Fractional Research Lead
Senior research leadership, without the full-time cost.
Your team’s moving fast, but you’re not ready for a full-time research hire. I embed part-time and bring the strategic oversight, stakeholder alignment, and hands-on leadership the work needs.
Who it’s for
If research is happening but not landing, this is why.
You may already be doing research, but maybe it’s not making a difference. Maybe it’s the methods, maybe it’s the process, maybe it’s the execution. Let’s figure it out.
How it works
Embedded, ongoing, and built around what your team needs.
01
Scope the engagement
We determine whether you need research leadership, research execution, team mentorship, or all three.
02
Set research priorities
I work with stakeholders to align on what questions matter most and build a research roadmap around them.
03
Lead the work
Design and oversee studies, run sessions, synthesize findings, and present to stakeholders so research actually shows up in decisions.
04
Build the practice
Mentor the team, establish standards, and make sure research outlasts the engagement.
A real example
A national automotive parts supplier came in needing research and ended up rebuilding their entire UX research practice. What started as a nine-month field study across three customer groups evolved into embedded strategic leadership: aligning stakeholders, synthesizing findings, and feeding everything into a multi-year digital transformation program.
By the end, the client asked me to stay on and help rebuild their UX research department from scratch. That’s what this looks like at its best. Research that doesn’t sit in a report. Research that changes how an organization makes decisions.
See the full case study: Internal Journey Mapping and Capability Building →9 mos
embedded research leadership
Rebuilt
UX research department from scratch
FAQ
About the Research Lead engagement
How does fractional research leadership differ from project-based UX research?
Project-based research delivers findings and hands them off. Fractional leadership is embedded and ongoing: strategic oversight, stakeholder alignment, and hands-on guidance week over week, so research actually shapes the roadmap.
What does “fractional” actually mean here?
Part-time, embedded leadership. You get senior research direction without the cost or hiring timeline of a full-time role. Most clients bring me on for a set number of hours or days a month.
How is this different from hiring a research consultant for a single project?
A single project ends with a report. This is ongoing: I stay close to the roadmap, mentor your team if you have one, and keep research feeding decisions instead of sitting in a deck.
Do you work with teams outside of Atlanta?
Yes. Most of my clients are spread across the US. I work remotely or on-site depending on what the engagement needs.
How long do these engagements typically run?
Depends on what you need. Some clients bring me on for a single quarter to get a research function running. Others keep me on ongoing. We’ll scope it to your situation, not a template.
Ready when you are
Ready to get research working for your roadmap?
Most engagements start with a short conversation about what your team is trying to decide. From there I scope an approach that fits.
Atlanta-based, other places as needed