UX Research Engagement Lead, (Senior Consultant, Business & Product Delivery)

UX Research Engagement Lead(Senior Consultant, Business & Product Delivery)

At Fearless, we are seeking a UX Research Engagement Lead as part of our Senior Consultant, Business and Product Delivery career path to lead discovery research for a state government permitting reform initiative. This role serves as the engagement lead and primary client point of contact, leading discovery research across a multi-track engagement documenting how permitting processes currently operate across multiple state agencies, identifying where systems fail users, and translating field research into evidence-based recommendations that inform future modernization decisions. This engagement focuses on understanding the real workflows of government staff, municipal agencies, licensed professionals, and residents who depend on permitting systems that often require extensive manual workarounds. This is a fully remote role.

At Fearless, this Senior Consultant role requires versatility,leadership, and collaboration across teams and stakeholders to maximize value delivery and adoption. The role ensures alignment of product strategy with client goals, facilitates agile ceremonies and continuous improvement, and provides critical business and functional analysis to deliver high-quality, user-centered solutions.This role will possess the skills to be able to span the domains of product management, scrum leadership, and business analyst at an advanced application level of proficiency . This Consultant role will work on projects that allow them to support agile software development teams and client organizations.

Work Location & Travel Requirements

* This is a fully remote role with the flexibility to work from any location.

* Travel to customer site for in-person research sessions including contextual inquiry, shadowing activities, and workshops is required throughout the engagement.

* The individual in this role must be available during core working hours of 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time for coordination with the client Product Owner.

Your Responsibilities in this Role:

* Lead end-to-end discovery research strategy across two parallel tracks examining permitting workflows at multiple state agencies.

* Conduct contextual inquiry and observational research at government work sites to document how processes actually operate versus how they are intended to function.

* Facilitate stakeholder interviews and workshops with government staff, municipal agencies, licensed professionals, and residents to surface pain points and workarounds.

* Synthesize research findings into service blueprints, process maps, functional requirements, and executive reports that support strategic decision-making.

* Validate all findings with research participants before final submission to ensure process documentation and recommendations accurately reflect user reality.

* Translate complex, messy workflows into clear narratives and visual artifacts that inform procurement teams, technical staff, and executive leadership.

* Coordinate directly with the client Product Owner to adapt research plans as patterns emerge and communicate progress throughout the engagement.

* Ensure all deliverables satisfy the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) by tracing every finding to primary research evidence and maintaining methodological rigor.

The Impact You Will Create in this Role:

Fearless Impact:

• Fosters collaboration with cross functional teams by taking the initiative and driving conversations
• Coach, mentor, and develop peers that elevate team capability and technical expertise using clear and persuasive communication of engineering solutions to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Earn the trust of your customer and teammates by delivering world class services.
• Drive accountability and delivery by ensuring project objectives are not only met on time but aligned with client priorities and Fearless standards of excellence. Anticipate risks and implement proactive solutions to keep initiatives on track.
• Take ownership of risk management by monitoring deliverables across the team, identifying issues early, and coaching teammates on mitigation strategies while keeping leadership informed.
• Shape client engagement and intelligence-gathering efforts by actively cultivating relationships with stakeholders, synthesizing insights across the client organization and partner ecosystem, and providing Fearless leaders with actionable recommendations that inform strategy and strengthen delivery outcomes.

Fearless Customer Impact:

• Deliver high-value products that align client goals, user needs, and business outcomes through effective product strategy, backlog management, and agile delivery.
• Enable teams to achieve predictable, high-quality results by facilitating collaboration, removing obstacles, and fostering continuous improvement and offering innovative solutions.
• Serve as a trusted advisor in your area of expertise
• Provide actionable insights and innovative solutions by translating stakeholder requirements into clear priorities, leveraging data, and applying best practices in product management and agile execution.
• Lead and align stakeholders with product and project goals that advance customer satisfaction as well as Fearless' objectives, strategy, and mission

Project Skill and Experience Requirements

* Minimum of 7 years of experience in user research, service design, or related roles conducting discovery research for complex systems.

* Demonstrated experience leading discovery-phase research for complex, multi-stakeholder services involving broken or fragmented processes.

* Proven expertise conducting field research methods including contextual inquiry and observational research where users work.

* Experience producing service blueprints, process flows, or equivalent artifacts that map workflows across multiple actors, systems, and handoffs.

* Strong synthesis skills translating raw research into actionable insights and recommendations for executives, procurement teams, and technical staff.

* Portfolio or case studies demonstrating discovery research outputs beyond usability testing of existing products.

Preferred Skill and Experience Requirements

* Experience conducting research in state or local government contexts.

* Familiarity with permitting, licensing, or rules-based regulatory processes.

Fearless Skills and Competencies

• Analytical Thinking:The ability to observe and interpret information, break down complex problems into parts, identify patterns/relationships and draw logical conclusions to develop effective solutions.
• Synthetic Thinking: The ability to combine different ideas, information, or concepts to create a new, complex understanding or solution by integrating disparate elements into a new, meaningful whole.
• Adaptability: Comfort with change, flexibility in the face of shifting demands and resilience to setbacks.
• Ownership & Accountability: Committed to taking responsibility for outcomes, ensuring that all commitments are met with a focus on enhancing service delivery.
• Consultative Advising: Identifies and articulates client challenges, scopes projects and aligns recommendations to business goals and client expectations.
• Communicating with Influence: Capable of crafting and delivering clear, persuasive messages that integrate data insights and structured narratives, tailored to the strategic needs of diverse audiences to drive effective decision-making.
• Managing Priorities & Client Alignment: Skillfully negotiates and manages conflicting priorities to strategically align decisions, enhancing service delivery and client satisfaction.

Required Level of Proficiency:

• Advanced Application: You can perform the actions associated with a skill without assistance. You are recognized within your immediate organization as "a person to ask" when difficult questions regarding required skills arise.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to sit for extended periods while working on a computer or during meetings.
• Must be able to travel occasionally to client sites or company meetings, which may involve driving or flying.
• Ability to communicate effectively via phone, email, and in-person, requiring clear speech, listening, and written communication skills.
• Ability to move within an office environment, including reaching for files, using office equipment, and occasional light lifting (up to 10 pounds).

Life at Fearless

We're a digital integration consultancy on a mission to build a better tomorrow. At Fearless, we combine technology, people, and organizational development to solve meaningful problems. Through iterative development, we deliver smart, user-friendly solutions that make tech work better-for everyone.

But great tech is just part of the story. What really makes us Fearless is our Purple Culture.

What Makes Us Purple?

Being Purple means you:

• Are valued as a whole person-not just a job title
• Get matched with work that plays to your strengths and passions
• Are supported by coaches, not micromanagers
• Have the autonomy and clarity to make decisions and drive impact
• Join a community that celebrates equity, curiosity, and innovation
• Do work that matters-every day

We believe in flexibility, growth, and balance. Our benefits and culture are designed to support you in doing your best work-while making space for what matters to you outside of it.

We're proud to be an equal opportunity employer. At Fearless, we're building a workplace that welcomes and respects everyone-across race, gender, age, religion, identity, background, and ability.All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Compensation at Fearless

Fearless is committed to providing a competitive compensation package that will meet your current and future needs. Our philosophy is aimed at rewarding team member contributions, supporting long-term financial growth and security, and overall well-being.

We believe in paying people fairly, so we've established a compensation model aimed to ensure everyone at Fearless - regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, age, nationality, or willingness/ability to negotiate - is consistently paid fairly based on alignment to the needs and requirements of the role.

The salary range for this position is:

Minimum Salary: $107,667

Salary Midpoint: $139,967

Maximum Salary: $181,957

Hiring Range for Role: $107,667 - $128,000

*This position is eligible for a discretionary bonus based on individual and company performance criteria.

Benefits at Fearless

At Fearless, we take care of our team-because when you're supported, you can do your best work. We offer a flexible, family-friendly environment with benefits designed to support your health, growth, and life outside of work.

For Full-Time Team Members (Starting Day One):

• Flexible, life-friendly schedules
• 100% coverage for our medical HSA plan + HSA contributions
• Dental & vision covered 100% for you and your dependents
• Competitive premiums for HMO/PPO and dependent coverage
• 401(k) with 4% match & immediate vesting
• Paid Parental Leave and 12 weeks paid FMLA
• Generous PTO, 11 Federal Holidays, a Birthday Holiday, and Sick Leave
• Up to 15 days for Jury Duty and Bereavement Leave
• Education, wellness, and tech allowances
• Referral bonus: $6K-$12K for each successful referral
• Pet insurance & discount plans
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Legal support, life insurance, disability coverage
• Performance-Based Bonuses: We believe your impact should be recognized. Our bonus program rewards both shared company success and individual contributions. Learn more about our bonus incentives here.

Reasonable Accommodations

Fearless is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for applicants and candidates with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact the Human Resources Department at hr@fearless.tech.

So, What's Next?

We've refined our hiring approach to make sure every team member is a great fit for Fearless-and that we're a great fit for you, too. If there's alignment, we'll reach out to kick off the interview process. Depending on the role or project, your experience may vary slightly, but it typically includes:

1. Introductory Interview

You'll connect with a recruiter to:

• Build rapport and get to know each other
• Review your experience and skills
• Talk through salary expectations and role details
• Set expectations for the rest of the process

2. Technical Assessment

We'll invite you to complete a role-specific assessment to see your skills in action. This helps us keep our hiring process fair and consistent. You can learn more about what to expect here.

3. Skills + Business Fit Interview

This is where we dig deeper to:

• Review findings from any technical assessments
• Walk through situational and values-based questions
• Explore how your approach aligns with Fearless culture and project needs

Some roles may also include customer interviews based on specific project requirements in addition to background check and security clearance requirements.

Where You Can Build with Fearless

At Fearless, we strive to build a powerful and diverse team. We are currently licensed and set up to hire talented individuals residing in the following 16 states:

Alabama, California, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

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