Associate Director, UX Research and CX Insights

You want more out of a career. A place to share your ideas freely - even if they're daring or different. Where the true you can learn, grow, and thrive. At Verizon, we power and empower how people live, work and play by connecting them to what brings them joy. We do what we love - driving innovation, creativity, and impact in the world. Our V Team is a community of people who anticipate, lead, and believe that listening is where learning begins. In crisis and in celebration, we come together - lifting our communities and building trust in how we show up, everywhere & always. Want in? Join the #VTeamLife.

The Verizon Value Organization is Verizon's portfolio of prepaid brands: Verizon Prepaid, Visible, Total Wireless, Straight Talk, Tracfone and more - serving millions of customers through multiple channels. Our mission in the Value Organization is to build a better connected world through accessible, quality wireless for all.

This role is within the Value Customer Experience team, where we create and improve experiences for our customers, striving for reliable, simple, exceptional world-class journeys.

The Associate Director of UX Research partners with senior leaders and cross-functional teams across Design, Content, Product, Marketing, Engineering, Strategy, Analytics, and Legal to embed user-centered intelligence into high-stakes initiatives, de-risking product roadmaps and driving business growth. Operating as both a strategic leader and a principal-level research practitioner, this role bridges leadership vision with deep methodological execution, stepping in to conduct complex end-to-end studies alongside a lean team managing a high-volume portfolio.

The Associate Director leads research across digital experience and AI-enabled experiences while establishing the tools, standards, and infrastructure needed to scale research impact across the organization. Additionally, this leader serves as an influential communicator and advisor, guiding senior leadership's understanding and implementation of multi-methodological data, and operationalizing user insights for strategic decision-making.

Key Responsibilities:

Research Strategy & Portfolio Management

• Own the UX research strategy and roadmaps across a multi-brand portfolio, aligning research priorities directly with customer needs, product strategy, and business goals.

• Oversee the active research roadmap, ensuring studies are appropriately prioritized, methodologically sound, actionable, and delivered efficiently.

• Manage multiple concurrent research programs while balancing immediate product sprint needs with foundational initiatives.

Principal-Level Execution & AI Experience Research

• Conduct end-to-end, high-quality UX research and deliver impactful, actionable reports-stepping in as an expert practitioner to support a lean team managing a large portfolio.

• Lead foundational, generative, evaluative, and post-launch research across web, mobile, account management, payments, billing, search, and AI-enabled experiences.

• Lead research examining trust, expectations, adoption, and usability related to AI-powered products and conversational experiences.

• Apply strong business acumen to navigate fast-paced product cycles, aligning research strategy with high-level commercial objectives, operational metrics, and accelerated product roadmaps.

Executive Influence, Storytelling & Triangulation

• Translate consumer insights into clear product recommendations, roadmap priorities, experience improvements, and executive-level decisions.

• Present findings to SVP-level leaders and articulate research methodology at an executive level when necessary to instill confidence in insights and de-risk strategic product bets.

• Advise senior leaders on customer behavior, experience strategy, research investments, and emerging opportunities.

• Coach stakeholders across functions on the interpretation and practical implementation of UX insights.

• Work cross-functionally with Analytics, NPS, Market Research, Data Science, and A/B Testing teams to triangulate multi-methodological data into well-rounded, actionable strategies.

Research Operations, Governance & Scaling

• Establish enterprise research standards, governance frameworks, standardized intake tools, templates, and expert-guided practices.

• Oversee research platforms, vendors, budgets, data-privacy requirements, and legal/compliance processes.

• Track and communicate research impact through product launches, experience improvements, roadmap changes, organizational adoption, and operational efficiency metrics.

People Leadership & Talent Development

• Manage and develop a team of contracted researchers through workload planning, coaching, methodological guidance, quality oversight, and professional development.

You'll need to have:

• Bachelor's degree or four or more years of work experience

• Eight or more years of relevant experience required, demonstrated through one or a combination of work and/or military experience, or specialized training.

• Eight or more years of experience in UX research, including 3+ years in a people management or research function leadership role.

• Demonstrated principal-level mastery in designing and executing qualitative and mixed-methods research end-to-end (interviews, usability testing, diary studies, concept testing, surveys).

• Demonstrated experience developing research strategies, prioritization frameworks, and roadmaps across multiple products, brands, or business areas.

• Strong executive communication, stakeholder management, facilitation, synthesis, and research storytelling skills with a proven ability to influence senior leaders in a complex organization.

Even better if you have one or more of the following:

• Bachelor's degree in Cultural Anthropology, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Psychology, Sociology, Behavioral Science, Design Research, or a related field.

• Master's degree or PhD in Anthropology, HCI, Psychology, Behavioral Science, Business, or a related field.

• Direct experience researching AI-powered products, conversational experiences, personalization, search, or other emerging technologies.

• Experience implementing AI-enabled research tools, scalable Research Ops programs, or responsible AI governance practices.

• Experience managing research vendors, technology platform budgets, procurement, and external research partnerships.

• Demonstrated business acumen and organizational agility to thrive in a high-velocity, fast-paced environment, rapidly connecting user insights to commercial KPIs, speed-to-market priorities, and strategic business growth.

• Familiarity with telecommunications, subscription services, account management, billing, payments, or other complex B2C service experiences.

If Verizon and this role sound like a fit for you, we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every "even better" qualification listed above.

Verizon is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to veteran status, disability or other legally protected characteristics.

Our benefits are designed to help you move forward in your career, and in areas of your life outside of Verizon. From health and wellness benefit options including: medical, dental, vision, short and long term disability, basic life insurance, supplemental life insurance, AD&D insurance, identity theft protection, pet insurance and group home & auto insurance. We also offer a matched 401(k) savings plan, up to 8 company paid holidays per year and up to 6 personal days per year, paid parental leave, adoption assistance and tuition assistance, plus other incentives, we've got you covered with our award-winning total rewards package. Depending on the role, employees have the opportunity to receive compensation in the form of premium pay such as overtime, shift differential, holiday pay, allowances, etc. Newly hired employees receive up to 15 days of vacation per year, which grows with additional service. For part-timers, your coverage will vary as you may be eligible for some of these benefits depending on your individual circumstances.