Senior UX Researcher

About Varo

Varo is an entirely new kind of bank. All digital, mission-driven, FDIC insured and designed for the way our customers live their lives. A bank designed to empower people to make the most of their money and make real progress.

About You 

You are an experienced UXR leader and are motivated by a desire to have a positive impact on the financial well-being of millions of people. You are action-oriented, a quick learner, and thrive in the dynamic environments of startups. You are inherently curious and are just as interested in helping teams identify the right questions as you are in supporting them to find the right answers. Although you are obsessively customer-centric, you also understand the limits of user research and will proactively suggest alternative approaches when appropriate. You understand that your job is more than just uncovering insights and are strategic and deliberate about making sure your work has a downstream impact on customers and the business. 

About the role

We are looking for an experienced Senior UX Researcher for a 5-month contract (from December to April 2025) to lead our UX research program while our current UX Researcher is away on leave. During your time here, you will be a UXR team of one and will lead research for the entire company, working on mission critical projects to inform our strategy and product roadmap.

What you'll be doing

• Spend 1-2 weeks getting up to speed on all aspects of UXR at Varo, and from there…
• Own all aspects of the research process, from planning, to execution, to operations
• Run mixed-methods research to understand our customers’ context, needs, and behaviors 
• Conduct evaluative research to investigate ideas, early concepts, and assumptions
• Create methodologically appropriate research plans for each research need
• Work closely with Design, Product, and Marketing teams to identify and prioritize research opportunities that will help inform Varo’s product roadmap
• Advocate for research where you see untapped opportunities 
• Collaborate with a variety of stakeholders and bring them along in the execution of your research 
• Present research findings through written reports and in-person presentations
• Provide support and guidance to other teams interested in conducting their own research
• Identify opportunities to optimize research ops at Varo

You'll bring the following required skills and experiences

• 4+ years of experience as a UX Researcher leader with both generative and evaluative research
• Proven ability to drive a research agenda with minimal supervision 
• Track record of delivering customer/business impact through your research
• Strong knowledge and experience with a variety of research methodologies
• Professional experience with, and passion for, consumer finance
• Ability to manage a variety of cross-functional stakeholders while finding the right balance between research rigor and business needs/constraints
• Ability to very quickly adapt and integrate into new environments

#MidSenior