Research Lead, User Experience Design Job at OneMain Financial in New York

Job description

OneMain is on a mission to build and scale industry-leading digital experiences that empower millions of customers across web and mobile platforms.

We’re looking for a Research Lead who can bring depth, clarity, and strategy to how we understand our users—both today and in the future.

In this pivotal role, you’ll go beyond surface-level insights to uncover the motivations, needs, and pain points behind customer behavior.

Your work will shape every stage of the digital loan experience—from Acquisition to Origination to Servicing—and help us deliver solutions that are not only usable but meaningful.

You’ll collaborate closely with leaders in Product, UX, and Engineering to connect customer insight with business strategy, driving innovation and elevating our design quality.

We’re seeking a research leader who’s passionate about creating impact, experienced in scaling research programs, and confident navigating the intersection of user needs and business goals.

About OneMain Financial

At OneMain Financial, our mission is to improve the financial well-being of hard-working Americans.

As a leading provider of responsible credit for non-prime customers, we’re committed to being a trusted partner in helping individuals build brighter financial futures.

Whether it’s consolidating debt, covering medical bills, or managing unexpected home or auto repairs, we empower our customers with access to the funding they need—when they need it most.

About the Role

In this role, you’ll work closely with teams across UX Research, Customer Insights, and key business units to inform strategic investments and elevate user experiences across the customer journey.

Your insights will directly influence decisions that impact the lives of millions of customers.

Our UX researchers tackle some of the most complex and high-stakes questions in the business.

We use both qualitative and quantitative methods at scale to inform roadmaps, challenge assumptions, and guide strategic direction.

We believe in rigor, collaboration, and inclusivity—bringing together diverse perspectives from all backgrounds to shape better solutions.

We’re looking for a research leader who:

• Has a proven ability to translate research into product and design decisions that drive measurable impact.

• Brings a strategic mindset and strong communication skills to influence stakeholders across Product, Design, and Engineering.

• Can lead and inspire high-performing, multidisciplinary teams.

• Advocates for research as a core part of the product development process—and builds systems, rituals, and partnerships to scale it effectively.

• Partners with the Consumer Insights team to incorporate existing research into UX planning, ensuring alignment with customer needs and business objectives.

• Collaborates across UX Design and Consumer Insights to create a unified view of the user experience and uncover opportunities for shared learning and collaboration.

This is an opportunity to lead with insight, drive change, and shape the future of lending experiences for millions of hard-working Americans.

What You bring to the Team

• Deep customer obsession and product intuition, rooted in research and user insights, with the ability to shape and advocate for bold product strategies across the Loan experience.

• Strong advocacy for research excellence, championing the value, principles, and business impact of UX research across the organization through coaching, education, and collaboration.

• Passion for shaping the user experience by uncovering insights that inform product direction, feature design, and improve overall user satisfaction.

• Leadership of high-impact research initiatives—managing a portfolio with broad scope and complexity while delivering insights that drive alignment and influence key decisions across design, product, and engineering.

• Ability to translate research into action, ensuring that findings are applied meaningfully during prioritization, design, and development cycles.

• People leadership skills, including mentoring and developing junior researchers, setting clear expectations, and fostering a collaborative and psychologically safe environment.

• Strategic thinking and systems mindset, balancing short- and long-term objectives, managing dependencies, and anticipating the broader business and customer impact of decisions.

• Inclusive leadership, actively cultivating a diverse team culture that values equity, respect, and a range of perspectives to inform better product outcomes.

• Cross-functional influence, partnering effectively with senior leaders across Product, Design, Engineering, Analytics, and Marketing to align on vision and execution.

• Operational excellence, proactively identifying execution challenges, streamlining workflows, and improving team focus, speed, and quality.

• Metrics-minded approach, defining and tracking meaningful indicators of research health, business impact, and team performance.

• Focus on prioritization, balancing speed and rigor by identifying the highest-leverage research opportunities and applying the right methods for the problem space.

• Product and market fluency, combining user needs, competitive insights, and business goals to inform roadmaps and design outcomes.

• Ability to connect dots across research disciplines, integrating UX, market, and brand research to tell holistic customer stories that drive strategy.

• Thought leadership, helping to evolve and scale UX research practices while elevating the role of insights in a fast-moving product environment.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience with a proven track record of conducting UX research that delivers measurable business outcomes.

• 10+ years of experience designing and leading end-to-end primary research (qualitative and/or quantitative).

• 5+ years of directly managing or mentoring full-time researchers, including performance development and career growth.

• Hands-on experience coordinating and conducting (applying) a range of qualitative and quantitative research methods and adapting them to product and business needs.

• Hands-on experience with leading UX research platforms (e.g. UserTesting.
  
  com, UserZoom), behavioral analytics and digital experience tracking tools (e.g. Hotjar, GlassBox)

• Experience facilitating collaborative sessions to deliver user journey mapping, persona development, or experience workshops.

• Crafting research reports that clearly communicate findings and make impactful design and product recommendations.

• Demonstrated success developing research strategies that align with and inform broader business and product goals.

• Successful management of project prioritization and vendor relationships.

• Strong portfolio of work translating insights into strategic decisions and customer-centric product improvements.

• Effective collaboration with cross-functional teams including Product Management, Design, Engineering, Data Science, and Marketing.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Cognitive Science, Psychology, Anthropology, Statistics, or a related field.

• 10+ years of applied research experience, ideally in fast-paced, product-driven organizations.

• 7+ years of experience managing complex projects in large, matrixed organizations.

• Familiarity with research operations and scaling research practices across distributed teams.

Location:

This role is Hybrid.

You should be located within a commutable distance to one of our offices located in New York City, NY, Wilmington, DE, Baltimore, MD, Charlotte, NC, Fort Worth, TX or Irving, TX with expectations to be in the office Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Salary:

Target base salary range for Baltimore and New York City is $140-$160k, which is based on various factors including skills and work experience.

In addition to base salary, this role is eligible for a competitive compensation program that is based on individual and company performance.

Who we Are

OneMain Financial (NYSE: OMF) is the leader in offering nonprime customers responsible access to credit and is dedicated to improving the financial well-being of hardworking Americans.

Since 1912, we’ve looked beyond credit scores to help people get the money they need today and reach their goals for tomorrow.

Our growing suite of personal loans, credit cards and other products help people borrow better and work toward a brighter future.

Driven collaborators and innovators, our team thrives on transformative digital thinking, customer-first energy and flexible work arrangements that grow lives, careers and our company.

At every level, we’re committed to an inclusive culture, career development and impacting the communities where we live and work.

Getting people to a better place has made us a better company for over a century.

There’s never been a better time to shine with OneMain.

Because team members at their best means OneMain at our best, we provide opportunities and benefits that make their health and careers a priority.

That’s why we’ve packed our comprehensive benefits package for full- and some part-timers with:

• Health and wellbeing options including medical, prescription, dental, vision, hearing, accident, hospital indemnity, and life insurances

• Up to 4% matching 401(k)

• Employee Stock Purchase Plan (10% share discount)

• Tuition reimbursement

• Paid time off (15 days’ vacation per year, plus 2 personal days, prorated based on start date)

• Paid sick leave as determined by state or local ordinance, prorated based on start date

• Paid holidays (7 days per year, based on start date)

• Paid volunteer time (3 days per year, prorated based on start date)

OneMain Holdings, Inc.

is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, creed, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information or history, marital status, military status, national origin, nationality, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, transgender or on any other basis protected by law.

Required Skill Profession

Computer Occupations