Design Research Lead - Manager Level

Design Research Lead - Manager Level

Capital One’s Experience Design (XD) organization focuses on co‑creating memorable, meaningful customer and associate experiences that build our brand with humanity and drive business advantage.

As the User Intelligence Research Lead for your product areas, you will accelerate learning velocity by supporting a structured, systems‑oriented human intelligence system.

You will execute the Research organization’s vision: shifting from discrete, episodic UX studies to structured, connected research efforts to build cumulative user intelligence. You will plan and conduct research studies, utilize AI agents/skills, and enable human access platforms to support discovery, rapid testing, and assessment of user experiences. This is a high‑level individual contributor role that requires mastery of project leadership, technical fluency, business acumen, and the ability to produce actionable insights and encourage activation to ensure the development of useful and usable experiences.

• Build Cumulative User Intelligence:
  Plan and conduct connected studies and establish data acquisition mechanisms that contribute to a collective body of user intelligence that fuels product teams’ ongoing planning and decision‑making.
• Provide rapid testing within the product development lifecycle:
  Utilize and evolve research agents and research platforms to accelerate learning velocity: extracting insights from existing intelligence repositories, conducting rapid discovery, concept, content, and usability testing.
• Support Continuous Discovery:
  Partner with research ops to enable product teams to access their users to maximize empathy and understanding.
• Support UX Measurement:
  Partner with CX, data scientists, analysts, and designers to identify domain‑specific UX metrics. Assist in developing mechanisms to collect/measure UX metrics, conduct analysis using UX and other metrics to identify critical correlations between user behavior and business success.
• Conduct Data Triangulation & Synthesis:
  Utilize behavioral analytics, quantitative data, and qualitative insights to produce actionable insights.

• Results Focus:
  Works independently to achieve business‑critical outcomes; takes full ownership of the intelligence research learning agenda and decision‑making.
• Influence:
  Acts as a subject matter expert to inspire teams to adopt research methodologies and activate insights.
• Collaboration:
  
  Builds productive partnerships with Analysts, Design, Product, and Engineering; seeks out diverse data sources to ensure a holistic view of the customer.
• Communication:
  Translates complex data and behavioral findings into compelling narratives for senior stakeholders; ensures clarity in two‑way dialogue across functions.

• At least 3 years of professional experience in User Experience Research, Data Science, and/or Customer Experience Research.
• At least 3 years of experience aggregating, collecting, and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data.
• At least 2 years of experience leading complex, multi‑stakeholder projects or research programs.

• 4+ years of experience in User Intelligence, Human Factors, or behavioral data analysis.
• Experience conducting structured, quantitative jobs to be done studies.
• Experience building automated research workflows.
  
  Proven track record of triangulating multiple data sources (behavioral analytics, survey data, and primary research) to inform product roadmaps.
• Advanced degree in Human Factors, HCI, Statistics, Data Science, and/or Behavioral Economics.

At this time, Capital One will not sponsor a new applicant for employment authorization for this position.

McLean, VA: $164,800 - $188,100 for Manager, Design

New York, NY: $179,700 - $205,100 for Manager, Design

Richmond, VA: $149,800 - $171,000 for Manager, Design

This role is also eligible to earn performance based incentive compensation, which may include cash bonus(es) and/or long term incentives (LTI). Incentives could be discretionary or non discretionary depending on the plan.

Capital One offers a comprehensive, competitive, and inclusive set of health, financial and other benefits that support your total well-being.

Capital One is an equal‑opportunity employer (EOE, including disability/vet) committed to non‑discrimination in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Capital One promotes a drug‑free workplace.