Tbwa Chiat/Day Inc is hiring: Sr UX Researcher in Chicago

JOIN US ON OUR MISSION TO BECOME THE #1 RETAIL TRADING PLATFORM IN THE WORLD

Welcome to the dynamic world of NinjaTrader! As an industry-leading trading platform and futures broker, we're on a mission to empower traders to take control of their financial destiny. How do we do it? We provide cutting-edge products and services that enhance the trading journey. Whether a seasoned pro or just starting out, NinjaTrader equips traders with award-winning software and brokerage services to navigate the world's leading financial markets with confidence.

Our growth story is nothing short of exhilarating. Over the last 20 years, NinjaTrader has been dedicated to understanding and supporting traders on their journey toward trading triumph. In the last 5 years alone, our user base has grown by 400% to over 2 million users and we have become the number one rated futures brokerage worldwide.

But we're not stopping there. We're constantly evolving, pushing boundaries, and modernizing the futures industry. Our commitment to innovation means users will always have access to dynamic tools, real-time support, and a community of like-minded traders.

So, why work at NinjaTrader? Here, you're not just part of a team; you're part of a movement. We empower employees to reach new heights in their careers by providing a dynamic culture focused on social connection, professional development, and employee recognition initiatives.

Join us as we redefine what's possible in trading, advocate for our customers, and continue our journey toward becoming the world's top retail-focused trading platform.

What you'll do:

In this role, you will lead research initiatives that bridge the gap between complex trading workflows and intuitive product design. You will apply a variety of research methodologies, from generative to evaluative, to uncover user needs, validate solutions, and optimize the trading experience. Your insights will directly influence the design and development of NinjaTrader’s Futures Trading platform, ensuring it meets and exceeds the expectations of expert and new traders.

In this role you will:

• Strategically select and apply research methods based on project needs
  • Generative research to explore trader behaviors, workflows, and pain points
  • Concept validation to refine ideas before development
  • Evaluative research to assess the effectiveness of design solutions
  • Behavioral and quantitative research to track user patterns and validate findings at scale
• Conduct deep research into trader psychology, decision-making under pressure, and automation workflows, ensuring the platform supports both expert and new-to-futures traders
• Collaborate with designers, product managers, and engineers to translate insights into user-centered solutions
• Develop personas and journey maps to align stakeholders on trader goals and pain points
• Advocate for research-backed decision-making, ensuring UX is grounded in user needs rather than assumptions
• Present findings in compelling ways through reports, workshops, and data-driven storytelling
• Partner with market researchers and data analysts to triangulate user insights with behavioral data and market trends
• Establish and refine research frameworks, processes, and best practices to scale research impact across teams

What you'll need:

• 5+ years of UX research experience in complex environments (fintech, trading, enterprise software, or similar domains)
• Expertise in a broad range of research methods, knowing when and how to apply each based on the research objective
• Experience conducting usability studies and optimizing workflows for high-stakes decision-making environments
• Familiarity with trading platforms, real-time data visualization, risk management tools, or trading concepts is a huge plus
• Ability to synthesize qualitative and quantitative insights to tell a clear and compelling user story
• Proficiency in UX research tools and behavioral analytics
• Strong collaboration skills, with the ability to work across design, product, data, marketing, and engineering teams to drive user-centered solutions
• Excellent communication and storytelling abilities, with experience presenting insights to senior stakeholders
• Experience with futures trading platforms or other financial markets
• Background in behavioral economics or cognitive psychology
• Experience working in fast-paced, agile environments

Compensation:

The salary range for this role will be $110,000 - $150,000 USD. In addition, this position will also receive an annual target bonus of 10%. Bonus pay at NinjaTrader is based on individual performance (50%) as well as company/team performance (50%).

Salary and bonus earnings are only two components of the total compensation package offered by NinjaTrader. NinjaTrader offers a 401K plan through ADP under which the company will match up to 3.5% of employee contributions. Annual paid time off allowance accrues at a rate of 18 days per year (some positions may qualify for more) plus seven paid holidays. Additional details on our total compensation package and benefits are listed below.

Our Core Benefits Include:

• Hybrid Schedule with Extra Remote Flexibility (Totaling over 55% remote time)
• Generous PTO
• 7 Paid Holidays Annually + 5 Conditional Holidays Annually
• 1 Service Day Annually
• 401k with 3.5% Company Match
• Life and Disability Insurance Covered 100% by NinjaTrader
• Flexible Spending Accounts for Transit and Parking

Location: This role is based in Chicago, IL. There may be remote flexibility for exceptional candidates in certain states.

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

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