Director, User Experience Research – Experience Design (XD)

Expedia Group•Austin, TX

2d•$208,000 - $338,500•Hybrid

About The Position

Expedia Group is seeking a Director, User Experience Research to lead the vision, strategy, and execution of research across their Partner Tools portfolio. This includes Hotel and Vacation Rental Partner Experiences, APIs, and Partner Advertising, covering both established products and new AI-powered experiences. This role is a player/coach position, requiring leadership of a small, senior research team while remaining hands-on with research execution. The Director will partner closely with engineering, design, and product teams to ensure research is integral to the vision and execution of partner-facing tools. The role demands deep human understanding through methodological craft and the technical fluency to evaluate emerging AI-driven product experiences. The ideal candidate will find satisfaction in developing other researchers' careers, be comfortable working closely with engineers, and be energized by the pace of AI's impact on research.

Requirements

15+ years of relevant professional experience without an advanced degree, or 5–10 years with a suitable advanced degree; or equivalent related professional experience.
Bachelor’s or advanced degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Anthropology, Cognitive Science, or a related field; or equivalent related professional experience.
Demonstrated expertise in qualitative research methodologies and integrating AI into research planning, execution, or delivery.
Proven experience leading and developing high-performing research teams across multiple locations and career levels.
Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and translate research insights into strategic, business-impactful decisions.
Experience building and scaling research programs across complex, multidisciplinary organizations and diverse product domains, ideally including specific experience in B2B.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree or PhD in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer Science, Statistics, Psychology, or a related field — or equivalent professional experience.
A track record of working in close, day-to-day partnership with engineering — e.g., embedded in agile/scrum teams, contributing to technical scoping, or evaluating AI/ML model behavior directly alongside engineers.
Experience researching B2B tools, APIs, or advertising/monetization products.
Specific, demonstrable examples of creating research artifacts and workflows with AI platforms such as Cursor, Claude, GPT, or comparable tools.
Demonstrated ability to safely integrate and operate AI/ML-enabled solutions that improve research outcomes while maintaining methodological rigor.
Experience establishing scalable research practices for AI tools, products, and systems, including evaluating their impact on human behavior and customer experiences.

Responsibilities

Define and lead the research strategy across the Partner Tools portfolio.
Operate as a player/coach for a small, senior research team, setting strategy and craft standards while remaining directly involved in research execution.
Partner closely with engineering, design, product, and data science teams to translate partner insights into strategic, business-impactful decisions.
Champion rigorous, AI-informed research methodologies and provide direct, hands-on examples of integrating AI tools into the research workflow.
Build scalable research frameworks and reusable insight systems that create durable value across a complex, multidisciplinary organization.
Integrate qualitative and quantitative research to combine behavioral data with human-centered depth and deliver complete partner insights.