Morningstar brings inspired problem-solvers together with one goal in mind: Empower investor success. We deliver the highest quality data, independent research and analysis, and best-in-class technology to meet the unique needs of investors all around the world. And it’s on that foundation—research, data, and technology—that the Morningstar design team crafts the services, experiences, and products that help people make smarter investment decisions for themselves and their clients.  

The Morningstar design team is dedicated to thoughtful, intuitive design that turns complex financial information into meaningful insights and analysis and ultimately better investing outcomes. 

We do this not only by designing the look and feel of a product, but also driving product direction. With our partners, we prioritize the biggest opportunities to support our business, we speak on behalf of our users, and we own the success (and failures!) of our work.  

The design organization is made up of several disciplines—visual, UX, content strategy, and user research—united to help each other, and the whole company, grow. We’re always seeking designers who are motivated, driven to deliver user-centered outcomes, with an equal commitment to craft and compassion. 

We’re looking for a Senior User Researcher to help our Professional Software team develop digital products that empower investors of all kinds to make better financial decisions. In this role, you'll help shape the product experience by uncovering user insights that ensure our teams understand and design for the needs, challenges, and mindsets that our key segments—wealth managers, investment consultants, financial advisors, and asset managers—face in their day-to-day work. Your work will also include coaching product and design partners on a range of user research methods to increase both the quantity and quality of self-directed squad research. With everything you do, you’ll help us champion user-centered practices across the organization and the value of user research. 

We’re looking for someone who’s: 

• An expert in user research, with a proven track record of shaping and delivering mixed-method research studies at every stage of the product lifecycle for large, business-to-business software platforms. 
• Experienced in partnering with and influencing senior-level stakeholders, communicating the value of user research, and fostering strategic long-term thinking. 
• Comfortable with both traditional and new approaches in recruitment, methodology and reporting.  
• An insightful thinker who brings sharp analysis and a strong point of view to their work, and rapidly translates insights into opportunities that serve both design and business needs. 
• An adaptable self-starter who asks thoughtful questions and is eager to find opportunities and solve them with user insights and data. 
• Ready to master complex information and to simplify it so that everyone can understand. 
• Able to thrive in an agile work environment and embrace iterative product development while maintaining a cohesive and holistic view that taps into consumer, product and business needs. 
• An effective presenter, communicator, and influencer demonstrated by strong, clear, visual outputs and deliverables. 
• Comfortable independently navigating and leading others through ambiguity, and able to make quick pivots in response to new information. 
• Confident in their abilities to lead and teach, yet humble enough to reflect, learn, and continuously strive for better ways of doing things. 
• Able to build meaningful relationships and bring multidisciplinary teams together to solve problems and cultivate empathy. 
• Motivated to bring energy to a team and keep things positive. 
• Humility, a sense of humor, and an equal willingness to teach and learn.  

In this role, you’ll: 

• Learn about the investment industry and know your product area inside and out. 
• Identify key research questions and objectives in partnership with product, design and engineering teams to develop learning plans and address research needs. 
• Lead the scoping, planning, and execution of user research, utilizing a range of mixed-method research methods with multiple cross-functional product teams. 
• Identify appropriate research and design targets, and build screeners that best align with your project needs—including creative recruitment strategies where required. 
• Analyze/synthesize data and findings, and develop actionable insights across the product development lifecycle. 
• Translate, socialize, and present insights into compelling, digestible, and actionable deliverables that resonate with cross-functional partners, expose new opportunities, influence both near- and long-term product vision and strategy, and support more informed decision-making that reduces business risk. 
• Help codify user workflows and conduct heuristic evaluations. 
• Connect groups at various levels to coordinate what’s being done by who across the organization to increase efficiency in our insights-gathering efforts. 
• Facilitate semi-weekly office hours, ad hoc coaching and workshops, and other special projects. 
• Work closely with the leadership team to help define and prioritize user research across the business based on the opportunity for greatest impact. 
• Keep teams connected to our end users by maintaining and growing our customer panel. 
• Effectively manage multiple projects and deadlines. 

Experience we’d like to see: 

• 5-7+ years of relevant professional experience (Design/User/UX Research). 
• Bachelor’s and/or master’s degree in the study of user experience, design, research or related fields; for example, Design, Information Architecture, Human Factors/HCI, Psychology, Cognitive Sciences. 
• Practical understanding of traditional and new research and recruitment methods, UX methodology and design thinking. 
• Rigorous approach to research processes, with careful attention to detail and heart for experimenting with research methods, all while maintaining agility and openness. 
• Ability to lead all aspects of a research project, including: project management, scoping, planning, executing, analyzing, synthesizing, and articulating the “so-what.” 
• Demonstrated experience as a leader on a multidisciplinary product team. 
• Outstanding communication, presentation and interpersonal skills; a team player and a strong partner. 
• Excellent organization and attention to detail. 
• Investment industry expertise a plus.