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Lead UX Researcher

Brand: Bath & Body Works
Location: Columbus, OH, US
Location Type: Remote
Job ID: 04SRT
Job Area: Digital
Employment type: Full-time
Pay Range: $107,000.00 – $144,000.00 per year

Description

At Bath & Body Works, everyone belongs. We are committed to creating a culture of belonging focused on delivering exceptional fragrances and experiences to our customers. We focus on recruiting, retaining, and advancing top talent. In addition, we work to improve our communities and our planet to help the world live more fully.

Summary

The UX team is building a research practice to ensure that the customer perspective is at the core of all our digital (and in some cases, stores) experiences. We are looking for an experienced, human-centered researcher to support the work of our product teams and to take a lead role in establishing the foundations of the design research practice. Our initial phase will be focused on establishing a nimble usability evaluation process and formalizing our field/stores research activities. We hope to grow to support more varied direct research with our customers and stores associates, with the ultimate goal to incorporate generative activities into our research with our customers and stakeholders.

The candidate for this role is a highly skilled product researcher with a deep understanding of the role customer research plays in creating best-in-class experiences with an equal mix of usability and desirability. The candidate should have a balanced view of the relationship between customer needs and business goals and be able to articulate clear and practical insights to their partners. The person in this role should be able to help designers and stakeholders understand what the findings tell us, and which parts are the most actionable and impactful to the business. They should have the ability to lead and inspire other teammates and multi-functional partners. They are organized, determined, and invested in mentoring and guiding the junior researchers on our team. Previous experience adapting research methodologies to work in an agile environment is a huge plus!

Responsibilities

Leadership and Practice building

  • Define the UX research strategy, ensuring alignment with long-term business goals and user-centered design practices.
  • Champion for design research internally, working with stakeholders and partners to get consensus and support.
  • Establish scalable research processes and operational frameworks to ensure consistency and efficiency in delivering high-quality insights across teams.
  • Work with team leaders to establish ways of working and processes for various research activities and for the research team.
  • Mentor junior researchers and promote a collaborative, growth-oriented research culture.

Research Planning and Execution

  • Plan and implement necessary research initiatives based on product roadmaps and organizational initiatives.
  • Identify research gaps. Craft plans to demonstrate how conducting research will allow us to gather valuable insights to solve our experience opportunities.
  • Author and conduct various types of usability evaluations, including moderated, unmoderated, and prototype testing using platforms such as UserTesting.com.
  • Apply diverse research methods such as interviews, surveys, contextual inquiries, ethnography, and diary studies to address key questions.
  • Facilitate internal workshops and collaborative sessions to assist internal partners in articulating business needs and synthesize session findings into actionable product strategies and user experience improvements.
  • Develop and maintain a repository of research findings and standard methodologies to promote organizational learning and drive continuous improvement.
  • Monitor and report on the impact of marketing research initiatives on user satisfaction, engagement, and product performance. Share key insights with product teams.
  • Investigate usability concerns using tools like Quantum Metric to gather behavioral insights.
  • Manage vendor partnerships and use their resources when additional capacity is required.

Collaboration and Communication

  • Educate partners on research standard methodologies, become a trusted and compassionate SME, and champion human-centered research activities.
  • Collaborate with multi-functional teams to ensure research findings effectively guide experience definition and solution decisions.
  • Present research insights in clear and actionable ways, highlighting user needs, challenges, and opportunities for improvement.
  • Advocate for the importance of including customer insights into our decision-making processes in order to deliver exceptional experiences.
  • Partner with Enterprise Insights and Data Analytics to build well-rounded, data-driven narratives about customer behaviors and needs.

Qualifications

  • 7+ years hands-on of experience in UX research with a focus on usability testing and mixed-method studies.
  • Demonstrated experience leading research work for multi-functional product teams in an Agile environment.
  • Keen understanding of what makes good digital experiences and how research can uncover new opportunities.
  • Experience gathering customer insights for mobile / desktop web experiences and native mobile apps, both moderated and unmoderated.
  • Familiarity with methods for assessing user satisfaction and engagement.
  • 3+ years mentoring other researchers.
  • Expertise in Research Methods: Leads have a deep understanding of various qualitative research techniques and usability testing methods and when to use them. They skillfully select and apply the most effective approaches for the situation to answer critical design and business questions.
  • Drive Actionable Insights: A successful lead excels at uncovering user needs and translating them into insights that guide meaningful solutions. They focus on clarifying the “why” behind user behaviors and crafting clear, evidence-based recommendations that support product and design strategies.
  • Analytical Strengths: Leads synthesize information from diverse sources, identifying patterns and key usability concerns. They present findings in a meaningful way that highlights opportunities for improvement while maintaining a clear connection to user and business goals.
  • Leadership and Mentorship: As mentors, leads foster growth within their teams, encouraging junior researchers to refine their skills and take ownership of their work. They lead by example, demonstrating professionalism, curiosity, and a commitment to excellence in every project.
  • Effective Communication: With exceptional communication skills, leads present findings to stakeholders in a clear, engaging, and actionable way. They build alignment across teams by emphasizing shared goals and demonstrating how research findings support both user needs and business objectives. Leads are masterful storytellers and craft easy to understand plain language narratives to aid in understanding insights and aligning stakeholders on proposed outcomes.
  • Collaboration and Influence: Leads build trust and maintain strong working relationships across disciplines. They work seamlessly with product designers, UX strategists, product owners and business stakeholders to align research efforts with team priorities. Their ability to navigate differing perspectives ensures that user-centered insights remain the focus when aligning on direction or solutions.
  • Empathy and Advocacy: Leads prioritize inclusivity and accessibility in their work, ensuring that diverse perspectives are represented and addressed. Their approach centers on creating experiences that are meaningful and usable for all users, regardless of background or ability.
  • Adaptable and Innovative: Leads love to learn and grow. They push themselves to expand their understanding of the science and practice of research. They look for opportunities to adjust their methods or learn new ones. They are willing to flex their process to meet the demands of business. They are continually refining ways to enhance the impact of their research.

Bonus Qualifications

  • Interaction or visual design skills
  • Experience in ecommerce
  • Experience with quantitative methods including A/B testing.
  • Working with an Analytics team
  • Collaborating with Marketing Insights teams

Education

  • Bachelor’s Degree or Master’s Degree in relevant field; or equivalent combination or relevant experience and education.

Core Competencies

  • Lead with Curiosity & Humility
  • Build High Performing Teams for Today & Tomorrow
  • Influence & Inspire with Vision & Purpose
  • Observe, Engage & Connect
  • Strive to Achieve Operational Excellence
  • Deliver Business Results

Benefits

Bath & Body Works associates are the heart of our business. That’s why we’re proud to offer benefits that empower you to Dream Bigger & Live Brighter. Benefits for eligible associates include: 

  • Robust medical, pharmacy, dental and vision coverage. Plus, access to our onsite wellness center and pharmacy located at the Columbus, OH home office.
  • 401k with company match and Associate Stock Purchase with discount
  • No-cost mental health and wellbeing support through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
  • Opportunity for paid time off and paid parental leave. Plus, access to family and lifestyle programs including a family building benefit, childcare discounts, and home, auto and pet insurance.
  • Tuition reimbursement and scholarship opportunities for post-secondary education programs
  • 40% merchandise discount and gratis that encourages you to come back to your senses!

Visit bbwbenefits.com for more details.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required.

We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with arrest records, conviction records, or other criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of any applicable state and local laws. Please see links: Los Angeles Fair Chance In Hiring Ordinance, Philadelphia Fair Chance Law, San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not make employment decisions based on an individual’s race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, protected veteran status or any other legally protected status, and we comply with all laws concerning nondiscriminatory employment practices. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for associates and job applicants with disabilities. Our management team is dedicated to ensuring fulfillment of this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, associate activities and general treatment during employment. We only hire individuals authorized for employment in the United States.

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