Senior User Research Manager

📋 Description

• • **About Monzo:**
• • We are on a mission to make money work for everyone, fundamentally changing the traditional banking landscape by offering a simpler, more transparent, and customer-centric experience. Over the past decade, Monzo has evolved from a prepaid card to a comprehensive banking platform, offering personal and business accounts, joint accounts, accounts for younger individuals, and credit cards. Our commitment extends to helping customers save, invest, and manage their pensions, all while delivering delightful and magical moments through innovative features like our iconic hot coral card and early salary access. We are driven by solving real customer problems and improving lives, not just selling financial products.
• • **About the User Research Team:**
• • The User Research team at Monzo is a vibrant and growing collective of over 20 individual contributors. These researchers are embedded within key product verticals, such as Core Banking and Business Banking, working collaboratively with Product Design, Product Management, and Engineering teams. The team operates under the leadership of Katherine Vaughan, our Director of User Research, fostering a culture of shared learning and impact.
• • **The Role: Senior User Research Manager**
• • We are seeking an experienced and inspiring Senior User Research Manager to lead and nurture a team of talented user researchers. This pivotal role involves managing researchers embedded within 1-3 critical product "collectives" (verticals like Payments or Wealth). You will play a crucial role in shaping product strategies, ensuring our teams are addressing the most significant customer problems with effective solutions, and scaling the impact of user research across the entire organisation. Your leadership will be instrumental in increasing the visibility of key research insights and driving actionable outcomes.
• • **Key Responsibilities:**
• • **Team Leadership & Development:** Manage a team of user researchers across 1-3 product collectives, fostering their growth, happiness, and impact. This includes placing individuals in roles that align with their strengths and development goals, providing clear development objectives, timely feedback, and regular 1:1s. You will also be responsible for nurturing talent within the broader Research team through sustainable practices and leading forums that empower the team to influence decisions and shape the research function.
• • **Strategic Influence:** Collaborate closely with collective leadership to define and refine product strategies. Ensure research findings are integrated into strategic decision-making, driving the development of solutions that truly meet customer needs and market opportunities. You will work in partnership with the Director of Research to ensure the team focuses on high-impact areas, empowering researchers to make autonomous decisions where appropriate.
• • **Scaling Research Impact:** Develop and implement strategies to increase the organisational impact of user research. This involves making key research insights highly visible and ensuring they translate into concrete actions and product improvements. You will also work with Research Operations and the Research Director to scale team systems and processes as Monzo continues to grow.
• • **Cross-functional Collaboration:** Partner effectively with Product Design, Product Management, Engineering, Marketing, Data, Compliance, Legal, and Regulatory Affairs teams. You will build strong relationships to gain alignment and support for research-informed strategies and to create the optimal environment for teams to excel at problem-solving.
• • **Raising Research Standards:** Continuously elevate the quality and effectiveness of user research practices through timely feedback, process improvements, and established rituals. You will also play an active role in the Design Leadership team, contributing to the overall design and research vision of Monzo.
• • **Hiring & Community Building:** Lead the hiring of exceptional, diverse User Researchers, ensuring a smooth and welcoming onboarding process. You will also foster an active presence for the research team within the external community, making Monzo an attractive place for top research talent.
• • **Educating Stakeholders:** Champion the value of user research across Monzo, educating stakeholders at all levels, including senior leadership, on the capabilities and appropriate applications of research methodologies.
• • **Day-to-Day Activities:**
• • Drive product strategy development within your assigned business areas, underpinned by a deep understanding of customer needs and market dynamics.
• • Provide dedicated support and mentorship to approximately 5-10 direct reports.
• • Influence and align stakeholders across various departments to champion research-driven product development.
• • Collaborate with leadership in design, product, marketing, and engineering to foster an environment conducive to impactful problem-solving.
• • Contribute to shaping development practices and progression frameworks for the wider research team.
• • Actively participate in Monzo's Design Leadership forums.
• • Continuously educate colleagues on the strategic application of user research.
• • **What We're Looking For:**
• • We are looking for individuals who have a proven track record in user research and a passion for people leadership. You should have experience transitioning from an individual contributor role to people management within a fast-paced product or technology environment. Experience managing experienced user researchers in a high-growth setting (not agency-based) is essential. You are a natural coach and mentor, adept at supporting seasoned researchers (5+ years of experience) to achieve their best work. You thrive in collaborative environments, enjoy driving momentum, and are focused on delivering impactful outcomes rather than just polished outputs. A genuine care for product quality and the overall user experience is paramount. You excel at creating supportive, growth-oriented environments where your team members can work effectively and autonomously. Experience managing high-performing teams, including addressing performance issues, and a history of making decisions that promote diversity and inclusion are also key. Furthermore, experience teaching research principles to non-researchers and leveraging diverse insights (quantitative, qualitative, marketing) for decision-making will be highly valued.
• • **Location & Flexibility:**
• • This role can be based in our London office, or we offer remote working within the UK, with occasional travel to London for key meetings. We support flexible working hours, trusting you to manage your time effectively to meet your responsibilities and collaborate with your team. We are also open to discussing part-time arrangements to support work-life balance or other commitments.