Lead Researcher
Interview Stages
| Stage | Interviewer(s) | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Recruiter Screen | [Recruiter Name] | 30 min |
| Hiring Manager Screen | [Hiring Manager Name] | 45 min |
| Portfolio Review | All Hiring Team | 60 min |
| Round 2: PM | [PM Interviewer] | 45 min |
| Round 2: Designer | [Designer Interviewer] | 45 min |
| Round 2: Research | [Research Interviewer] | 45 min |
| Final/Culture Round | Executive or Culture Team Member | 30 min |
Recruiter Screen
Focus Areas: Communication, Leadership, Growth Mindset
- What drew you to UX research leadership, and what excites you about this opportunity?
- Tell me about a time you helped grow someone on your team.
- How do you approach balancing hands-on research work with leadership responsibilities?
Hiring Manager Screen
Focus Areas: Research Leadership, Team Development, Strategic Thinking
- How do you approach developing a research roadmap aligned with business objectives?
- Tell me about how you've built or improved research processes on your team.
- How do you ensure your team's research has meaningful impact on product decisions?
Portfolio Review
Focus Areas: Research Leadership, Strategic Impact, Team Development
The candidate should walk the interviewers through two case studies they are proud of. The presentation should focus on how they led research initiatives, developed team capabilities, and created strategic impact. The case studies should be relevant to the type of work they would do in this role.
Round 2 Interviews
PM Interview
Focus Areas: Cross-functional Leadership, Strategic Partnership, Business Impact
- How do you align research priorities with product and business goals?
- Tell me about a time you had to advocate for research resources or priorities.
- How do you help your team translate research insights into product strategy?
- Describe how you measure the impact of research on product outcomes.
Designer Interview
Focus Areas: Design Partnership, Research Integration, Collaborative Leadership
- How do you foster collaboration between research and design teams?
- Tell me about a time when research and design perspectives were in conflict and how you resolved it.
- How do you ensure research insights are effectively integrated into the design process?
- What approaches have you found successful for building design-research partnerships?
Research Interview
Focus Areas: Research Leadership, Team Development, Methodological Excellence
- How do you approach building and developing a high-performing research team?
- Tell me about how you've mentored researchers and helped them grow their careers.
- How do you balance research quality and rigor with the need for speed and agility?
- Describe your approach to research operations and scaling research impact.
Final/Culture Round
Focus Areas: Leadership Philosophy, Organizational Impact, Vision
- What's your philosophy on building and leading effective research teams?
- How do you approach creating a research culture that influences the broader organization?
- Tell me about a time you had to navigate organizational change or uncertainty.