User Experience Research Lead

User Experience Research Lead

About Us:

Rent the Runway (RTR)  is transforming the way we get dressed by pioneering the world’s first Closet in the Cloud. Founded in 2009, RTR has disrupted the $2.4 trillion fashion industry by inspiring women with a more joyful, sustainable and financially-savvy way to feel their best every day. As the ultimate destination for circular fashion, the brand now offers infinite points of access to its shared closet via a fully customizable subscription to fashion, one-time rental or ownership. RTR offers designer apparel, accessories and home decor from 700+ brand partners and has built in-house proprietary technology and a one-of-a-kind reverse logistics operation. Under CEO and Co-Founder Jennifer Hyman’s leadership, RTR has been named to CNBC’s “Disruptor 50” five times in ten years, and has been placed on Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list multiple times, while Hyman herself has been named to the “TIME 100” most influential people in the world and as one of People magazine’s “Women Changing the World.”

About the Job:

As the User Experience Research Lead at Rent the Runway, you will influence teams to make customer-centric decisions across the product development lifecycle. You will utilize a variety of qualitative and quantitative research approaches to help Rent the Runway understand and advocate for our customers. You will craft research programs that bring team members answers to the most impactful customer challenges, driving Product Strategy forward. You will be a team of one with a broad scope and extreme influence and visibility with our executive team.

This is a full-time role reporting to our Chief Product Officer. Rent the Runway currently operates on an office-centric model, with employees working from our Brooklyn office 4-days per week, and working flexibly on Fridays.

What You’ll Do:

• Be an influential member of a cross-functional product team(s) by identifying research opportunities, scoping program requirements, shaping the product roadmap, guiding the evolution of the design, and otherwise championing the voice of the customer across the organization.
• Independently own and drive research programs from beginning to end: identify the right research questions, define the participant sample, choose the best methodology, design the study, and execute with attention to detail and a high level of rigor.
• Skillfully and effectively present compelling insights and recommendations to multiple teams and leaders across the organization, leveraging strong storytelling skills to facilitate constructive debate and drive customer-centric decision-making.
• Successfully leverage insights across various research functions and data sources (e.g. market research, product marketing, analytics, etc.) throughout the product development lifecycle.
• Act as a vital liaison between design, product management, and business teams, driving alignment across all stakeholders.
• Expertly facilitate workshops and design sprints by surfacing relevant findings, pitching research opportunities, and influencing the evolution of our product and design strategy
• Custom-build the UXR function within Rent the Runway with the Chief Product Officer
• Vet, onboard, and evangelize 3rd party research software as needed to unlock customer insights and learnings

About You:

• You have 6+ years of experience in user experience research, ideally in a consumer-focused B2C environment
• Proficiency in various research methods and approaches with an understanding of the bigger picture and the ability to influence and guide others.
• You have experience in mixed method research skills including conducting and analyzing large-scale quantitative survey data and running qualitative studies.
• Experience continually evolving processes for organizing user research and testing across multiple Product teams, ensuring appropriate prioritization of projects, and crafting and managing short- and long-term research plans.
• You have been responsible for planning, coordinating, and conducting user testing and handling logistics and schedules related to live, in-person, or remote testing.
• Experience analyzing research findings and reporting concise and concrete insights and recommendations
• You have the ability to work collaboratively in a team environment
• A passion for Rent the Runway’s business and values

Benefits:

At Rent the Runway, we’re committed to the wellbeing of our employees and aim to create a workplace that fo