Senior Lead Researcher

Make your impact within a rapidly growing Fintech Company

The BILL Research team focuses on enabling customer centric decision making. We are empaths, facilitators, and change agents. We influence cross functional teams throughout the customers’ end-to-end journey. We use mixed method approaches to bring the customer into the day to day product development process. We value diverse perspectives and support each other in building inclusive communities of practice. 

We are seeking a highly experienced and versatile Senior Research Lead to join our team. This individual contributor role is critical in driving a deep, holistic understanding of our market, our customers, and the intersection of the two. You will focus on supporting Payments & Financial Services and be responsible for conducting both market research and product  research, translating complex findings into actionable insights that inform product strategy, design decisions, and marketing initiatives.

This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of our products and services by bringing together market and customer understanding.

This San Jose-based hybrid role requires working from the office three days per week.

Responsibilities

Market Research: 

• Design, execute, and analyze a variety of market research initiatives including sizing, concept testing, feature prioritization, trend analysis, product-market fit, competitive analysis, and needs identification.
• Utilize both qualitative (e.g., in-depth interviews with industry experts, focus groups with target segments) and quantitative (e.g., surveys, statistical analysis of market data) methodologies.
• Manage external vendors throughout the market research project lifecycle, including vendor selection, contract negotiation, and performance monitoring to ensure high-quality deliverables and cost-effectiveness.
• Monitor industry trends, emerging technologies, and competitor activities to proactively identify potential impacts and opportunities.
• Develop and present comprehensive market insights reports to internal stakeholders, including product leadership, marketing, and executive teams.

Product  Research:

• Works on problems of diverse scope (from discovery thru post launch) aligned to critical business goals, across products and customer types. Independently scopes and plans strategic studies with high complexity and ambiguity.  Develops insights and recommendations that shape product roadmaps.
• Leverages a diverse methodological toolkit to meet business goals, such as ethnographic studies, interviews, surveys, usability testing, diary studies, card sorting, and tree testing,  to understand user behaviors, motivations, pain points, and needs throughout the product lifecycle.
• Conducts desk research of existing internal and external data sources  to inform customer understanding beyond specific project work. 
• Analyze qualitative and quantitative user data to identify patterns, themes, and actionable insights.
• Create compelling research artifacts, including user personas, journey maps, empathy maps, and usability reports.
• Collaborate closely with cross functional partners (ie, product managers, designers, product marketers, CX, and engineers) to integrate user insights into product development and design iterations.

Strategic Impact & Communication:

• Translate complex research findings into clear, concise, and actionable recommendations for various stakeholders.
• Synthesize insights from both market and product research to provide a holistic view of opportunities and challenges.
• Champion a user-centric and data-driven approach throughout the organization.
• Present research findings and recommendations effectively to all levels of the organization, including executive leadership.
• Mentor junior researchers and contribute to the development of best practices within the research team.

We’d love to chat if:

You are a strategic thinker, a meticulous researcher, and an engaging storyteller. You thrive in a fast-paced environment and are passionate about leveraging data to create impactful experiences and drive business growth.

• 8+ years of progressive experience, with a strong foundation in market research alongside user experience research.
• Proven expertise in designing, executing, and analyzing a wide range of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies across all phases of research (i.e. foundational, generative, and evaluative). 
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex data from multiple sources into clear, actionable insights and compelling narratives.
• Strong understanding of B2B payments and the financial back offices of SMBs to Enterprise-level organizations, including the language, intricacies, workflows, and pain points associated with account payables & receivables and related software.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with ability to tailor your message to different audiences, build socialization into timelines, and deliver memorable insights and actionable provocations.
• Expertise in influencing cross-functional teams to prioritize customer and market needs while simultaneously achieving  team and business goals.
•  Bachelor's or Master's degree in a relevant field (e.g., Human-Computer Interaction, Social Sciences, Behavioral Science, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Marketing, MBA, a related field – or equivalent experience).
• A portfolio of successful research projects delivering impactful insights that directly  influenced market strategy, product development, and business growth.  
• Experience with international B2B payment systems and advanced skills in statistical analysis + modeling are bonuses! 

Visa Sponsorship:  Please note that this position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must have authorization to work in the United States without requiring visa sponsorship now or in the future.