Design Research Manager

Job Description

GM’s Human Interface Design Studio is hiring a Lead Design Researcher (Hybrid Manager/IC) to help shape the future of enterprise experiences across General Motors and its marquee brands. As part of our team, you’ll collaborate with design, product, engineering, brand, and marketing teams to craft well designed research initiatives to inspire and inform user centered designs.  

What You’ll Do 

As a hybrid people manager/IC Lead Design Researcher, you will: 

• Lead research that supports our strategic vision across complex workflows and enterprise journeys. 

• Manage and mentor a team of design researchers, fostering excellence in research craft, strategic thinking, and cross-functional collaboration. 

• Develop and drive a shared research roadmap aligned with business priorities, ensuring high-quality execution across generative and evaluative studies. 

• Facilitate strategic conversations with senior stakeholders, translating research into actionable insights and durable decisions. 

• Elevate the team’s storytelling and influence by crafting compelling narratives that shape product direction and business strategy. 

Key Characteristics 

• Experience shaping enterprise experiences that span both physical and digital user journeys 

• Proven leadership in managing and mentoring researchers, setting a high bar for research quality, insight depth, and strategic impact. 

• Mastery of generative and evaluative methods, with the ability to guide others in method selection, execution, and synthesis. 

• Strategic thinker who translates research into product priorities, business opportunities, and cross-functional alignment. 

• Strong collaborator with experience influencing product, design, engineering, and business partners. 

• Growth mindset and adaptability in a fast-paced, evolving environment. 

• Ability to direct and produce great work in short timeframes, multi-task across different projects and platforms and adapt to the ever-changing priorities of the business. 

Responsibilities 

• Design and lead mixed-methods research studies including live studies, unmoderated studies, field studies, participatory design, heuristic evaluations, and remote usability testing. 

• Guide your team in synthesizing insights and aligning research outcomes with business and design strategy. 

• Partner with internal and external teams to integrate research with analytics, market data, and operational metrics. 

• Represent the voice of our customers in strategic planning and product development. 

• Contribute to the evolution of research workflow