Engagement Manager (Lead Design Researcher)

Fractal Analytics•New York, NY

15h•Onsite

About The Position

Fractal Analytics is a global, AI‑first company and strategic partner to Fortune 500 organizations, specializing in applying advanced analytics and AI to improve decision‑making at scale. Their Healthcare & Life Sciences (Pharma) practice supports global pharmaceutical organizations across commercial, R&D, supply chain, and enterprise functions, designing, building, and scaling production‑grade AI and GenAI solutions. The company is seeking an experienced Lead Design Researcher to drive user-centered research and design strategy for complex, enterprise-scale products and services. This role involves hands-on research leadership and strategic influence, partnering with product, engineering, and business stakeholders to shape experiences grounded in user insight and operational reality. As a senior individual contributor and people leader, the successful candidate will define research direction, mentor researchers and designers, and ensure user insight informs product and business decisions.

Requirements

Strong grounding in human-centered design, design research, and systems thinking.
Proven ability to work in ambiguous problem spaces and bring clarity through structured research and synthesis.
Experience influencing senior stakeholders and driving alignment across cross-functional teams.
Comfort operating at both strategic and tactical levels—from setting direction to hands-on execution.
Ability to connect user needs, business objectives, and technical constraints into cohesive experience strategies.
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, or a related field.
10+ years of professional experience in design research, UX research, or related disciplines.
Demonstrated leadership experience, including mentoring or managing designers/researchers.
Strong portfolio showcasing end-to-end research projects and their impact on products or business outcomes.
Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in enterprise, B2B, or highly regulated environments.
Familiarity with design thinking and agile development methodologies.
Experience collaborating closely with engineering and product teams.
Working knowledge of design and prototyping tools such as Figma, Sketch, or Adobe Creative Suite.
Exposure to service design, operational workflows, or systems-level design.

Responsibilities

Set and communicate a clear research and experience vision aligned to business and product strategy.
Lead end-to-end design research efforts—from discovery and generative research through evaluative testing and validation.
Partner with product, engineering, data, and business teams to frame problems, define research questions, and translate insights into actionable outcomes.
Plan and conduct qualitative and quantitative research using a range of methods (interviews, contextual inquiry, usability testing, journey mapping, etc.).
Synthesize complex findings into clear narratives, frameworks, and recommendations for senior stakeholders.
Guide teams toward user-centric decision-making, ensuring research insights are embedded throughout the product lifecycle.
Mentor and develop designers and researchers, fostering a culture of rigor, curiosity, and collaboration.
Establish and evolve research practices, standards, and artifacts that scale across teams.