Lead UX Researcher, AI Enablement

About the Role:

As a Lead UX Researcher - AI Enablement you will set the research direction for how Target understands and improves AI-enabled and agentic experiences. This role focuses on tools and workflows used by technical and product practitioners while flexing to other enterprise team member experiences as priorities evolve.

You will lead foundational and applied research across products platforms pilots and live experiences. Your work will clarify user needs adoption barriers and the conditions that support confidence human oversight and responsible use. You will turn evidence into decisions about what to build how to improve it and how to scale it.

You will partner with UX Product Technology Data Science and business teams to connect human-centered insights with behavioral and operational data. You will influence portfolio decisions mentor other researchers and strengthen how Target learns about emerging AI experiences.

Responsibilities:

• Establish and lead the research strategy and learning agenda for AI Enablement influencing portfolio priorities and investment decisions.

• Lead foundational and applied mixed-method research across technical product and enterprise team member experiences.

• Define audiences journeys and adoption needs through personas journey mapping service blueprints and other durable research frameworks.

• Evaluate AI-enabled and agentic concepts pilots and live experiences for usefulness confidence transparency human oversight accessibility and responsible adoption.

• Combine qualitative research with behavioral data analytics operational signals system performance and external benchmarks to identify opportunities and measure impact.

• Translate evidence into clear recommendations for product strategy roadmaps platforms tooling enablement governance and investment.

• Partner across UX Product Technology Data Science privacy and business teams to shape high-value questions and emerging experiences.

• Activate insights through compelling storytelling mentor researchers and advance rigorous inclusive and responsible research practices.

Core responsibilities of this job are described within this job description. Job duties may change at any time due to business needs.

About You:

• 7 years of experience in UX research product research applied research human-computer interaction behavioral science or a related field.

• Proven ability to set research direction across complex products platforms services and multiple workstreams.

• Deep qualitative and quantitative research expertise including foundational research and durable frameworks.

• Ability to connect research analytics and operational data to actionable recommendations and measurable outcomes.

• Experience researching AI-enabled products developer tools or similarly complex technologies including adoption and changes to ways of working.

• Experience with technical and enterprise audiences plus fluency partnering with Engineering Architecture Data Science Security and platform teams.

• Strong systems thinking facilitation and storytelling with the ability to navigate ambiguity lead multiple initiatives and influence senior leaders.

• Experience mentoring researchers and advancing inclusive accessible ethical privacy-conscious and high-quality research practices.

This position will operate as a Hybrid/Flex for Your Day work arrangement based on Targets needs. A Hybrid/Flex for Your Day work arrangement means the team members core role will need to be performed both onsite at the Target HQ MN location the role is assigned to and virtually depending upon what your role team and tasks require for that day. Work duties cannot be performed outside of the country of the primary work location unless otherwise prescribed by Target. Click here if you are curious to learn more about Minnesota