The Cigna Group
Director, Experience Design Research
The Cigna Group, Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60290
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Director, Experience Design Research
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The Cigna Group Director of Experience Design Research Overview
The Director of Experience Design Research sets the vision, operating model, and bar for a modern research practice that discovers human-centered business opportunities and delivers decision-quality insights that shape product strategy, de-risk delivery, and unlock accelerated revenue growth. You will evolve the culture from “research as validation” to “research as strategy”—embedding discovery, framing, and insight storytelling into how we prioritize, fund, and build. Responsibilities
Research Strategy & Portfolio Leadership: Define a research strategy and portfolio tied to strategic business bets; set learning agendas and roadmaps that inform “where to play/how to win,” not just “how to ship.” Maintain an enterprise view of open questions, knowns/unknowns, and insight reuse; establish governance so research accelerates learning velocity across teams. Embed researchers (and research rituals) across the product lifecycle to influence early decision-making, not just late-stage testing. Insight-to-Action & Business Impact: Operationalize an insight-to-action pipeline—from fieldwork and synthesis to narratives that drive prioritization, investment cases, and portfolio decisions. Partner with Finance/Product to quantify impact (e.g., conversion, activation, retention, NPS/CSAT, cost-to-serve) and attribute lift to research-informed changes. Culture Change & Capability Building: Lead the shift from transactional research to a discovery-first culture—coaching leaders and teams to ask better questions, frame problems, and connect human truths to economic value. Establish democratized research programs (training, guardrails, tools) so non-researchers can safely learn, while the core team focuses on high-leverage strategic work. Model an inclusive, craft-loving, growth-oriented team culture consistent with leading design org values. Methods Excellence & Research Operations: Ensure excellence across qualitative/quantitative methods, mixed-methods synthesis, and advanced techniques (e.g., segmentation, JTBD, service safari, diary/telemetry fusion). Build ResearchOps: recruiting pipelines, knowledge graph/insight library, panel governance, data ethics, privacy/compliance, and quality standards. Create a shared insight repository and taxonomy so findings compound over time and inform strategy and roadmaps beyond a single team. Executive Influence & Enterprise Storytelling: Translate complex human insights into clear strategic narratives for executives—using artifacts (landscapes, opportunity maps, service blueprints) that drive alignment and investment. Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leaders on where human needs and business models intersect, shaping portfolio bets and incubation opportunities. Qualifications
Must-Have 10+ years in Experience/UX Research or Design Strategy, including 5+ years leading research teams at scale; proven success shifting organizations from validation to discovery. Demonstrated impact connecting human insight to business outcomes (growth, engagement, retention, cost-to-serve), with a portfolio of programs that shaped product/experience strategy. Mastery of qualitative and quantitative methods; fluency in research platforms; strength in mixed-methods synthesis and persuasive executive communication. Experience building democratized research capabilities with training, guardrails, and QA—elevating decision quality while protecting participant ethics and data privacy. Proven ability to attract, develop, and retain diverse research talent; a culture builder who champions community, craft, and continuous learning. Nice-to-Have Background in complex domains (platforms, multi-sided marketplaces, regulated industries) and horizontal/enterprise product spaces. Familiarity with product finance, pricing/packaging, and/or incubation/venture-style evaluation of opportunities. Advanced degree in HCI, Psychology, Anthropology, or related field. What Success Looks Like (first 12 months)
An enterprise research strategy and operating model is in place; research demand is prioritized against strategic bets, with learning agendas for each portfolio area. Measurable insight-to-action throughput: % of roadmap items/OKRs informed by research; time-to-insight reduced; reuse of insights across programs increases quarter over quarter. A baseline → improved decision quality metric (e.g., fewer late-stage reversals, higher launch confidence) and business impact (e.g., conversion, retention, call deflection, revenue lift) are tracked with Finance/Product. A sustainable democratized research program shifts the team’s time from execution to strategic discovery work. If you will be working at home occasionally or permanently, the internet connection must be obtained through a cable broadband or fiber optic internet service provider with speeds of at least 10Mbps download/5Mbps upload. This position anticipates offering an annual salary of 158,300 - 263,900 USD per year, depending on relevant factors, including experience and geographic location. The role is eligible to participate in an annual bonus and long term incentive plan. We offer a comprehensive benefits package focused on supporting whole health, including medical, vision, dental, well-being programs, and behavioral health. We also offer a 401(k) with company match, company-paid life insurance, tuition reimbursement, a minimum of 18 days of paid time off per year, and paid holidays. For details, visit Life at The Cigna Group. About The Cigna Group: Doing something meaningful starts with a simple decision, a commitment to changing lives. We are dedicated to improving the health and vitality of those we serve, with divisions Cigna Healthcare and Evernorth Health Services. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, age, disability, sex, pregnancy or related medical conditions, veteran status, religion, national origin, or other protected characteristics. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing the online application process, please email SeeYourself@cigna.com for support. The Cigna Group has a tobacco-free policy and reserves the right not to hire tobacco/nicotine users where permitted by law. Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered in accordance with all applicable laws.
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Director, Experience Design Research
role at
The Cigna Group Director of Experience Design Research Overview
The Director of Experience Design Research sets the vision, operating model, and bar for a modern research practice that discovers human-centered business opportunities and delivers decision-quality insights that shape product strategy, de-risk delivery, and unlock accelerated revenue growth. You will evolve the culture from “research as validation” to “research as strategy”—embedding discovery, framing, and insight storytelling into how we prioritize, fund, and build. Responsibilities
Research Strategy & Portfolio Leadership: Define a research strategy and portfolio tied to strategic business bets; set learning agendas and roadmaps that inform “where to play/how to win,” not just “how to ship.” Maintain an enterprise view of open questions, knowns/unknowns, and insight reuse; establish governance so research accelerates learning velocity across teams. Embed researchers (and research rituals) across the product lifecycle to influence early decision-making, not just late-stage testing. Insight-to-Action & Business Impact: Operationalize an insight-to-action pipeline—from fieldwork and synthesis to narratives that drive prioritization, investment cases, and portfolio decisions. Partner with Finance/Product to quantify impact (e.g., conversion, activation, retention, NPS/CSAT, cost-to-serve) and attribute lift to research-informed changes. Culture Change & Capability Building: Lead the shift from transactional research to a discovery-first culture—coaching leaders and teams to ask better questions, frame problems, and connect human truths to economic value. Establish democratized research programs (training, guardrails, tools) so non-researchers can safely learn, while the core team focuses on high-leverage strategic work. Model an inclusive, craft-loving, growth-oriented team culture consistent with leading design org values. Methods Excellence & Research Operations: Ensure excellence across qualitative/quantitative methods, mixed-methods synthesis, and advanced techniques (e.g., segmentation, JTBD, service safari, diary/telemetry fusion). Build ResearchOps: recruiting pipelines, knowledge graph/insight library, panel governance, data ethics, privacy/compliance, and quality standards. Create a shared insight repository and taxonomy so findings compound over time and inform strategy and roadmaps beyond a single team. Executive Influence & Enterprise Storytelling: Translate complex human insights into clear strategic narratives for executives—using artifacts (landscapes, opportunity maps, service blueprints) that drive alignment and investment. Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leaders on where human needs and business models intersect, shaping portfolio bets and incubation opportunities. Qualifications
Must-Have 10+ years in Experience/UX Research or Design Strategy, including 5+ years leading research teams at scale; proven success shifting organizations from validation to discovery. Demonstrated impact connecting human insight to business outcomes (growth, engagement, retention, cost-to-serve), with a portfolio of programs that shaped product/experience strategy. Mastery of qualitative and quantitative methods; fluency in research platforms; strength in mixed-methods synthesis and persuasive executive communication. Experience building democratized research capabilities with training, guardrails, and QA—elevating decision quality while protecting participant ethics and data privacy. Proven ability to attract, develop, and retain diverse research talent; a culture builder who champions community, craft, and continuous learning. Nice-to-Have Background in complex domains (platforms, multi-sided marketplaces, regulated industries) and horizontal/enterprise product spaces. Familiarity with product finance, pricing/packaging, and/or incubation/venture-style evaluation of opportunities. Advanced degree in HCI, Psychology, Anthropology, or related field. What Success Looks Like (first 12 months)
An enterprise research strategy and operating model is in place; research demand is prioritized against strategic bets, with learning agendas for each portfolio area. Measurable insight-to-action throughput: % of roadmap items/OKRs informed by research; time-to-insight reduced; reuse of insights across programs increases quarter over quarter. A baseline → improved decision quality metric (e.g., fewer late-stage reversals, higher launch confidence) and business impact (e.g., conversion, retention, call deflection, revenue lift) are tracked with Finance/Product. A sustainable democratized research program shifts the team’s time from execution to strategic discovery work. If you will be working at home occasionally or permanently, the internet connection must be obtained through a cable broadband or fiber optic internet service provider with speeds of at least 10Mbps download/5Mbps upload. This position anticipates offering an annual salary of 158,300 - 263,900 USD per year, depending on relevant factors, including experience and geographic location. The role is eligible to participate in an annual bonus and long term incentive plan. We offer a comprehensive benefits package focused on supporting whole health, including medical, vision, dental, well-being programs, and behavioral health. We also offer a 401(k) with company match, company-paid life insurance, tuition reimbursement, a minimum of 18 days of paid time off per year, and paid holidays. For details, visit Life at The Cigna Group. About The Cigna Group: Doing something meaningful starts with a simple decision, a commitment to changing lives. We are dedicated to improving the health and vitality of those we serve, with divisions Cigna Healthcare and Evernorth Health Services. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, age, disability, sex, pregnancy or related medical conditions, veteran status, religion, national origin, or other protected characteristics. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing the online application process, please email SeeYourself@cigna.com for support. The Cigna Group has a tobacco-free policy and reserves the right not to hire tobacco/nicotine users where permitted by law. Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered in accordance with all applicable laws.
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