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Updated 2026-06-10 01:00 UTC·© 2025–2026 RoleSuite
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User Experience Research Program Lead

Shepherd Center · MCAR

About Shepherd Center 

With five decades of experience, Shepherd Center provides world-class clinical care, research, and family support for people experiencing the most complex conditions, including spinal cord and brain injuries, multi-trauma, traumatic amputations, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and pain. An elite center ranked by U.S. News as one of the nation’s top hospitals for rehabilitation, Shepherd Center is also recognized as both Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems. Shepherd is the only rehabilitation facility in the nation with an intensive care unit on-site, allowing us to care for the most complex patients and begin the rehabilitation process sooner. Shepherd Center treats thousands of patients annually with unmatched expertise and unwavering compassion to help them begin again.

Shepherd Center's culture is one of hope, humor, and hard work. You will enjoy career growth, strong relationships with co-workers, strong support from leadership, and fun activities that have kept over 12% of staff members working at Shepherd for more than 20 years.  

The User Experience Research (UXR) Program Lead oversees and supports all aspects of industry-sponsored and grant-funded research studies for the UX Research Program. The UXR Program Lead oversees implementation and operation of program processes, including client engagement, participant recruitment, data collection and management, research quality control, project reporting, and financial records administration. The UXR Program Lead combines expert project management skills with a passion for user experience research to help the UXR Team discover user needs and improve the design of products that are used by consumers with disabilities. The UXR Program Lead plays a key role with responsibility for ensuring operational excellence and research quality. The position has both program leadership and direct research responsibilities. The UXR Program Lead embodies 3 core sets of knowledge, skills and experience: 1) project/program management; 2) qualitative and quantitative research (research design, data collection, analysis and reporting); 3) accessibility and usability concepts and testing. At Shepherd Center the UXR Program Lead engages with clients, organizes projects and program calendars, assigns work to the individual members of the UXR Team, contributes to program planning and development, and contributes directly to the development and execution of research projects. The UXR program and staff are part of Shepherd Center’s Research and Innovation Department, which includes other lines of clinical research.

  • Plans projects, defines milestones, assesses risks, and ensures projects meet deadlines

  • Works closely with engineering, product management and other cross-functional teams at our client companies and partner organizations to achieve project objectives aimed at creating products and services that are accessible, usable and inclusive

  • Plans and harmonizes the work of the UX Research Team across multiple concurrent projects

  • Develops and implements systems and processes for project and program metrics and tracking

  • Provides regular, structured reporting to the UXR Director on research study progress, quality, problems, potential solutions, and research support staff performance.

  • Serves as primary contact and leads communications (along with the UXR Director) with clients, contractors, research participants and staff

  • Uses knowledge and experience with disability populations, research ethics and regulations, and research protocols to train staff members to assure high performance.

  • Together with the UXR Director develops and implements long range plans for organization structure, business development and marketing communications

  • Designs and develops research protocols, develops data collection instruments, collects data (including moderating in-depth interviews), analyzes data, develops and delivers research findings in clients’ preferred format (text, slide deck, live readout)

  • Recruits research participants and maintain communication with them throughout each research project

  • May serve as project coordinator or researcher on external research collaborations including federal and industry-sponsored projects.

  • Practices proper safety techniques in accordance with Center and departmental policies and procedures. Responsible for the reporting of employee/patient/visitor injuries or accidents, or other safety issues to the supervisor and in the occurrence notification system.

  • Monitors and ensures compliance with all regulatory requirements, organizational standards, and policies and procedures related to area of responsibility. Identifies potential risk areas within area of responsibility and supports problem resolution process.

  • The UXR Program Lead is a professional position and therefore exempt from overtime compensation.


REQUIRED MINIMUM EDUCATION

  • Bachelor's degree from accredited four-year college or university required in psychology, public-health, engineering, human-computer interaction or human factors, social sciences or related fields.

REQUIRED MINIMUM CERTIFICATION

  • Possess CITIprogram.org certification in human subjects research protection, preferably Social-Behavioral-Educational (SBE) Comprehensive certification

  • Must possess IAAP’s Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Concepts (CPACC) certification

  • Must possess Project Management Institute’s Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certification

REQUIRED MINIMUM EXPERIENCE

  • Three years research, engineering, or clinical experience in industry, educational, or health care setting.

REQUIRED MINIMUM SKILLS

  • Excellent project management organizational skills

  • Commitment to excellent customer service and teamwork

  • Knowledge, skills, and experience in research methods, data analysis, and scientific writing/communication, including evaluating information and communication technologies (ICT) and user-experience/user testing research.

  • Skilled in use of productivity software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access) required; knowledge of SPSS preferred.

  • Strong analytical, writing, and organizational skills.

  • Excellent communication skills and public speaking skills

  • Ability to solve problems, coordinate communications among research and clinical staff on site and at partner institutions and manage administrative functions and records.

  • High level of attention to detail and ability to multi-task.

  • Ability to communicate with external stakeholders and engage/recruit people with disabilities.

  • Ability to engage/communicate independently with external stakeholders, including project owners on the client side and research participants.

  • Completes orientation and initial assessment of competency successfully by determined due date.

  • Completes mandatory education and annual competency assessment requirements by determined due date.

  • Must be able to work without direct supervision.

  • Strong interpersonal and problem-solving skills

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Masters in biostatistics, research methods, human computer interaction, human factors, public health, social sciences preferred.

  • Training and certification in User Experience Research (UXR) and/or Design (UXD)

  • 3 years of experience conducting in-depth interviews and mixed methods research

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

  • Occasional lifting of devices weighing up to 30 pounds

WORKING CONDITIONS

  • No potential for exposure to blood and body fluids

Apply →

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