Design & UX Researcher

2 weeks ago

Bellville, Western Cape, South Africa Sanlam Full time

Who are we?

Sanlam Fintech is a newly established digital first business within the Sanlam Group on a mission to democratize financial advice and solutions for everyone across the African continent. We exist to pioneer inclusive financial confidence helping people build strong foundations to bridge the gap in generational wealth. Our culture is that of agility and constant deployment; we believe in learning fast, learning cheap, and learning forward. Our aim is to provide a work environment where knowledge workers can accelerate the development of their ideas and bring innovation to market, at the same time provide a compelling career and development proposition that will enable them to realize their dreams.

What will you do?

Role Overview
The Design & UX Researcher will play a dual role in driving strategic and operational research efforts to enhance both customer experience (CX) and product design. This role requires a seasoned researcher with expertise in human-centered design, service design, and UX research methodologies. This role will be instrumental in generating deep customer and user insights that inform business strategy, digital experiences, and service innovation.

The ideal candidate is a highly experienced researcher who seamlessly blends design research, UX research, and customer experience insights to inform product teams, CX measurement frameworks, and business stakeholders. By collaborating with cross-functional teams, including CX strategy, product, design, and engineering, this role will ensure that customer needs are at the heart of all decision-making and innovation.

With expertise in both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, this role will ensure Sanlam's products and services are grounded in customer understanding, including user needs and behaviours.

Key Responsibilities:

  1. Strategic Research Leadership
    Define and drive the research strategy for CX and product design, aligning it with business goals and customer needs.
    Identify key research questions and priorities based on impact, feasibility, and organisational priorities.
    Develop and implement research frameworks and methodologies to uncover deep customer insights, pain points, and opportunities for innovation.
  2. End-to-End Research Execution
    Design and conduct qualitative and quantitative research studies, including ethnographic research, interviews, usability testing, surveys, and co-creation workshops.
    Analyse, synthesise and integrate research data and voice of the customer feedback to generate actionable insights and recommendations that drive customer-centric design and business outcomes.
    Create compelling research deliverables to communicate findings and insights to stakeholders at all levels.
    Lead usability and experience testing for digital and service touchpoints to enhance user satisfaction.
  3. Cross-Functional Collaboration and Insight Integration
    Collaborate with CX strategy teams to integrate research findings into customer experience improvements and long-term strategies.
    Partner with product managers, designers, and business stakeholders to integrate research insights into product development processes.
    Collaborate with VoC team, channel and operational heads to align survey and feedback insights with behavioural research.
    Identify emerging trends, customer behaviours, and market dynamics to inform CX innovation.
    Support broader market research efforts, helping business teams understand emerging trends and customer expectations.
    Facilitate workshops and brainstorming sessions to translate research insights into design and product strategies.
  4. Mentorship & Thought Leadership
    Mentor and guide junior team members, fostering a culture of learning and growth within the research team.
    Stay current with industry trends, tools, and methodologies in design research, CX, and UX, and share knowledge with the broader team.
    Contribute to the development and refinement of research processes, tools, and best practices.

What will make you successful in this role?

  1. Expertise in qualitative and quantitative research methods, including ethnographic research, interviews, usability testing, surveys, and A/B testing.
  2. Strong ability to synthesise and integrate insights into strategic recommendations that drive customer and business value.
  3. Excellent communication, storytelling, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills.
  4. Experience working in cross-functional teams and collaborating with CX strategy, product, design, and business stakeholders.
  5. Background in financial services, insurance, or a similarly regulated industry is a plus.
  6. Knowledge of service design principles and human-centered design methodologies.

Qualifications Required

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Psychology, Design, Anthropology, Sociology, Marketing or a related field.
7+ years of experience in design research, UX research, or service design research, with a proven ability to conduct research at scale.

Key Competencies

  1. User-Centric Thinking – Passion for understanding and improving user and customer experiences.
  2. Analytical & Strategic Mindset – Ability to translate insights into meaningful business impact.
  3. Collaboration & Influence – Skilled at working cross-functionally and influencing at all levels.
  4. Innovation & Problem-Solving – Ability to adapt research methodologies to complex business challenges.
  5. Agility & Adaptability – Thrives in evolving environments with ambiguity.

Build a successful career with us

We're all about building strong, lasting relationships with our employees. We know that you have hopes for your future – your career, your personal development and of achieving great things. We pride ourselves in helping our employees to realise their worth. Through its five business clusters – Sanlam Fintech, Sanlam Life and Savings, Sanlam Investment Group, Sanlam Allianz, Santam, as well as MiWay and the Group Office – the group provides many opportunities for growth and development.

Turnaround time

The shortlisting process will only start once the application due date has been reached. The time taken to complete this process will depend on how far you progress and the availability of managers.

Our commitment to transformation

The Sanlam Group is committed to achieving transformation and embraces diversity. This commitment is what drives us to achieve a diverse, inclusive and equitable workplace as we believe that these are key components to ensuring a thriving and sustainable business in South Africa. The Group's Employment Equity plan and targets will be considered as part of the selection process.

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