[Hiring] Advanced Specialist, UX Designer @Pearson

Role Description

Pearson Virtual Schools is seeking a Senior User Experience (UX) Researcher to lead end-to-end user research that shapes product strategy and improves customer experiences across Pearson’s AI-powered learning platforms. In this role, you’ll partner closely with Product Management, UX Design, Engineering, Data Analytics, and business stakeholders to identify learning goals, reduce uncertainty, and drive data-backed decisions through mixed-method research.

• Design and execute studies, synthesize findings into clear insights and recommendations.
• Communicate insights in compelling ways that influence product design, roadmap prioritization, and investment decisions.
• Help elevate research operations through strong rigor, thoughtful storytelling, and advocating for users while balancing business goals and delivery constraints.
• Investigate challenging questions about the mindsets and behaviors of various users using Pearson products.
• Primarily remote role, with occasional travel for in-person collaboration with colleagues and customers.

Responsibilities

• Demonstrates a strong understanding of human behavior and customer bias, using skilled interviewing techniques to uncover underlying needs and inform product decisions.
• Work closely with customers to responsibly recruit educators, students, and parents, with sensitivity to consent, privacy, and trust.
• Uses the latest AI tools to scale research efforts, streamline workflows, and synthesize insights across diverse data sources.
• Partner with Product teams to define and maintain clear research agendas and roadmaps.
• Develop primary research questions and objectives aligned to business strategy, ensuring research addresses critical knowledge gaps.
• Select appropriate qualitative and quantitative research methods, develop comprehensive research plans, execute high-quality studies, and maintain effective touchpoints with cross-functional partners throughout the process.
• Apply expertise in human behavior and human factors to analyze and synthesize research data, producing clear, actionable insights that directly address research objectives.
• Influence product strategy through research-driven insights, advocating for user-centered decisions and helping stakeholders understand the value and impact of research.
• Present research findings, recommendations, and solutions to senior leadership with clarity, confidence, and executive presence.
• Conduct market research and competitive analysis to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities that shape product direction.
• Ensure regulatory, compliance, and privacy considerations are factored into user recruitment and data collection.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, shared ownership, and continuous improvement across teams.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• 5+ years' proven success leading user research projects with demonstrated impact.
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (HCI, Psychology, Human Factors, Social Sciences, etc.) or equivalent experience; Master’s preferred but not required.
• Strong command of qualitative and quantitative methods; knows when to use what.
• Work samples demonstrating experience and deliverables (e.g., research plans, reports, presentations, etc.).
• Familiarity with common research/design tools (e.g., usertesting.com, survey platforms, testing tools, repositories, Figma) and strong organizational habits.
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams in product development, including UX Design, Product Management, Engineering, and Analytics.
• Good time management skills and extremely detail-oriented.
• Comfort working across multiple workstreams and able to adapt to changing priorities.

Requirements

• Experience working in the EdTech or Education fields.
• M.S. in Human Factors, HCDE, Statistics, or Cognitive Psychology.
• Experience working with Jira, Jira Product Discovery, Usertesting.com, Qualtrics, Google Analytics, and MixPanel.
• Experience with accessibility and inclusive design practices.
• Experience working with Agile software development and Continuous Discovery.

Benefits

• Compensation influenced by a wide array of factors including skill set, level of experience, and specific location.
• The minimum full-time salary range is between $120,000 - $160,000.
• This position is eligible to participate in an annual incentive program.
• Information on benefits offered is available.

Application Information

Applications will be accepted through 7th April. This window may be extended depending on business needs.