Position: Senior UX Researcher
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Employment Type: 12 - Month, Contract to Hire
We are seeking an experienced Senior UX Researcher with deep expertise in wealth management or broader financial services to join our Product & Experience Design team. In this role, you will lead qualitative and quantitative research initiatives for platforms and tools that support:
- Banking & Lending experiences
- Ultra-High Net Worth (UHNW) client journeys
- Client onboarding systems and workflows
Your work will focus heavily on end?to?end journey mapping across these three pillars, uncovering insights that directly influence strategy, product road maps, and the design of seamless, compliant, and intuitive advisor and client experiences.
Objectives:
- Design and execute research plans using mixed methodologies (e.g., interviews, contextual inquiry, usability testing, diary studies, surveys, concept validation, card sorting).
- Identify research opportunities across complex financial service ecosystems and multi-step client workflows.
- Transform ambiguous problem spaces into actionable, insight?driven design guidance.
- Own journey mapping across banking/lending, UHNW client interactions, and client on boarding systems.
- Synthesize findings into journey maps, service blueprints, personas, and opportunity frameworks.
- Highlight friction points, compliance considerations, and moments of advisor/client value.
- Partner closely with Product Managers, Designers, Engineers, Business Stakeholders, and Compliance to ensure research insights shape both product vision and tactical decisions.
- Clearly communicate insights through compelling storytelling, workshops, and executive?ready presentations.
- Champion user?centered design practices and help mature research processes across the organization.
Required Qualifications
- 5-7+ years of UX research experience, preferably in financial services, wealth management, private banking, or fintech.
- Proven experience with complex platform ecosystems and multi?persona workflows.
- Strong background conducting research involving sensitive financial contexts, workflows, or regulated environments.
- Demonstrated mastery of end to end journey mapping and service design thinking.
- Ability to translate research into clear, strategic insights that influence senior stakeholders.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience supporting UHNW client or advisor facing experiences.
- Familiarity with compliance-heavy environments (KYC, AML, suitability, lending risk management, onboarding regulatory steps).
- Experience researching tools for advisors, bankers, or relationship managers.
- Comfort working with data analysts and integrating behavioral analytics with qualitative research.
About Korn Ferry
Korn Ferry unleashes potential in people, teams, and organizations. We work with our clients to design optimal organization structures, roles, and responsibilities. We help them hire the right people and advise them on how to reward and motivate their workforce while developing professionals as they navigate and advance their careers. To learn more, please visit Korn Ferry at www.Kornferry.com
