How will this role impact First Command?
The Client Research Lead is responsible for advancing First Command’s understanding of clients and prospects through deep, evidence-based research and segmentation. This role applies advanced UX research, quantitative analytics, and behavioral segmentation to uncover insights that drive strategy, design, innovation, and marketing decisions across the enterprise.
Working as a senior individual contributor, this position partners with UX, CX, Marketing, and Product teams to design, execute, and synthesize research that clarifies client motivations, needs, and opportunities. The Research Lead also partners closely with the Manager, Innovation Portfolio & Strategy to connect research insights with rapid experimentation, helping accelerate insights into action and ensure that ideas tested through the innovation funnel are rooted in real client and market needs.
This position ensures that every insight is actionable, measurable, and aligned with enterprise goals, helping First Command strengthen its value proposition and improve outcomes for military families.
What will the employee do in this role?
- Lead the design and execution of advanced mixed-methods research studies that combine qualitative and quantitative data to reveal actionable insights about clients, advisors, and prospects.
- Develop, refine, and maintain customer and market segmentation frameworks using behavioral, demographic, attitudinal, and transactional data.
- Partner with Marketing, UX, CX, and Analytics teams to translate research insights into design strategies, content direction, and personalized experiences.
- Collaborate directly with the Manager, Innovation Portfolio & Strategy to identify and test high-value opportunities; provide data-driven insights that inform which ideas move forward for experimentation.
- Design surveys, usability studies, and behavioral experiments using tools such as Qualtrics, UserTesting, or similar; analyze results using R, SPSS, SAS, or Excel.
- Build and maintain dashboards and reports that communicate key findings and progress metrics to executives and stakeholders.
- Lead efforts to quantify and measure the ROI of research and design improvements, connecting client experience outcomes to business KPIs.
- Partner with Data Science and Business Intelligence teams to ensure data integrity and alignment of qualitative insights with quantitative models.
- Collaborate with Risk, Legal, and Compliance to proactively mitigate risks and ensure ethical, responsible, and compliant research practices.
- Facilitate internal workshops and presentations that bring insights to life, drive empathy, and inform innovation decisions.
- Serve as a subject matter expert in advanced research design, data analysis, and customer segmentation, mentoring peers and supporting enterprise initiatives.
What skills & qualifications do you need?
Education
- Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s preferred in Applied Anthropology, Human-Centered Design, Behavioral Science, Statistics, or related field required.
- Graduate certification in Applied Research Statistics or equivalent quantitative specialization preferred.
Work Experience
- 8+ years of experience in UX or CX research, data-driven segmentation, or market research, preferably in financial services or other regulated industries.
- Proven experience designing and analyzing qualitative and quantitative research at scale, including usability testing, surveys, and statistical modeling.
- Demonstrated success turning data into actionable insights that influence product, marketing, and experience strategies.
- Expertise with advanced research and analytics tools such as R, SPSS, SAS, or JMP, and with survey platforms such as Qualtrics or UserTesting.
- Strong experience integrating qualitative research with behavioral and transactional data for segmentation and predictive analysis.
- Familiarity with agile, lean, or design thinking methodologies, and ability to apply them within a structured enterprise context.
Certifications(Preferred)
- Strategyzer Masterclass Certification, IDEO Design Thinking Certification, or equivalent innovation facilitation credentials.
- Certifications in Applied Research Statistics, AI Prompt Engineering, or Business Data Analytics.
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Deep expertise in quantitative and qualitative research methods; able to design studies, analyze complex data, and synthesize results.
- Strong storytelling and communication skills; able to translate research insights into business impact.
- Excellent collaboration skills and ability to influence across departments.
- Experience defining and implementing segmentation models that support marketing, product, and client experience strategies.
- High attention to detail, curiosity, and intellectual rigor.
- Demonstrated commitment to ethical research and data integrity.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (preferred)
- Experience within financial services, fintech, or other highly regulated industries.
- Familiarity with behavioral economics or applied anthropology.
- Working knowledge of AI-enabled research tools and data automation techniques.
- Military experience
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