Lead UX Researcher

Cox Enterprises•Atlanta, GA

3d•$134,900 - $224,900•Hybrid

About The Position

As a Lead User Researcher, you will set research strategies and guide programs across multiple products or portfolio areas. You will demonstrate advanced to emerging mastery across major UXR competencies and serve as a research leader within CAI. You will develop portfolio level research roadmaps, coordinate multiteam initiatives, and shape long-term product direction. You will establish standards, drive methodological consistency, and partner with Research Ops to enable scalable, high-quality research processes. You will also apply advanced agentic AI techniques to build repeatable insight systems, automate synthesis, and support long-term insight durability.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in and 6 years’ experience in a related field. The right candidate could also have a different combination, such as a master’s degree and 4 years’ experience; a Ph.D. and 1 year of experience; or 10 years’ experience in a related field
Proven success leading large, multi‑team research programs
Deep command of ethnography, journey mapping, concept testing, and synthesis
Ability to architect insight frameworks, research operations models, and standards
Strong influence skills; trusted advisor to Directors, VPs, and senior leadership
Excellent cross-functional leadership and facilitation skills
Strong understanding of product strategy and business-level decision frameworks
Demonstrated ability to manage complexity and ambiguity at scale
Ability to coach and elevate the performance of multiple senior researchers
Expertise in data-backed storytelling and strategic communication
Familiarity with analytics, experimentation, and modeling workflows
Use of general purpose LLM tools to analyze and synthesize user behavior, identify patterns, and prioritize opportunities
Use AI to accelerate discovery, experimentation, development, and recommend improvements throughout the product design process
Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred
6–10 years applied research experience
Applicants must currently be authorized to work in the United States for any employer without current or future sponsorship. No OPT, CPT, STEM/OPT or visa sponsorship now or in future.

Nice To Haves

May require frequent cross-site travel for portfolio alignment and fieldwork.

Responsibilities

Define portfolio level research strategies with measurable success criteria.
Lead multiteam, multimethod research programs across product lines and identify cross domain insights that influence long-term product direction.
Develop advanced personas, journey architectures, and ecosystem maps.
Supervise development of personas, journey architectures, ecosystem maps, and opportunity landscapes used across teams.
Apply advanced agentic AI to develop repeatable insight pipelines and quality controls.
Partner with Research Operations on governance, research frameworks, panel strategy, vendor selection, and tooling decisions.
Facilitate alignment workshops with senior product and UX leaders using collaborative tools (e.g., Miro, Mural)
Provide expert guidance on method selection for ambiguous or high-risk projects.
Mentor Senior Researchers and serve as a method-of-record reviewer.
Oversee repository consistency and long-term insight durability.
Influence roadmaps by communicating evidence backed opportunity areas.
Develop capacity plans and guide resource allocation across research programs.
Champion ethical research practices and participant safety.

Benefits

health care insurance (medical, dental, vision)
retirement planning (401(k))
paid days off (sick leave, parental leave, flexible vacation/wellness days, and/or PTO)
flexible vacation with pay
seven paid holidays throughout the calendar year
up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually
bereavement leave
time off to vote
jury duty leave
volunteer time off
military leave
parental leave