User Experience Research, Director Associate

Position Overview

User Experience Research, Director Associate is a senior research leadership role responsible for building and advancing a modern UX research practice across International’s expanding portfolio of connected vehicle, digital dealer, and AI‑powered fleet platforms. International is in the middle of a real transformation. The investment is there. What matters now is ensuring these products actually work for the people who rely on them every day—drivers, fleet operators, and service technicians with real jobs and no patience for broken or frustrating experiences.

This role exists to make sure user needs are represented before decisions are locked‑in, and not retroactively explained after the fact. It combines hands‑on research execution with people leadership, executive influence, and strategic ownership of how research is practiced in an AI‑shaped product landscape. This position is based at International’s corporate headquarters in Lisle, IL (hybrid).

Most UX research roles evolve from something that already exists. This one is foundational. You would be building a research practice in an industry that has historically lacked one—at precisely the moment when AI is raising expectations for how well these products must work in real operational environments. If that’s the kind of problem you want to spend the next few years solving, we’d like to talk.

• Lead and conduct UX research across the full product lifecycle, including:
  • Discovery and generative research
  • Usability testing
  • Journey mapping
  • Postlaunch validation and continuous learning
• Serve as a hands‑on researcher while simultaneously leading, coaching, and developing a team of researchers and designers—remaining close to the work as the organization grows.
• Establish a sustainable research rhythm where insights are delivered continuously and inform decisions before product direction and specifications are finalized.
• Define and evolve research methodologies for AI‑powered experiences, including conversational interfaces, predictive systems, and agentic workflows, where user behavior and failure modes differ from traditional software.
• Leverage AI‑assisted research and synthesis tools thoughtfully to accelerate insight generation while maintaining methodological rigor—understanding where automation helps and where human judgment remains essential.
• Partner closely with product management, engineering, and design leaders to ensure user insights are represented in strategy discussions, roadmap planning, and execution.
• Facilitate and present research findings to senior leadership, influencing product direction, prioritization, and business outcomes through clear, evidence‑based storytelling.
• Own research planning, staffing, and budget management while measuring and communicating the impact of research in terms that resonate with leadership.
• Champion customer‑centric thinking across the organization, helping embed user perspective into everyday decision‑making and long‑term planning.

• Product managers seek your input before writing specifications.
• Roadmap decisions change because of insights generated by your team.
• User needs are discussed in leadership meetings even when you’re not in the room.

• Bachelor's degree and at least 9 years of digital product design experience and at least 5 years of management experience.
• OR Master’s degree and at least 7 years of digital product design experience and at least 5 years of management experience.
• OR At least 12 years of digital product design experience and at least 5 years of management experience.

• Qualified candidates, excluding current employees, must be legally authorized on an unrestricted basis (US Citizen, Legal Permanent Resident, Refugee or Asylee) to be employed in the United States. We do not anticipate providing employment related work sponsorship for this position (e.g., H-1B status).

• 9+ years of UX research experience with demonstrated impact on product strategy.
• Proven ability to lead research initiatives while remaining actively involved in execution; candidates should have…