Principal Innovation Customer Research Lead

At Northwestern Mutual, we are strong, innovative and growing. We invest in our people. We care and make a positive difference.

About Variable

Variable is an innovation team within a Fortune 100 company. Our mission is to discover, experiment, and build exciting technologies that leverage evolving frameworks, markets, and emerging technologies.

We are committed to encouraging a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment where innovation thrives. We believe in long-term, strategic investment in innovation and talent, and we provide a stable and resilient platform for our team to grow their careers.

What's the role?

We are seeking a strategic visionary to drive our Innovation team's customer research initiatives. In this role, you will be responsible for leading strategic customer research initiatives and leveraging customer insights to inform the development of innovative products and solutions across Web3, Artificial Intelligence, FinTech, Longevity, and more. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to identify emerging customer trends, evaluate market opportunities, and shape the direction of our innovation efforts. The successful candidate will have a strong background in customer research, a deep understanding of the financial service sector, and a proven record of driving innovation.

What you'll be doing!

• Lead, design, implement, and communicate impactful research in a fast-paced, earlier stage product development process and know how to integrate research into product and design roadmaps
• Develop and implement a comprehensive customer research strategy to uncover insights and understand evolving customer needs, preferences, and behaviors
• Collaborate with internal partners, including product managers, designers, data analysts, and engineers to translate customer insights into concrete recommendations for product development and innovation
• Hands-on research on an early-stage team, from planning and recruiting to analysis and insights delivery
• Tell compelling stories and explain your work, process, and decisions to cross-functional partners, and apply feedback to help you produce your best work
• Relentlessly focus on users and solving for their needs and wants. You put users first and have experience driving impact from insights
• Stay up to date with industry trends, new technologies, and competitive landscape to find opportunities for innovation and differentiation
• Conduct market research studies, including qualitative and quantitative research methods, to gather insights on customer attitudes, motivations, and behaviors, and apply it to validate and refine product concepts, ensuring alignment with customer expectations and preferences
• Present research findings, strategic recommendations, innovation proposals, and formal insight reports to senior executives and key partners
• Collaborate with external partners, research agencies, and industry authorities to gain additional perspectives and insights

What this role needs!

• Master's degree or higher in Human Factors, Cognitive Psychology, HCI or related field
• Proven experience (minimum 8 years) in customer research, innovation, or related roles, preferably within the insurance or financial services industry
• Strong understanding of customer research methodologies, both qualitative and quantitative, with the ability to design and implement research studies independently
• Proven ability to translate customer insights into useful recommendations that drive innovation and business growth
• Excellent analytical skills and ability to derive insights from sophisticated and up-and-coming trends
• Outstanding communication and presentation skills, with the ability to effectively convey complex concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Strategic approach with a passion for innovation and an ability to think creatively
• Strong eye for business, understanding the insurance industry, market dynamics, and customer trends
• Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment

Benefits:

• Tuition reimbursement, commuter plans, and paid time off
• Highly competitive compensation that include base salary plus bonus
• Medical/Dental/Vision plans, 401(k), pension program

Compensation Range:

Pay Range - Start:

$136,220.00Pay Range - End:

$194,600.00Please note that this is the standard pay structure. Positions in certain locations (such as California) may provide an increase on the standard pay structure based on the location. Please click here for additional information relating to location-based pay structures.

Grow your career with a best-in-class company that puts our client’s interests at the center of all we do. Get started now!

We are an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age or status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law.

If you work or would be working in California, Colorado, New York City, Washington or outside of a Corporate location, please click here for information pertaining to compensation and benefits.