Lead, Customer Experience Research

Cencora • USA > PA > Remote, PA

13d • $119,100 - $186,560

About The Position

Cencora is seeking a collaborative, thoughtful, and creative Customer Experience Research Lead to join its Research and Insights Practice. The role leads complex research initiatives, shapes research strategy, and translates customer insights into actionable business, experience, and product decisions. Reporting to the Director of Insights and Intelligence, the Lead partners closely with the CX Strategy Team and stakeholders across product, strategy, marketing, and other business functions to ensure customer needs, behaviors, and experiences inform enterprise priorities.

This senior research practitioner and team lead independently delivers high-impact research while guiding, developing, and overseeing other researchers. The role helps maintain research standards, improve the strategic impact and quality of the team’s work, and advance the maturity and influence of customer research across Cencora. It offers an opportunity to influence product, experience, and business strategy within a Fortune 10 organization.

Requirements

• At least 7 years of experience in customer experience, market, or related research, including independently leading complex research initiatives with impactful outcomes.
• At least 3 years of mentoring, coaching, or providing research direction to other researchers.
• Formal training in research methodology, behavioral science, study design, and analysis.
• Bachelor’s degree in market research, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Human Centered Interaction (HCI), Human Factors, Sociology, Anthropology, or another research-intensive discipline with formal training in research methodology and design.
• Advanced proficiency in qualitative and quantitative methodologies, including survey design and in-depth interviewing.
• Proficiency with survey and research platforms such as Qualtrics, UserTesting, and Medallia, or similar tools.
• Working knowledge of statistical analysis and data interpretation, including descriptive and inferential techniques.
• Experience with data analysis and visualization tools such as Excel, Tableau, SPSS, SAS, Jamovi, R, or Python.
• Experience synthesizing and analyzing qualitative and quantitative datasets to identify patterns and generate actionable insights.
• Experience conducting or strong familiarity with Bayesian statistics.
• Familiarity with collaboration tools such as Mural, Miro, or similar platforms.
• Portfolio demonstrating past work and deliverables, such as surveys, user study designs, or research reports.

Nice To Haves

• Prior formal people management experience.
• Advanced degree (Master’s or Doctorate).
• Certification in market research, data analytics, or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex, high-impact research initiatives from defining business questions and research strategy through execution, synthesis, storytelling, and activation of insights.
• Develop strategic research plans and roadmaps with business and product leaders, identifying where research can have the greatest impact on customer experience and business outcomes.
• Advise cross-functional partners and translate ambiguous business challenges into clear research questions and evidence-based decisions.
• Establish and champion research best practices, standards, and frameworks to support consistency, quality, and scalability.
• Conduct and oversee quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research, including generative, exploratory, and strategic research.
• Synthesize insights across studies and data sources to identify customer needs, experience gaps, emerging trends, and strategic opportunities.
• Translate research findings into clear, compelling narratives and recommendations for senior leaders.
• Provide day-to-day leadership to researchers, including research direction, prioritization, coaching, feedback, and development.
• As the function grows, take on formal people leadership responsibilities, including managing and developing direct reports.
• Contribute to Cencora’s research practice and culture of customer-centered, evidence-based decision-making.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision care.
• Benefits supporting physical, emotional, financial, and social wellness.
• Support for working families, which may include backup dependent care, adoption assistance, infertility coverage, family building support, behavioral health solutions, paid parental leave, and paid caregiver leave.
• Training programs and professional development resources.
• Mentorship programs.
• Employee resource groups.
• Volunteer activities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior