Senior Design Researcher

Job title: Senior Design Researcher

About the Role The Design Research team at Milwaukee Tool sits within a user-centered design and technology development group focused on the fuzzy front end of product development. As a Senior Design Researcher, you'll lead research efforts across Engineers, Industrial Designers, and Product Managers to inform strategic decisions for construction industry solutions. You will champion Design Research and Design Thinking, develop new methods, and coach junior researchers.

What You'll Do

• Design and conduct multi-faceted research plans, including qualitative discovery on jobsites, competitive research, and evaluation of mock-ups and preliminary prototypes in the field.
• Build, grow, and maintain a network of users to understand evolving needs and work context.
• Analyze and synthesize research findings into key insights that inform opportunities for new feature sets, functionalities, and business approaches.
• Plan and facilitate hands-on tool evaluations, team workshops, and analysis sessions.
• Present research findings to key stakeholders across the business through photos, video, diagrams, storytelling, and demonstrations.
• Experiment with new approaches and methodologies to achieve inventive results; help build new tools and methodologies.
• Champion the importance of User-Centered Design and Design Thinking throughout the company.
• Mentor and coach junior researchers as appropriate.

What We're Looking For

• You are curious about your research topic, the company, your coworkers, and your process.
• You are comfortable working in the ambiguous “fuzzy front end.”
• You are a strategic thinker who considers the space around the stated problem.
• You are proactive and open to changing research plans on the fly based on new information.
• You have strong communication skills and can convey ideas to engineers, industrial designers, and marketers alike.
• You link insights back to the end user’s activities and needs to inform breakthrough products.
• You are a team player, focused on bringing the team along on the journey.
• You have a passion for user insights in the product development process and are ready to champion those insights.
• You are comfortable facilitating conversations with multi-disciplinary teams.
• You make non-obvious connections and relish discussing ideas.
• You are proficient in Microsoft Office, with some experience editing video and 2D software (e.g., Adobe Creative Suite).
• Education: Master’s or Bachelor’s degree.

Nice to Have

• Experience within a design consultancy is a plus.
• Some familiarity with quantitative research methodologies, study design, and data analysis.
• An appreciation of how quantitative and qualitative research methodologies complement each other.
• Master’s degree preferred.

Compensation & Benefits

• Milwaukee offers benefits on your first day of work (health, dental, vision, life insurance, 401k).
• An excellent working environment that includes an on-site cafeteria, state of the art fitness facility, organized fitness classes, recreational sports leagues and company outings.