Experience Research Senior Specialist

perience and Design) teams, data scientists, technologists and more - is the new product development group of Mastercard, focused on de-risking and delivering new and differentiated customer-centric solutions.

Our Experience Strategy and Research team, within Foundry, leads early-stage product innovation by uncovering customer needs, identifying opportunities, and translating insights into strategic direction for product and business teams. We operate across discovery, problem definition, and concept development, ensuring that new products and experiences are grounded in customer needs, market dynamics, and organizational objectives.

We focus on de-risking key customer, product, and business assumptions throughout the product innovation lifecycle, while fostering a continuous learning culture that drives more informed decisions and accelerates innovation.

ROLE

The Experience Research Senior Specialist is a key member of the team who supports research initiatives that reveal deep customer understanding and de-risk emerging assumptions. This role partners with other experienced researchers and works closely with experience strategists, designers, product managers, and technologists to uncover evidence-based insights that guide product innovation from early discovery through validation of MVP and roadmap assumptions.

The Experience Research Senior Specialist is an individual contributor who will be expected to support the design, execution and synthesis of research across diverse methodologies, including exploratory, generative, and evaluative research. These aim to uncover actionable insights to inform strategic decisions and derisk critical assumptions across the product development lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities:

Research Planning and Execution
oSupport the lead researcher or strategist in identifying and prioritizing the riskiest assumptions to subsequently de-risk
oSupport in choosing the optimal research approach and methodology to de-risk priority assumptions, taking into consideration business needs and project phase
oAid in the design and conducting of rigorous, mixed-methods research studies to uncover customer needs, motivations, behaviours, and pain points, across all phases of the product development lifecycle -- from framing the problem to testing and iterating concepts.
oHelp the lead researcher or strategist in defining research plans, goals and objectives, and develop recruitment screeners, discussion guides and surveys focused on testing assumptions, and informing actionable product and business decisions
oSupport in the partnering with third-party vendors to execute and scale research plans as needed.

Analysis and Presenting Insights/Recommendations
oAid in the synthesis of qualitative and quantitative data into clear insights, opportunity areas, and actionable recommendations that inform product and business strategy.
oSupport the communication of research findings through compelling storytelling, presentations, and reports to senior stakeholders.
Informing strategic outputs and outcomes
oCollaborate closely with other researchers and strategists to translate insights into strategic frameworks, value propositions, and MVP hypotheses.
oSupport the planning and facilitation of cross-functional design thinking workshops

Collaboration and Inclusivity
oCollaborate with the CX team to support the design of optimal testing stimuli based on research needs.
oContribute to a collaborative and inclusive environment, where diverse perspectives shape research questions.
oHelp the team to champion a research-driven culture within the organization by sharing knowledge and advocating for user-centred decision making.
Adaptability and Organization
oSupport in adapting research approaches and plans based on new learnings and business constraints.
oSupport multiple research projects simultaneously in a fast paced, dynamic environment.
oContinuously learn and experiment with new tools and methodologies, and contribute to evolving best practices.

Curiosity for Cultural, Tech, Research Trends
oUtilize your curiosity for cultural and technology trends to help the team identify opportunities for innovation.
oLearn about emerging research methodologies, tools, and best practices to continuously improve research rigor and impact.

ALL ABOUT YOU

You are observant, curious, and passionate about collaborating with others to build customer-centric solutions. You combine analytical rigor with empathy for customers and thrive on turning complexity into clarity. You are a practitioner and a thought partner who helps teams make smarter, faster, and more informed product decisions.

Must-have:
o4 years'+ experience in user experience research, market research, behavioral research, or related fields within innovation-driven organizations.
oProven experience in a broad range of qualitative and quantitative research methods including ethnography, contextual inquiry, usability testing, surveys, analytics interpretation, and experimental design.
oExperience in synthesizing complex data sets and translating research findings into clear, actionable insights that influence product and business strategy.
oFamiliarity with product development lifecycles, MVP concept testing, and iterative design processes.
oStorytelling and communication skills, with experience presenting research findings to diverse audiences.

Nice-to-have:
oDegree in a research-related field, for example, Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology, Behavioral Economics, Marketing, etc.
oCurious about AND/OR direct experience with the following areas - payments, financial technology, business analytics, small business, digital identity, marketplaces, loyalty, and beyond.
oA collaborative and inclusive team player.
oPassionate about improving the world through "doing well by doing good".

Some practicalities:
oThis is a hybrid role, and you must be able to attend the local office (Toronto, Canada) an average of 3 days a week.

Mastercard is a merit-based, inclusive, equal opportunity employer that considers applicants without regard to gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disabled or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We hire the most qualified candidate for the role. In the US or Canada, if you require accommodations or assistance to complete the online application process or during the recruitment process, please contact [email protected] and identify the type of accommodation or assistance you are requesting. Do not include any medical or health information in this email. The Reasonable Accommodations team will respond to your email promptly.

Corporate Security Responsibility

All activities involving access to Mastercard assets, information, and networks comes with an inherent risk to the organization and, therefore, it is expected that every person working for, or on behalf of, Mastercard is responsible for information security and must:

• Abide by Mastercard's security policies and practices;

• Ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the information being accessed;

• Report any suspected information security violation or breach, and

• Complete all periodic mandatory security trainings in accordance with Mastercard's guidelines.

In line with Mastercard's total compensation philosophy and assuming that the job will be performed in Canada, the successful candidate will be offered a competitive pay based on location, experience and other qualifications for the role and may be eligible to participate in a discretionary annual incentive program. This posting reflects one or more current openings on our team.

Pay Ranges
Toronto, Canada: $83,000 - $132,000 CAD