generative, and evaluative) and building trusting partnerships with stakeholders+ 3+ years of experience mentoring more junior researchers (formal researchers)+ Bachelor’s degree in human-computer interaction (HCI) or social sciences field+ Advanced demonstrated ability in collaborating with cross-functional and interdisciplinary teams to curate, plan, execute, synthesize and share user research for multiple initiatives at once+ Advanced demonstrated ability in presenting and storytelling+ Advanced demonstrated ability in facilitating ideation, alignment and engagement workshops with a variety of disciplines and stakeholders+ Advanced demonstrated expertise in mixed methods research and executing a variety of research methodologies, including field studies, semi-structured interviews, diary studies, usability studies, surveys, focus groups, card sorting and benchmarking with the ability to teach others how to perform mixed methods research+ Strong communicator, self-starter, strategic thinker, and capable of working in a fast-paced, matrixed corporate environment+ Researchers at Rocket should have a history of researching real products and features.**Preferred Qualifications**+ 10+ years of experience in user research and/or similar field+ 5 years of experience mentoring junior researchers (formal researchers)+ Masters or PhD in human-computer interaction (HCI), psychology, anthropology, sociology or related field+ Advanced demonstrated ability in leading exploratory research activities such as contextual inquiry, ethnography and diary studies+ Advanced demonstrated ability in leading evaluative research activities such as usability testing, heuristics evaluations, surveys and clickstream analysis+ Demonstrated ability in building a UX research community of practice at scale+ Demonstrated partnering across various research teams (e.g. Voice of the Customer, Market Research, Analytics, etc)+ Understanding of A/B and multi-variate testing+ Demonstrated ability working with the mortgage or financial services industry (fintech)**Job Summary**As a Lead Design Researcher, you'll use mixed research methods to plan and execute studies that drive empathy and understanding of user goals, needs, attitude and behaviors. You'll translate user research findings into insights and design improvements. Collaborating across disciplines and business areas, you'll provide actionable insights and artifacts that drive direction and confidence in product decisions. You'll lean into ambiguity, inspiring those around them to experiment and think creatively as they explore possible solutions. Lead Researchers are proactive problem solvers, with high levels of autonomy. You'll do as much as you delegate. You'll grow and mentor other seasoned researchers and communicate exceptionally well with your leaders and across the product and strategy organizations. As champions of the UX research discipline, you'll foster a culture of research and continuous learning across the company.**Responsibilities**+ Actively identify research opportunities across business areas, then size and prioritize tasks to meet deadlines+ Partner across disciplines and business areas to align on a unified research strategy that informs future product roadmaps+ Design and conduct innovative studies that balance diverse research methods (qualitative/quantitative, behavioral/attitudinal, generative/evaluative) within the appropriate scope+ Apply a deep understanding of project assumptions and/or potential bias when planning and conducting research studies, and limit those biases whenever possible+ Consult with Product, Strategy and Design partners to share knowledge that spans across multiple studies and bodies of research. Act as the SME to one or more product areas or phases of the client journey.+ Gather and synthesize research findings into actionable insights and artifacts, packaged and delivered in a compelling narrative that drives change+ Collaborate across product teams to build balanced, data-driven backlogs that address both user and business needs+ Build strong relationships across business areas and disciplines as an evangelist and thought leader of UX Research+ Strengthen the maturity of the UX Research team by mentoring and shaping best practices through dedicated feedback, collaboration, delegation and interactive learning activities+ Bring areas of opportunity and improvement to research leadership+ This position may lead research enablement programs+ There are no direct reports for this position, but Leads are expected to work closely with and guide research interns**Benefits and Perks**Our team members fuel our strategy, innovation and growth, so we ensure the health and well-being of not just you, but your family, too! We go above and beyond to give you the support you need on an individual level and offer all sorts of ways to help you live your best life. We are proud to offer eligible team members perks and health benefits that will help you have peace of mind. Simply put: We’ve got your back. Check out our full list of Benefits and Perks (yrocketcareer.com/working-here/benefits/) .**Who We Are****Rocket Companies®** is a Detroit-based company made up of businesses that provide simple, fast and trusted digital solutions for complex transactions. The name comes from our flagship business, now known as Rocket Mortgage®, which was founded in 1985. Today, we’re a publicly traded company involved in many different industries, including mortgages, fintech, real estate and more. We’re insistently different in how we look at the world and are committed to an inclusive workplace where every voice is heard. We’re passionate about the work we do, and it shows. We’ve been ranked #1 for Fortune’s Best Large Workplaces in Financial Services and Insurance List in 2022, named #5 on People Magazine’s Companies That Care List in 2022 and recognized as #7 on Fortune’s list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2022.**Disclaimer**This is an outline of the primary responsibilities of this position. As with everything in life, things change. The tasks and responsibilities can be changed, added to, removed, amended, deleted and modified at any time by the leadership group. We are proud equal opportunity employers and committed to providing an inclusive environment based on mutual respect for all candidates and team members.Employment decisions, including hiring decisions, are not based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, military or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. We offer opportunities to all job seekers including individuals with disabilities and provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with state and federal law. If you need a reasonable accommodation to assist with your job search, application for employment, or interview, please visit our FAQ page at www.myrocketcareer.com/how-we-hire/faqs/ for details on how to contact our team.Colorado, New York City, Jersey City, California, D.C and Washington Candidates Only. The salary range for this position is eighty-one thousand dollars to one hundred fifty thousand dollars. The position may also be eligible for an annual bonus and other employment-related benefits including, but not limited to, medical, dental, and vision benefits, 401K retirement plan, and paid-time off. More information regarding these benefits and others can be found here (yrocketcareer.com/working-here/benefits-and-perks/list/) . The information regarding compensation and other benefits included in this paragraph is only an estimate and is subject to revision from time to time as the Company, in its sole and exclusive discretion, deems appropriate. The Company may determine during its review of the proposed compensation and benefits provided for this position, that the compensation and benefits for such position should be reduced. In no event will the Company reduce the compensation for the position to a level below the applicable jurisdictional minimum wage rate for the position.The Company is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer, and does not discriminate in any hiring or employment practices. The Company provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with state and federal law. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation in completing the application and/or participating in the employment application process should notify a representative of the Human Resources Team, The Pulse, at Careers@myrocketcareer.com.