Senior Design Researcher

Job Description

Hi, we're Oscar. We're hiring a Senior Design Researcher to join our Design org in our NYC office.

Oscar is a technology-driven, consumer-focused health insurance startup founded in 2012 and headquartered in New York City. Our goal is to make health insurance simple, transparent, and human. We need your help to do so.

About the role

Our Design Org is a multidisciplinary team that examines the entire member journey and considers the design of systems to be as important as the artifacts we make. Our practice is human-centered, our work is rooted in empathy and research, and we lead by example and with our values.

As our Senior Design Researcher: you will help us better understand the behaviors, needs, and motivations of our diverse population of members. In your day-to-day, you will deploy a wide range of primarily qualitative methodologies with minimal guidance in order to uncover opportunities for innovation and provide deep human insights needed to impact product strategy.

This role reports into a leader on our Design team in the NYC office.

Responsibilities

• Define and measure UX approaches, metrics, and work with core stakeholders on research planning. Innovate and develop new approaches to measure user experiences.
• Build and execute impactful research plan(s) that provide the broad market views and deep customer insights needed to impact strategy and UX.
• Prepare research sessions by recruiting the right participants, planning interviews, and designing stimulus and tools to capture insights.
• Synthesize research findings to uncover insights and identify opportunities leading to the development of new products, features, and frameworks. Accountable for identifying gaps and member pains, as well as potential customer delighters.
• Communicate the business value of research and concepts to business leads, peers, and stakeholders as well as creating compelling documentation of our research. Exceptional storytelling and communication skills are required.
• Contribute to and explore new methodologies and processes to continually raise the bar and streamline our work.

Requirements

Your experiences and your demonstrated skill sets are far more important than your level. If you are interested, feel free to apply regardless of your level.

• 5+ years of hands-on research and/or product planning experience, with demonstrated skill in collecting and analyzing human behavioral data to improve plans and UX in a technology industry.
• Concrete examples of compelling ways to communicate insights, opportunities, and ideas.
• Experience applying research and creating frameworks, tools, and concepts that can inspire tech teams.
• Examples of working collaboratively and independently, balancing experimentation with rigor.
• Genuine and inquisitive, humble yet strong. We’re a team that’s excited to learn from each other and from ourselves, whether that’s through wild ideas or constructive criticism. We work hard to nurture a creative environment where we can take risks, grow, and do better work.
• This is initially an individual contributor role but is likely to evolve into a people manager role in the near future. Prior people management experience is preferred.

Bonus points

• Spanish language proficiency. Experience conducting discovery research and testing features with english and spanish speaking participants.
• Illustration or other visual techniques to convey ideas.
• Masters or PhD in Human Computer Interaction, Cognitive Psychology, Information Science, Anthropology, Sociology, STS, or related technical field.

Life at Oscar

At Oscar, being an Equal Opportunity Employer means more than upholding discrimination-free hiring practices. It means that we cultivate an environment where people can be their most authentic selves and find both belonging and support. We're on a mission to change health care -- an experience made whole by our unique backgrounds and perspectives.

We encourage our members to care for their whole selves, and we encourage our employees to do the same with comprehensive medical benefits, generous paid-time off, paid parental leave, retirement plans, company social events, stocked kitchens, wellness programs, and volunteer opportunities.

Reasonable Accommodation

Oscar applicants are considered solely based on their qualifications, without regard to applicant's disability or need for accommodation. Any Oscar applicant who requires reasonable accommodations during the application process should contact the Oscar Benefits Team ([email protected]) to make the need for an accommodation known.

Pay Transparency Policy Oscar ensures that you won't be discharged or discriminated against based on whether you've inquired about, discussed, or disclosed your pay. Read the full policy here .