Principal Associate, User Experience Research Operations

Principal Associate, User Experience Research Operations

Our Experience Design (XD) Research Operations team is seeking a driven Principal Research Operations Associate to join our team. Our team is undergoing a transformation to elevate our capabilities and mature our practices. Our mission is to champion XD with well managed, unified research operations, by building systems and practices that enable high quality, accessible design and research insights at scale. This role is a blend of strategic planning and hands‑on execution, empowering researchers and designers to focus on high impact work.

The ideal candidate is an autonomous professional with subject matter expertise in their craft. You will lead strategic initiatives, define project strategy, and drive impactful outcomes for the organization.

What you’ll do

This person will serve as a core contributor in several areas, including :

Process Optimization and Enablement : Define and lead process improvements to increase team efficiency and optimize our practices. You will autonomously lead operational needs across the organization, building systems that increase efficiency and optimize our practices.

Research Governance and Compliance : Champion right‑sized standards in ethics, privacy, and data protection across all research and design projects.

Knowledge Management : Define and build upon our library of research practices, resources, and templates to enable consistency across lines of business. You will share your knowledge with others and lead or consult with them to enable work to move forward efficiently.

Research Advocacy : Introduce new ways of evangelizing research across the organization. You will advance the Research Operations practice at Capital One by engaging in and contributing to communities of practice.

Project Management : Work with Research and Design to deeply understand their needs and manage systems and logistics for multiple research projects. You will have the autonomy to propose new, scalable systems and present the case to leadership and stakeholders.

Basic Qualifications

At least 4 years of experience in UX or Research Operations roles, project management, or process improvement.

At least 2 years of experience working directly with Research or Design teams.

Preferred Qualifications

Highly effective verbal and written communication skills across all organizational levels.

Systems thinking with a track record for establishing high‑quality practices for scaling Design and Research teams.

Strategic acumen and foresight to anticipate complex cross‑functional problems and work towards solutions.

Project management excellence and a commitment to continuous improvement, process optimization, and delivering impactful outcomes.

Experience working with research tools and vendors.

Proven ability to work autonomously and help peers through times of ambiguity or change with care and empathy.

Ability to balance desired outcomes and potential risks to design clear, human-centered solutions.

4+ years of experience with managing risk within highly regulated research environments.

4+ years experience with project management tools such as Jira and data visualization tools such as Confluence.

At this time, Capital One will not sponsor a new applicant for employment authorization for this position.

The minimum and maximum full‑time annual salaries for this role are listed below, by location :

McLean, VA : $127,500 - $145,500 (Principal Associate, Design). New York, NY : $139,100 - $158,700. Richmond, VA : $115,900 - $132,200.

Capital One offers a comprehensive, competitive, and inclusive set of health, financial, and other benefits that support your total well‑being. Learn more at the Capital One Careers website. Eligibility varies based on full or part‑time status, exempt or non‑exempt status, and management level.

Capital One is an equal opportunity employer (EOE, including disability / veteran) committed to non‑discrimination in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

To request accommodations, please contact Recruiting Accommodation at 1‑800‑304‑9102 or via email at RecruitingAccommodation@capitalone.com.

For technical support or questions about Capital One’s recruiting process, please send an email to Careers@capitalone.com.

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