Director of User Research, AEC

Job Requisition ID # 26WD97084 Job Description for Director, AEC User Research Job Description Position Overview The Director, AEC User Research will lead the User Research function within the AEC User Success organization, part of the broader Experience Foundations team. This role is responsible for advancing research excellence, defining the research operating model, and embedding a journey-centric, mixed-methods approach across AEC. This leader will manage a team of research managers and senior individual contributors, ensuring high-quality, scalable research that integrates qualitative and quantitative insights. Working closely with cross-functional partners across product, analytics, growth, and design, this role ensures that user insights are clearly understood, effectively communicated, and translated into impactful decisions. The Director plays a critical role in helping AEC evolve from fragmented research practices to a mature, AI-enabled product insights function—ensuring the voice of the user is consistently represented, understood, and acted on across the organization, while enabling the shift toward more intelligent, automated, and agentic user experiences. This position reports to the Senior Director, AEC User Success. Location East Coast Preferred (US & Canada) Responsibilities Team Leadership & Research Excellence Lead, mentor, and grow a team of research managers and senior ICs, building a high-performing and scalable organization Establish and uphold high standards for research quality, rigor, and craft across all work Develop team capability in mixed-methods research and journey-centric practices Research Strategy & Integration Define and evolve the AEC research operating model, including methodologies, standards, and prioritization Embed journey-centric approaches (e.g., Critical User Journeys) to connect insights to end-to-end user experiences Partner with Product, Analytics, Growth, and Strategy to deliver integrated, cross-functional insights Insight Storytelling, Activation & Impact Ensure insights are communicated through clear, compelling storytelling that drives understanding and action Drive activation of research into product decisions, innovation, and experience design outcomes Establish and track how research influences decisions and business impact, communicating that impact across the organization Strategic Execution & Operational Leadership Lead high-impact, cross-AEC initiatives where research drives key business outcomes Oversee research prioritization, resourcing, and delivery across multiple business units Advance adoption of AI-enabled tools and workflows to scale research speed, quality, and impact Future Readiness & AI-Literacy Stay informed on emerging technologies, particularly AI and agentic systems, and translate their implications into research strategy and practice Enable the team to research and inform AI-enabled, automated, and agentic user experiences, ensuring they are grounded in real user needs and behaviors Partner with Product, Design, Engineering, and Content Strategy to ensure research effectively shapes human–AI interaction models, trust, and experience quality at scale Minimum Qualifications 10 years of experience in user research, product insights, or a related field 5 years of experience leading research teams, including second-line leadership Deep expertise in qualitative and quantitative research methods Experience working in complex, cross-functional environments Strong ability to translate insights into strategic recommendations and business impact Excellent communication, storytelling, and stakeholder influence skills Familiarity with AI-enabled product development and its implications for user experience and research At this level, business acumen and the ability to connect insights to outcomes are as important as subject-matter expertise. This role requires interpreting complex business challenges and influencing decisio ... (truncated, view full listing at source)