Lead User Researcher (R12098)

ABOUT OPORTUN

Oportun (Nasdaq: OPRT) is a mission-driven fintech that puts its 2.0 million members' financial goals within reach. With intelligent borrowing, savings, and budgeting capabilities, Oportun empowers members with the confidence to build a better financial future. Since inception, Oportun has provided more than $16.6 billion in responsible and affordable credit, saved its members more than $2.4 billion in interest and fees, and helped its members save an average of more than $1,800 annually. Oportun has been certified as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) since 2009.

 

WORKING AT OPORTUN

Working at Oportun means enjoying a differentiated experience of being part of a team that fosters a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture where we all feel a sense of belonging and are encouraged to share our perspectives. This inclusive culture is directly connected to our organization's performance and ability to fulfill our mission of delivering affordable credit to those left out of the financial mainstream. We celebrate and nurture our inclusive culture through our employee resource groups.

• Lead user research projects from initial discovery research through usability test to align with user needs and company goals.
• Present persuasive user-centered strategies to key stakeholders while effectively communicating the rationale and impact to business objectives.
• Utilize a wide variety of research methods to uncover user needs, pain points, and behaviors, in order to inform design and product decisions in the creation of user-centered solutions.
• Foster a culture of creativity, innovation, and collaboration, providing guidance and feedback to team members to ensure user-centered design solutions.
• Ability to work with a high degree of autonomy and handle ambiguity with conviction.
• Develop, maintain, and steward UX thinking and documentation that communicate a finalized design strategy from user research (e.g. personas, journey maps, flowcharts, service blueprints, etc.).
• Leverage analytics, competitive analyses, market research, and qualitative research to illuminate holistic member needs.
• Consistently conduct competitive analyses to stay aware of current market trends, identify gaps in product offerings, and provide strategic recommendations that can be incorporated into the larger product ecosystem.
• Apply knowledge of UX, design best practices, design psychology, design systems, and optimized process flows in support of concept development.
• Coordinate and conduct usability testing sessions to gather user insights, validate design concepts and provide design recommendations to refine the optimal user experience.
• Comfortable traveling to the US to observe in-person experiences and conduct member research at Oportun stores.
• Evaluate digital product content to develop intuitive experiences. This includes interaction flows, terminologies, taxonomies and other content across products and channels.

• At least 7 years of experience in User Research or equivalent role with at least 3 of those years as a lead
• Deep knowledge of human-centered design (HCD) and research methodologies and their application to solving a variety of problems, large and small
• Demonstrated track record of distilling user research into impactful insights for an actionable strategy
• Experience working in and leading multi-disciplinary teams from research through to delivery
• Experience partnering with leadership to define, scope, plan and execute large discovery projects that inform and direct future product strategy and company initiatives
• Ability to communicate complex concepts simply, always striving to make things tangible, whether through conversations, frameworks, or ideas
• Proficient working with tools such as Figma, FigJam, Dovetail, Usertesting.com, and Coda
• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience
• Strong proficiency with English and Spanish, both written and verbal

• Master’s Degree (Business, Design, Human Computer Interaction)
• 4+ years of experience with a financial services company
• Background in human factors, psychology, and behavioral discipline

 

#LI-REMOTE

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We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider all qualified applicants for employment opportunities without regard to race, age, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other category protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate.

 

California applicants can find a copy of Oportun's CCPA Notice here:  https://oportun.com/privacy/california-privacy-notice/.

 

We will never request personal identifiable information (bank, credit card, etc.) before you are hired. We do not charge you for pre-employment fees such as background checks, training, or equipment. If you think you have been a victim of fraud by someone posing as us, please report your experience to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).