Director, Product Guest Experience Research

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd•Miami, FL

20d•Onsite

About The Position

In this position, you would be the strategic architect responsible for shaping Royal Caribbean’s long-term guest experience vision, leading the insights, strategies, and frameworks that guide the innovation and design of Royal Caribbean’s product portfolio representing $30 billion in global investment across new ships, fleet modernizations, and private destinations. You would be one of the most influential contributors in the Product Development organization, directly impacting how future guests will experience the brand. By combining behavior research, guest observation, competitive intelligence, and deep product insights; you would ensure that critical product innovations and decisions are rooted in insight, drive measurable business value, and reinforce Royal Caribbean’s long-term competitive advantage. You would oversee the guest research, observational studies, competitive benchmarking, and product segmentation, ensuring these functions work cohesively to inform the entire development lifecycle, strategic decisions, and investment priorities. Your impact would extend beyond the inspiration, it will ensure innovations and designs are distinctive, guest validated, and financially sound, helping to avoid costly late stage changes measured in millions and ensuring every product delivers against Royal Caribbean’s objectives of driving the guest experience, growing market share, and increasing revenue generation. You would translate complex level insights into clear, actionable strategies that define the emotional, functional, and commercial success of future products that will shape the future of vacation experiences for the Royal Caribbean International brand. Acting as a thought partner across Product Development, Marketing, Hotel Operations, Newbuild, and brand; this role will require you to collaboratively influence various cross functional teams and business unit executives (VPs+). We are looking for an influential strategist with deep expertise in experience design, product, and guest research, with the ability to communicate complex findings with clarity and influence. You would lead a team of experienced professionals, including directors, senior managers and managers, and oversee a research budget that supports the entire product portfolio. You would also lead high-performing teams while managing the end-to-end research process, applying cutting-edge methodologies, and continuously improving practices to enhance impact and efficiency.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree is required in Business, Design, Behavioral Science, or related field. Master’s degree preferred.
15+ years of progressive experience in guest research, insights, or experience strategy within hospitality, travel, entertainment, or consumer experience industries.
Experience building and leading multidisciplinary teams of strategists, researchers, and analysts.
Proven track record of translating research and behavioral insight into strategic direction for large-scale product development or design initiatives.
Demonstrated success influencing executive stakeholders and driving measurable impact across multi-billion-dollar portfolios.
Expertise in human-centered design, ethnography, and experience strategy, with strong analytical and storytelling capabilities.
Exceptional communication and leadership skills, with the ability to synthesize complex insights into clear, actionable strategies for senior audiences.
Deep understanding of competitive benchmarking, segmentation, and trend analysis in global leisure and experience markets.

Responsibilities

Define and lead the guest experience strategy that shapes all new products across ships and private destinations, ensuring Royal Caribbean continues to lead the industry in innovation and differentiation.
Develop a multi-year experience strategy roadmap, connecting guest insight to innovation direction, innovation pipeline priorities, and financial outcomes.
Oversee the integrated guest research, observational studies, and competitive benchmarking program that informs the portfolio of product investment decisions.
Develop a multi-year experience strategy roadmap, connecting guest insight to innovation direction, innovation pipeline priorities, and financial outcomes.
Champion the voice of the guest across every stage of the product lifecycle, ensuring design and investment decisions are rooted in validated guest needs and behavioral insight.
Translate research into experience frameworks and briefs that provide clear, actionable direction for product and design teams.
Lead global observational and ethnographic studies to uncover latent needs and ensure concepts perform as intended in real-world contexts.
Establish and evolve a competitive experience benchmark for cruise and broader leisure industries, identifying whitespace and innovation opportunities.
Partner closely with Hotel Operations, Revenue Management, Finance, and Product to define experience KPIs and forecast the ROI of guest experience enhancements.
Serve as a strategic advisor to executive leadership, helping shape investment and prioritization decisions that balance innovation, cost, and guest value.
Deliver insights and recommendations through compelling storytelling and visualization, driving alignment across senior stakeholders.
Lead, inspire, and develop a high-performing team of strategists, researchers, and analysts, building a culture of curiosity, rigor, and impact.