Job Description

Our client, one of the largest financial industry clients in Canada, has an immediate need for a Design Researcher in Toronto, ON (Temporary Remote).

What are the main responsibilities of the role?

• Proactively identifying opportunities for research to inform product strategy and design decisions

• Conducting generative and evaluative research

• Representing the voice and needs of our users

• Designing and facilitating workshops to gather information about new work or areas of focus

• Managing multiple research activities by effectively prioritizing and communicating those priorities and their implications with peers and partners

• Ability to collaborate with and gain the confidence of diverse stakeholder groups (from junior to executive level team members from a variety of disciplines, including product, technology, operations, business partners, etc.)

• Strong storytelling skills to bring research findings to life in a way that is meaningful to and appropriate for a specific audience

• Patience to guide other researchers and designers in developing their research skills so that they can take on more research activities over time

• Ability to collaborate with other design and traditional researchers

What does the future state of success look like for the new designer?

• This person will have become a trusted source of knowledge on the needs of our clients, research done to date and major gaps to explore in the future

• They will have earned the respect of, and built strong working relationships with their peers and partners

• They will continue to increase the reach and impact of research in the organization

What are the must have skills (4-5 max)?

• Deep experience conducting generative and evaluative, qualitative research using a variety of research methods (especially in a remote setting)

• Proficiency for in-person and remote workshop design and facilitation

• Strong presentation and storytelling skills

• Past B2B research experience

• What are the nice to have skills (3-4 max)?

• Past experience working with quantitative research partners

• Quantitative / behavioral data analysis

• Experience working in highly-regulated industries (financial institutions, healthcare/pharma, etc.)

• Experience with our current tool set: UserZoom, Usertesting.com, Optimal Workshop, Fable, Figma

What skills would you like to build within your team?

• Robust decision making based on research.
• Lean research methods based on prototypes or targeted releases.

What are the hours of work? Please specify break times as well.

• 9am to 5pm - 37.5 hours a week; As a contractor there are no benefits, or paid vacation time, contractors will need to take 20 unpaid days off a year and do not get paid for statutory holidays.

What program/technology/software knowledge is essential for this role? Describe in what capacity the selected candidate will be using it?

• Figma will be used the majority of the time, we also use Mural and Keynote.

Soft Skills:

• Strong communication and presentation skills, ability to collaborate with other designers and cross-functional team members, ability to manage stakeholders and build relationships. Experience in facilitating workshops is a nice to have.

Additional Information

• Client requires proof of Covid-19 vaccination to access job site. Providing proof of vaccination is a condition of employment with Ian Martin" for this opportunity.
• The resource can work from home to start but will be required to work onsite in Toronto at least 2 days per week once covid worksite restrictions lifted

If you're a technical professional, you know that it can be difficult to find fulfilling work that advances your career. At the Ian Martin Group, we exist to connect professionals like you with meaningful work at industry-leading companies in your field. And we walk the walk, too: as a Certified B Corporation, we believe in using business as a force for good for people, our communities, and the environment.

We value diversity and inclusion and encourage all qualified people to apply. If we can make this easier through accommodation in the recruitment process, please contact us at

We encourage all qualified candidates to apply; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.