Lead Researcher, Verification Experience

Lead Design Researcher, Verification Experience. Full-time role with compensation of GBP 102,000–GBP 133,000 yearly.

As Lead Design Researcher for the Verification Experience squad, you’ll combine hands-on research with people leadership and squad-level strategic direction. You’ll set research priorities, lead and develop researchers, and ensure evidence is focused on the most important customer and business problems.

You’ll remain close to the craft and personally lead projects, particularly when the work is highly strategic, ambiguous or requires research leadership. At the same time, you’ll create the conditions for your direct reports to do their best work, giving them clear direction, thoughtful coaching and the right level of challenge.

You’ll bring together qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods evidence to shape both customer-facing verification experiences and the internal tools that help teams solve problems efficiently. At Lead level, success isn’t measured only by the research you deliver yourself. It’s measured by the quality and impact of your team’s work, the growth and performance of your direct reports, and the clarity of direction you create across Verification.

You’ll set clear priorities for yourself and your direct reports, connecting the team’s work to squad and business goals. You’ll turn research into clear opportunities that influence the focus, priorities and product direction of the Verification squad, and help teams understand what they need to learn today, what comes next and how their decisions contribute to the longer-term Verification experience.

You’ll set clear expectations, support the growth of your direct reports and take responsibility for their performance and impact, course-correcting when needed. You’ll personally lead strategic or complex research projects while raising research quality, thinking and technical capability across the team and squad. You’ll build strong relationships and skilfully navigate conversations with teams, squads and senior leaders to create alignment and champion customer-centred decisions.

You’ll set ambitious goals, address difficult problems and confidently champion quality, customers and a human-centred approach. You’ll help your team use AI and emerging tools where they improve speed, quality or impact while maintaining research rigour and sound judgement.

You have 6+ years of experience in product research, including managing researchers and supporting their growth, performance and progression. You know how to bring out the best in people, setting clear expectations and providing thoughtful coaching and feedback. You build strong partnerships across Product, Design, Engineering and Analytics to align priorities and get things done. You connect customer evidence with business outcomes, turning research into clear opportunities that inspire action.

You’re empathetic and consistently keep customers’ needs at the heart of decisions. You have a strong track record of growing research influence across product teams and with senior stakeholders. You can shape research and product direction across a squad while championing quality and human-centred design.

Wise believes teams are strongest when they are diverse, equitable and inclusive, and celebrates its international team and differences.