UX Researcher

Join us on our mission to create a completely new, 100% digital bank that truly serves customers' best interests. We are a close-knit and fun-loving team of seasoned financial services professionals who came together for the challenge of building a bank from scratch - and we are committed to doing it all the right way (from technology infrastructure to modern marketing to customer experience).

The anticipated salary range for this role is between $70,000.00 and $90,000.00. The specific salary offered to an applicant will be based on their individual qualifications, experiences, and an analysis of the current compensation paid in their geography and the market for similar roles at the time of hire. The role may also be eligible for an annual discretionary incentive award. In addition to cash compensation, SMBC offers a competitive portfolio of benefits to its employees.

We work with the flexibility and speed of a start-up. But we also have significant stability and capital from being part of the SMBC Group (Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation). SMBC is the second largest bank in Japan and the 12th largest bank in the world with operations in over forty countries. And SMBC is committed to disrupting the US marketplace with ground-breaking products.

It is the best of both worlds, and we are seeking proven marketing leaders to propel us towards a national launch. We have both the ambitious growth plans and the 'patient capital' necessary to execute a multi-year plan. Join us on the journey to deliver an exciting concept of evolved banking.

SUMMARY:

Think about the last time you logged into your banking application. Did you feel engaged or happy about the experience? Have you thought about ways you could make your bank experience better? We are looking for creative minds to help us reimagine banking. Experience researchers that can help us build the next generation bank. A different bank. One that gives consumers the support they need to make better financial decisions.
Although we are part of a larger organization our digital bank team is small, nimble and fast paced. This culture provides an opportunity to think, invent and innovate in a complex financial space. You will work closely with designers, researchers, experience owners, product owners and developers to drive a research process that works to back the customer.

In this role you will:

• Reinvent retail banking. We are building this bank from scratch which means we can leverage new technology and approaches to redefine banking. You will work closely with product, marketing, design and engineering to define UX across multiple financial features and elements, focusing on interaction design and customer experience. Constantly challenge the status quo.
• Put the customer first. Always look at it from the customer’s point of view. Every experience begins with empathy and empathy begins with listening. Understand them well enough to not only meet their needs but anticipate them.
• Leverage research at full throttle. Our toolset is robust and growing. You will have access to top-tier testing platforms, a research repository, and libraries of competitor videos and market reports. Our team is taking UXR to the next level.
• Flex your strategic Jenius. As our research specialist, you will drive quantitative and qualitative studies end-to-end to impact business strategy – from early ideation to analytics and reporting. We will look to you to uncover new trends and charter discoveries for the future!

PRINCIPAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBSILITIES:

• Collaborate across workstreams to guide the evolution of a new financial product.
• Collaborate closely with Research Lead in designing/conducting studies and socializing findings.
• Explore competitor library and market reports; drive discovery while benchmarking our UX and product.
• Design and conduct quantitative studies: usability testing, preference tests, impression tests, navigations tests, surveys, card sorts, etc.
• Design and conduct qualitative studies: interviews, focus groups, guerilla testing, etc.
• Help prepare and facilitate ideation workshops to empower innovation.
• Evolve our understanding of the customer through personas, empathy maps, user flows, and journey maps.
• Apply best practices and knowledge of user experience principles.

POSITION SPECIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in HCI, psychology, sociology, statistics, computer science, or related field preferred.
• 1-2 years experience in User Research, Market Research, or UX Design:
• Strongly analytical and statistically minded, you love diving into data and finding patterns in chaos
• Knowledgeable of data visualization best practices
• Adept with market and competitor analysis
• Experienced in designing / conducting quantitative research: usability tests, surveys, A/B tests, and impression tests
• Succinct and impactful reporting
• Excellent presentation skills, experience briefing stakeholders
• Comfortable with fast-paced and semi-unstructured business cadence
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills
• Self-starter with ability to define and complete objectives independently
• Technologically strong and digitally savvy
• Proficient in Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Case study or portfolio showcasing a variety of research methods and creative solutions
• Preferred Skills/Qualifications:
• Experience with research repositories or databases
• Experience with Google Analytics or other analytics engines
• Experience designing / moderating qualitative studies: interviews and usability tests
• Experience developing UXR artifacts (infographics, personas, empathy maps, journey maps, user stories, etc.)
• Experience conducting card sorts
• Experience with UserZoom or a similar testing tool
• Experience with SurveyMonkey or similar survey tool
• Experience facilitating ideation workshops
• Experience working in an Agile Environment
• Experience using JIRA as a tracking tool
• Experience using Miro for collaboration
• Experience with Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign)

EOE STATEMENT
We are an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

CCPA DISCLOSURE
Personal Information Collection Notice: This notice contains information under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) about the categories of personal information (PI) of California residents that SMBC MANUBANK collects and the business or commercial purpose(s) for which the PI may be used. We do not sell PI. More information about our collection and use of PI may be found in our CCPA Privacy Policy at https://www.smbcmanubank.com/privacy/ccpa-disclosure. Persons with disabilities may contact our Customer Contact Center toll-free at (877) 560-9812 to request the information in this Notice in an alternative format.