AI-Led Product Researcher & Designer in London

We're looking for an exceptional, forward-thinking Lead AI‑Led Product Researcher & Designer to own and drive the AI transformation of how we research and design function from the ground up.

This is a pivotal, first‑of‑its‑kind role.

You will not simply adopt AI tools; you will architect the AI‑enabled ways of working that define how our entire Product function discovers, designs and delivers.

The successful candidate will lead the integration of AI into every layer of our research and design practice, from connecting Figma with AI models and establishing automated design pipelines, to embedding AI‑assisted research flows that generate faster, richer, and continuous insight.

You will define the standards, tooling, and culture that make AI‑enabled design and research our default, not our exception.

This role is for someone who has moved beyond being enthusiastic about AI adoption and is ready to lead others through it‑setting the vision, building the capability, and enabling the wider business to work in new ways.

You will bring executive presence and design thought leadership, and be equally comfortable architecting a research strategy and selling a vision to senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• AI Transformation
• Own and lead the AI transformation of design and research practices across Product in Digital, defining the vision, roadmap, and measurable outcomes for what AI‑enabled ways of working looks like.
• Establish AI integration across our design toolchain, including connecting Figma with AI models like Claude, building automated component and template generation pipelines, and eliminating manual design bottlenecks.
• Democratise Design, so that Product Managers or Business Analysts can create quick mock‑ups, high‑fidelity designs that follow our design systems, or prototypes via AI models to communicate their thoughts to clients and internal teams, without consuming precious Design capacity.
• Define and implement AI‑assisted research workflows, from automated synthesis and insight generation to AI‑enhanced usability testing and survey analysis.
• Act as the internal authority and enabler of AI in design and research, upskilling teams, coaching individuals, and building organisation capability so AI becomes embedded in how everyone works, not just how you work.
• Stay ahead of the rapidly evolving AI tooling landscape and work closely with our Head of AI, evaluating new models, integrations, and platforms to make informed recommendations on adoption.
• Research Leadership
• Own and lead the strategic direction of user research, competitor research, market research and industry research across Product, defining what AI‑enabled continuous discovery looks like for the function.
• Architect our end‑to‑end practice, including methods, tooling and standards to ensure research is embedded as a continuous, always‑on capability rather than a project‑by‑project activity.
• Champion research‑driven thinking across Product, Design, and Engineering, acting as a senior advocate for evidence‑based decision‑making at every level.
• Define and implement our product research strategy, setting the standards, tools, and processes for discovery and validation activities, with AI‑assisted methods at the forefront.
• Act as the research authority within the team, helping establish best practice and raising the bar for user‑centred product development.
• Collaborate with Product Analytics to design and interpret, amongst others, A/B and multivariate tests that measure the impact of features and user experiences.
• Design Leadership
• Lead end‑to‑end Product Design across our Digital Products, from concept and wireframes through to high‑fidelity prototypes and design specifications.
• Drive the full automation of repeatable design tasks through AI, including layout generation, component creation, design token management, and design‑to‑code pipelines.
• Establish and maintain a scalable, AI‑augmented design system that ensures consistency, accessibility, and quality across all touchpoints with minimal manual overhead.
• Facilitate design thinking sessions, both internally and client‑facing, to align stakeholders around user needs and surface new opportunities.
• Collaborate closely with Product and Engineering to ensure design intent is delivered accurately, leveraging AI to reduce handoff friction and improve implementation.
• Customer, Market & Competitor Insight
• Plan and execute end‑to‑end research using both qualitative and quantitative methods, including but not limited to interviews, surveys, usability testing, workshops, and focus groups, to uncover user behaviours and motivations, augmented by AI analysis and synthesis tools.
• Conduct market, competitor, and industry research to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities across all product areas, ensuring we remain ahead of the market, using AI tooling to increase breadth and speed of analysis.
• Develop and maintain an AI‑powered insight repository for all the research, enabling Product Managers and Designers to surface and interrogate research findings and customer feedback with ease.
• Gather and synthesise client feedback through multiple channels, closing the loop with customers and improving satisfaction.
• Testing & Experimentation
• Work closely with Product Managers, Designers, and Engineers to introduce and scale AI‑assisted experimentation practices across our products.
• Design and support A/B and concept tests to validate hypotheses and measure the impact of design and feature changes.
• Help define and monitor metrics such as NPS, satisfaction, usability, and adoption, using AI tools to surface patterns and accelerate interpretation helping track the effectiveness of product decisions.
• Decision Support & Storytelling
• Translate complex research findings into clear narratives and actionable recommendations for technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Create personas, journey maps, and behaviour frameworks leveraging AI to generate and maintain artefacts at scale.
• Deliver presentations, reports, and visualisations that make the voice of the customer tangible and memorable.
• Advise internal teams and, where relevant, collaborate on client‑facing consultancy projects focused on user behaviour, design validation, and experience optimisation.
• Estimate research and design effort accurately, managing multiple concurrent projects and priorities without compromising rigour.
• Collaboration & Enablement
• Work closely with Product Analytics and Product Management to embed AI‑enabled continuous discovery, design and experimentation into our ways of working.
• Influence and shape product culture, championing AI literacy, curiosity and customer empathy as interdependent pillars of our product‑led transformation.
• Provide coaching and knowledge‑sharing so that AI‑enabled research and design becomes a shared organisational capability, not an individual one.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; postgraduate qualification in behavioural science, human‑computer interaction, design research, or a related field a plus.
• Proven experience as a UX Researcher, Product Designer, combined Research & Design Lead, or similar role, with at least 4+ years at senior level in product‑led or research‑driven organisations.
• Demonstrated experience leading AI integration within a design or research function. Not just using AI tools, but defining how others adopt and work with them.
• Hands on expertise with AI‑design integrations (including Figma AI, AI‑to‑code pipelines and model‑connected design workflows) and the ability to build and automate these from scratch.
• Track record of delivering actionable research that directly influenced product strategy, design or commercial decisions.
• Hands‑on experience with qualitative and quantitative methods (e. g. interviews, surveys, usability testing, focus groups, screen‑recording analysis, A/B testing).
• Demonstrated experience designing digital products end‑to‑end, from discovery through to delivery, with a strong portfolio spanning wireframes, prototypes, and shipped product.
• Experience conducting competitor and market analysis, translating findings into strategic opportunities.
• Proficient with research and feedback tools (e. g. User Testing, Maze, Hotjar, Typeform, Optimal Workshop, Dovetail, Lookback, or similar).
• Proficient with design tools (e. g. Figma, Sketch, or similar), including component libraries and design systems and design‑to‑code workflows.
• Proficient with AI models and tools (e. g.

Claude, Claude Design, Copilot, Lovable, v0 by Vercel, Stitch or Magic Patterns) and have an opinion on which ones would be better suited for each type of business environment.

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and identify meaningful insights.
• Excellent communication and storytelling skills; able to build a compelling case for change and bring others on the journey.
• Highly organised, self‑starter mindset, comfortable establishing new functions and processes 0‑1.
• Curiosity, creativity, and a passion for understanding users and driving customer‑centric innovation.

Benefits & Work Information

Flexible Hybrid Work Model.

SS&C is headquartered in Windsor, Connecticut, and has 27,000+ employees in 35 countries.

Some 20,000 financial services and healthcare organisations rely on SS&C for expertise, scale, and technology.

Professional Development Reimbursement including access to SS&C University.

Competitive holiday scheme.

Competitive benefits designed to support the wellbeing of our staff.

Diversity & Inclusion: Committed to welcoming, celebrating and thriving on diversity.

Training: Hands‑on, team‑customised throughout your career.

We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds to bring diverse perspectives to our thinking and conversations.

SS&C prides itself on hiring diverse, honest, dynamic individuals who value collaboration, accountability, and innovation, to name a few.

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