Senior Design Researcher

Are you passionate about shaping the future of user-centered products and services? At Nedbank, we are looking for a visionary Senior Design Researcher to lead complex research projects that drive strategic decisions. You’ll have the opportunity to work with a dynamic team, influence product design, and make a real impact on our business. We value diversity, equity, and inclusion, and are committed to creating an environment where everyone can thrive. If you’re ready to take your career to the next level and contribute to groundbreaking innovations, we want to hear from you!

Requisition Details & Talent Acquisition Specialist

REQ 136399 - Keabetswe Modise

Job Family

Information Technology

Career Stream

Design

Leadership Pipeline

Manage Self: Professional (MSP)

Job Purpose

Our Group Technology Design Team is looking for a Senior Design Researcher to contribute to Nedbank's design solutions by discovering, interpreting and communicating findings, insights and opportunities in an actionable way. As a Senior Design Researcher, you will lead complex research projects that inform and shape the design and development of user-centred products and services. You will be responsible for planning, executing, and synthesizing research that delivers actionable insights to influence strategic decisions across product, design, and business teams. As a senior member of the team, you will act as a mentor to junior and intermediate researchers, guiding them in their development and ensuring high-quality, impactful research outcomes. This role requires a deep understanding of various research methodologies, strong stakeholder management skills, and the ability to translate research into strategic business recommendations.

Job Responsibilities

• Lead and manage research activities from planning to execution. 
• Synthesis of research data into actionable insights, ensuring they are aligned with both the user needs and business objectives.
• Collaborate with product managers, designers, developers, and business stakeholders to align research activities with product strategy and business goals.
• Build relationships with key stakeholders to ensure research influences decisions. 
• Ensure that research insights drive decision-making and contribute to product innovation, customer satisfaction, and business growth.
• Provide strategic recommendations to product and design teams. 
• Mentor and coach junior researchers, providing guidance on methodologies, best practices, and professional development.
• Ensure research is aligned with the organisation’s goals and user needs. 
• Stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends, tools, and techniques to continuously improve the quality and relevance of design research.
• Drive innovation by exploring new and emerging research methods, ensuring the team stays ahead of industry developments.
• Promote a culture of continuous learning, encouraging experimentation and creative problem-solving.
• Drive research-led innovation by identifying unmet user needs and emerging market trends, contributing to the design of products and services that solve real user problems.
• Advocate for the user at every stage of the design and development process, ensuring that design decisions are grounded in research and aligned with user needs.

Essential Qualifications - NQF Level

• Matric plus an academic qualification or degree in relevant fields.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Design, Research, Anthropology, Sociology, Human-Computer Interaction, or related fields. A Master’s degree is advantageous.

Minimum Experience Level

• 5-7 years of experience in design research, UX research, or usability analysis, with a proven track record of leading and managing research projects.

Types of Exposure

• Leadership & Mentorship: Experience leading and mentoring junior and intermediate researchers, ensuring the delivery of high-quality work.
• Project Management: Managing multiple research projects simultaneously, from planning to execution and reporting.
• Collaboration: Working closely with product managers, designers, and developers in a cross-functional team to drive user-centered design.
• Stakeholder Management: Building relationships with senior stakeholders, influencing decision-making processes through research insights.
• Strategic Research: Leading research that shapes strategic product and service development, particularly in complex or ambiguous problem spaces.

Technical / Professional Knowledge

• Research Methods Expertise: Advanced proficiency in qualitative and quantitative research methods, including user interviews, focus groups, contextual inquiries, surveys, usability testing, and diary studies.
• Data Analysis and Synthesis: Strong skills in analysing and synthesising complex research data, identifying patterns and insights, and translating them into actionable recommendations.
• UX Design Principles: Knowledge of UX, product design, service design, and interaction design principles, with the ability to collaborate with designers to implement research findings into the product lifecycle.
• Agile and Lean Methodologies: Familiarity with Agile and Lean processes, understanding how research fits into product development cycles.
• Tools Proficiency: Proficient in research and design tools such as Maze, Miro, Figma, and data analysis tools.
• Product and Service Design: Intermediate to advanced knowledge of designing for digital products, including web, mobile, and omnichannel services.

Behavioural Competencies

• Leadership and Accountability
• Analytical and Critical Thinking
• Communication and Storytelling
• Collaboration and Influence
• Innovation and Continuous Learning
• Empathy and User-Centric Mindset