Principal, Experience Researcher

Walmart • Bentonville, AR

18h • $110,000 - $220,000 • Onsite

About The Position

At Sam’s Club, we’re committed to being the membership you love the most. The Sam's Club Experience Strategy and Innovation team crafts compelling experiences wherever we meet our members and associates—from our clubs to their businesses, and to their homes. We deliver impact for the business through the web, apps, in-club experiences and associate-facing tools. In this role, we need your strategic Design Research expertise and leadership to shape, inform, and support key initiatives throughout the Sam’s Club organization while growing organizational empathy and research capability. From day one, you will rely on your interpersonal strengths and your ability to lead with creativity, strategic and systems thinking. You are the right fit have experience mentoring and coaching a team of cross-functional stakeholders and junior researchers in developing the art and science of research design and high-quality insight creation. You are a compelling storyteller and communicator, with the skillset of turning data and insights into a captivating narrative to guide decision makers and influence direction. Principal level researchers balance hands-on research with stakeholder engagement and are accountable for ensuring their research drives meaningful value and measurable impact. In This Role As a Principal Design Researcher, you will deliver high-impact, actionable insights that shape a holistic experience strategy for our members and associates. You are a master storyteller—transforming complex data into clear, compelling narratives. You will facilitate workshops to help teams define the right problem to solve, frame opportunity areas, and collaborate with stakeholders to define research goals. You are an expert at selecting the right research methodologies, making sense of the data, and translating findings into actionable frameworks, narratives, and engaging research presentations (bonus if you have video editing skills). You will partner closely with interdisciplinary teams, including business stakeholders to influence decisions, build aligned visions, and drive measurable business outcomes. Your work will connect strategic opportunities—anticipating needs and aspirations of our associates and members—to the creation and deployment of future-state experiences at scale. You are a great fit if you have a passion for applied research—blending qualitative and quantitative approaches to inform strategy across every phase of design, from discovery to implementation and optimization.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in UX, CX, or Service Design Research, with a strong command of mixed methods across the full product and experience lifecycle.
• Ability to connect research insights to broader business strategy, identifying patterns, opportunities, and long-term implications.
• Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to translate complex findings into clear, persuasive narratives for diverse audiences—including senior leadership.
• Experience leading workshops, co-creation sessions, and cross-functional collaboration to align teams and shape direction.
• Proven ability to build relationships and influence across product, design, business, and technology partners.
• Strong foundation in research methods, synthesis, and insight development, with a commitment to quality and rigor.
• Bachelor’s degree in a related field OR advanced degree (Master’s/PhD) with equivalent experience OR equivalent practical experience
• Deep experience conducting qualitative research (e.g., interviews, ethnography) and applying a range of methods across both foundational and evaluative phases
• Experience leading research across end-to-end, omnichannel experiences (digital and/or physical)
• Strong stakeholder management skills, including influencing senior leadership
• Experience designing and facilitating workshops (co-creation, ideation, design thinking)
• Exceptional communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to translate insights into actionable direction

Nice To Haves

• Experience influencing both long-term experience strategy and detailed design execution
• Experience in enterprise or large-scale, technology-driven environments
• Familiarity with AI/ML or emerging interaction paradigms
• Experience conducting global research or managing large-scale insight programs
• Experience building frameworks and narratives that inform North Star visions and multi-year strategies
• Video editing skills
• Knowledge of accessibility best practices and experience creating accessible products and services following Walmart’s accessibility standards and guidelines for supporting an inclusive culture.
• Experience in creating inclusive digital experiences, demonstrating knowledge in implementing Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standards, assistive technologies, and integrating digital accessibility seamlessly.

Responsibilities

• Identify opportunity spaces, define research priorities, and shape initiatives by connecting business needs, user insights, and future trends.
• Lead complex research efforts from design through execution—applying the right mix of qualitative and quantitative methods across discovery, evaluation, and optimization.
• Translate data into clear frameworks, narratives, and actionable insights that inform product, service, and experience strategy.
• Communicate research in compelling, business-relevant ways that drive alignment, guide decision-making, and connect insights to outcomes and KPIs.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and senior leaders to define direction, influence strategy, and ensure research is embedded throughout the design process.
• Champion human-centered design, systems thinking, and service design—facilitating workshops and co-creation sessions that bring teams closer to member and associate needs.
• Elevate research quality by defining best practices, ensuring methodological rigor, and mentoring others in the art and science of research.

Benefits

• Health benefits include medical, vision and dental coverage
• Financial benefits include 401(k), stock purchase and company-paid life insurance
• Paid time off benefits include PTO, parental leave, family care leave, bereavement, jury duty, and voting.
• PTO and/or PPTO that can be used for vacation, sick leave, holidays, or other purposes.
• Short-term and long-term disability
• Company discounts
• Military Leave Pay
• Adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement
• Live Better U is a company paid education benefit program for full-time and part-time associates in Walmart and Sam's Club facilities. Programs range from high school completion to bachelor's degrees, including English Language Learning and short-form certificates. Tuition, books, and fees are completely paid for by Walmart.

What This Job Offers

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