Lead Researcher - Verification Experience

About Wise

Wise is a global technology company dedicated to creating the most efficient way to send, spend, and receive money internationally. Minimizing fees while maximizing ease and speed, Wise aims to build a new global network for worldwide money management, benefiting individuals and businesses everywhere.

Role Overview

As the Lead Design Researcher for the Verification Experience squad, you will blend hands-on qualitative and quantitative research with leadership responsibilities and strategic squad-level guidance. Your role involves defining research priorities, mentoring and growing a team of researchers, and ensuring that research outcomes address critical customer and business challenges.

You’ll maintain direct involvement in complex and high-impact projects and foster an environment where your team can excel. This position demands setting a clear research direction and leveraging mixed-method insights to improve both customer-facing verification processes and internal operational tools.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish clear priorities and research directions that align with squad and company objectives.
• Transform research findings into actionable opportunities affecting product and verification strategy.
• Communicate immediate and long-term learning goals and how decisions align with the future of verification experiences.
• Lead and develop your team by setting expectations, providing coaching, managing performance, and enabling professional growth.
• Stay actively involved in leading critical research projects, enhancing the research capabilities of your team and squad.
• Forge strong relationships and manage stakeholder communications with cross-functional teams and senior leaders to promote alignment and customer-focused decisions.
• Set ambitious targets, confront challenges openly, and champion a human-centered approach and quality in research.
• Encourage the thoughtful adoption of AI and other emerging tools to improve research effectiveness without compromising rigor.

Qualifications and Experience

• A minimum of six years of experience in product research, including substantial time managing and mentoring research staff.
• Proven ability to inspire and develop researchers by setting clear expectations and delivering constructive feedback.
• Experience collaborating effectively with Product, Design, Engineering, and Analytics teams to align goals and achieve results.
• Strong capability in linking customer insights to business outcomes and creating clear, actionable recommendations.
• Empathy toward customers and a consistent focus on their needs within decision-making processes.
• Demonstrated success in expanding research influence within product teams and among senior leadership.
• Skill in shaping research efforts and product development strategies in a squad setting while advocating for high standards and human-centered design principles.

Additional Information

Wise embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion, valuing a global team that reflects varied backgrounds and perspectives. The company fosters an inclusive culture where all employees feel respected and empowered to contribute to the mission of making the world’s money borders-free and accessible to all.