Qualitative Researcher

Visa•Ashburn, VA

5h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Product Experience Design & Digital (PxD+D) team is the innovation arm of Visa Consulting & Analytics. We partner with Fortune 500 clients to apply human‑centered research and design thinking to uncover unmet customer needs and translate them into stronger product, digital, and experience strategies. Our work informs both client‑facing solutions and internal product and consulting roadmaps across Visa. The Role We are seeking a qualitative researcher to support user‑centered research across client engagements. This role is ideal for a researcher who excels at uncovering human insights through qualitative methods, can synthesize complexity into clear stories, and is comfortable operating in fast-moving, client-facing consulting environments.

Requirements

2 or more years of work experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters, MBA, JD, MD, or PhD)
Be deeply curious about consumer motivations and how people interact with products, services, and experiences
Excel at qualitative research and insight synthesis, with the ability to confidently explain why certain methods were chosen and how insights were derived
Be comfortable working through ambiguity and translating messy inputs into clear, human‑centered narratives
Enjoy collaborating in fast‑paced consulting environments with shifting priorities
Demonstrate strong storytelling skills, especially through PowerPoint and visual frameworks

Nice To Haves

3 or more years of work experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or more than 2 years of work experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters, MBA, JD, MD)
5+ years of experience in user research, design research, market research, insights, consulting, or related fields
Strong qualitative research expertise (quantitative experience is a plus)
Experience conducting and synthesizing qualitative research such as interviews, diary studies, or concept testing
Excellent verbal, written, and visual communication skills
Ability to manage multiple workstreams and deliver high‑quality work under tight timelines
Collaborative mindset with strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills
Bachelor’s degree in a research‑oriented discipline such as Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Human‑Computer Interaction, Marketing, Consumer Behavior, Economics, or similar
Experience facilitating or co‑leading client workshops
Familiarity with research platforms such as dScout, UserTesting, Miro/FigJam, or similar
Knowledge of accessibility best practices
Experience in payments, financial services, or regulated industries

Responsibilities

Support all phases of design and user research, including scoping, research strategy, hypothesis development, fieldwork, synthesis, and insight storytelling
Plan and conduct qualitative research using methods such as in‑depth interviews, diary studies, concept evaluations, co‑creation sessions, and usability testing
Frame complex research problems and help determine the most appropriate qualitative (and mixed‑methods) approaches across different product and experience phases
Translate research findings into clear, compelling insights that reframe client problems and surface opportunity areas
Create research artifacts such as in personas, journey maps, user flows, mental models, and opportunity frameworks
Develop client‑ready deliverables and presentations that clearly communicate the voice of the user and inspire action
Support and co‑facilitate design thinking workshops with clients and internal stakeholders to identify pain points, test ideas, and align on opportunities
Collaborate with designers, consultants, and product partners to ensure research insights are embedded into solution development
Support research scoping, timelines, documentation, and deliverable preparation across multiple concurrent projects
Coordinate with external research vendors and internal partners, including participant recruitment, logistics, and data/privacy considerations
Build strong working relationships with cross‑functional partners across Design, Research, Product, and Consulting teams
Contribute to the development of internal research tools, templates, and best practices
Act as a change agent by introducing fresh ideas that elevate the research craft and culture within PxD+D