Engagement Manager (Lead Design Researcher)

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Engagement Manager (Lead Design Researcher)

Fractal Analytics is a global, AI‑first company and strategic partner to Fortune 500 organizations. Unlike traditional consulting or services firms, AI is Fractal’s core business—not an add‑on. For over 25 years, Fractal has helped enterprises apply advanced analytics and AI to improve decision‑making at scale.

Fractal’s Healthcare & Life Sciences (Pharma) practice is purpose‑built to support global pharmaceutical organizations across commercial, R&D, supply chain, and enterprise functions. We work with many of the world’s largest pharma companies to design, build, and scale production‑grade AI and GenAI solutions that deliver measurable business and patient impact.

Join our team and shape the future of Pharma & Life Sciences through groundbreaking technology solutions! Please visit Fractal | Intelligence for Imagination for more information about Fractal.

Locations: New York, NY.

Note: This position is not eligible for Immigration Sponsorship at this time. 

Role Overview: 

We are seeking an experienced Lead Design Researcher to drive user-centered research and design strategy across complex, enterprise-scale products and services. This role blends hands-on research leadership with strategic influence—partnering closely with product, engineering, and business stakeholders to shape experiences that are grounded in deep user insight and operational reality.

As a senior individual contributor and people leader, you will define research direction, mentor researchers and designers, and ensure that user insight meaningfully informs product and business decisions.

What You’ll Do

• Set and communicate a clear research and experience vision aligned to business and product strategy.

• Lead end-to-end design research efforts—from discovery and generative research through evaluative testing and validation.

• Partner with product, engineering, data, and business teams to frame problems, define research questions, and translate insights into actionable outcomes.

• Plan and conduct qualitative and quantitative research using a range of methods (interviews, contextual inquiry, usability testing, journey mapping, etc.).

• Synthesize complex findings into clear narratives, frameworks, and recommendations for senior stakeholders.

• Guide teams toward user-centric decision-making, ensuring research insights are embedded throughout the product lifecycle.

• Mentor and develop designers and researchers, fostering a culture of rigor, curiosity, and collaboration.

• Establish and evolve research practices, standards, and artifacts that scale across teams.

What We’re Looking For

• Strong grounding in human-centered design, design research, and systems thinking.

• Proven ability to work in ambiguous problem spaces and bring clarity through structured research and synthesis.

• Experience influencing senior stakeholders and driving alignment across cross-functional teams.

• Comfort operating at both strategic and tactical levels—from setting direction to hands-on execution.

• Ability to connect user needs, business objectives, and technical constraints into cohesive experience strategies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, or a related field.

• 10+ years of professional experience in design research, UX research, or related disciplines.

• Demonstrated leadership experience, including mentoring or managing designers/researchers.

• Strong portfolio showcasing end-to-end research projects and their impact on products or business outcomes.

• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills.

Preferred Experience

• Experience working in enterprise, B2B, or highly regulated environments.

• Familiarity with design thinking and agile development methodologies.

• Experience collaborating closely with engineering and product teams.

• Working knowledge of design and prototyping tools such as Figma, Sketch, or Adobe Creative Suite.

• Exposure to service design, operational workflows, or systems-level design.

Pay: 

The wage range for this role takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.  The disclosed range estimate has not been adjusted for the applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled.  At Fractal, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their role and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case.  A reasonable estimate of the current base range is: UP to $185K.  

Benefits: 

As a full-time employee of the company or as an hourly employee working more than 30 hours per week, you will be eligible to participate in the health, dental, vision, life insurance, and disability plans in accordance with the plan documents, which may be amended from time to time.  You will be eligible for benefits on the first day of employment with the Company.  In addition, you are eligible to participate in the Company 401(k) Plan after 30 days of employment, in accordance with the applicable plan terms.   The Company provides for 11 paid holidays and 12 weeks of Parental Leave. We also follow a “free time” PTO policy, allowing you the flexibility to take time needed for either sick time or vacation. 

Fractal provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. 

If you like wild growth and working with happy, enthusiastic over-achievers, you'll enjoy your career with us!

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