Who we are looking for
We are creating a new Head of Experience Research role to establish user research as a strategic capability within the organization. This is a senior, foundational position, initially focused on Technology and internal developer experience, with a clear mandate to shape and influence broader experience strategy and transformation initiatives over time.

This role exists to ensure that experience strategy, major investments, and delivery decisions are grounded in a deep, evidence-based understanding of user needs, behaviors, and constraints. The successful candidate will use research to drive clarity, alignment, and confident decision-making at scale.

This is not a role inheriting a large team. It is a leadership role centered on judgement, influence, and the selective use of research where it delivers the greatest business and experience impact.

What you will be responsible for

• Use research to shape experience strategy, identifying systemic issues, unmet needs, and strategic opportunities
• Lead focused, high-impact research on priority initiatives, ensuring clear links between insight and action
• Partner closely with senior leaders across Technology, Product, UX/Design, and Transformation as a trusted advisor
• Shift teams from product-level thinking toward joined-up journey and ecosystem understanding where appropriate
• Establish user research as a credible discipline, with clear standards and ways of working suited to a regulated environment
• Ensure research practices are ethical, compliant, and defensible, working closely with Legal, Risk, Compliance, and InfoSec
• Demonstrate the value of research and build the case for future investment and initial research hires

What we value

These skills will help you succeed in this role

• Senior stakeholders actively seek research input to shape strategy and major initiatives
• Research insights directly inform decisions and actions within one to two high-profile programs
• Experience direction, prioritization, or adoption outcomes improve as a result of research-led input
• Approval is secured to hire the first dedicated experience researchers
• Significant experience leading user or experience research in complex, large-scale organizations
• Proven ability to use research to inform strategy, not just evaluate solutions
• Deep understanding of research ethics, governance, and compliance, ideally within regulated environments
• Comfortable operating initially without a team, while designing for future scale

Education & Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in product design, with experience leading complex, data-rich products
• Degree in Design (Interaction, Graphic, Product), HCI, or related field a plus
• Experience working within a large, regulated enterprise
• Experience designing complex financial or data applications a big plus

Additional optional requirements

• Experience of a software engineering / developer experience transformation program for a large bank or highly regulated organization
• Experience with internal platforms, developer experience, or large-scale technology transformation
• Experience designing or evolving experience measurement frameworks beyond traditional NPS
• Exposure to responsible use of AI or automation in research workflows

Please provide a link to your design portfolio (or attach a PDF) with any necessary passwords.

Are you the right candidate? Yes!

We genuinely believe in the power that comes from the diverse backgrounds and experiences our employees bring with them. Although each vacancy details what we are looking for, we don’t necessarily need you to fulfill all of them when applying. If you like change and innovation, seek to see the bigger picture, make data-driven decisions, and are a good team player, you could be a great fit.

Why this role is essential to us

Our technology function, Global Technology Services (GTS), is vital to State Street and the key enabler of our business's delivery of data and insights to our clients. We’re driving the company’s digital transformation and expanding business capabilities using industry best practices and advanced technologies such as cloud, artificial intelligence, and robotic process automation.

We offer a collaborative environment where technology skills and innovation are valued in a global organization. We’re looking for top technical talent to join our team and deliver creative technology solutions to help us become a next-generation, end-to-end financial services company.

Join us if you want to grow your technical skills, solve real problems, and make your mark on our industry.

About State Street

Across the globe, institutional investors rely on us to help them manage risk, respond to challenges, and drive performance and profitability. We keep our clients at the heart of everything we do, and smart, engaged employees are essential to our continued success.

We are committed to fostering an environment where every employee feels valued and empowered to reach their full potential. As an essential partner in our shared success, you’ll benefit from inclusive development opportunities, flexible work-life support, paid volunteer days, and vibrant employee networks that keep you connected to what matters most. Join us in shaping the future.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we consider all qualified applicants for all positions without regard to race, creed, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, age, disability, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, citizenship, marital status, domestic partnership or civil union status, familial status, military and veteran status, and other characteristics protected by applicable law.

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