Product Research and Design Manager

Company Summary

Come work for a company that’s committed to the success of each and every employee. A place where innovators and collaborators come together and build on each other’s talents. Where diversity is welcomed and celebrated.

FCT provides industry-leading title insurance, default solutions and other real estate related products and services to legal, lending, valuation and real estate professionals across Canada. With FCT, you will have the opportunity to build a meaningful career. Join us as we continue to do exciting work and make a big impact on our colleagues, customers and communities.

We are continually searching for great talent; individuals who possess a deep commitment to the customers and markets we serve. If you would like to join a company that is committed to the success of each employee and offers challenge, purpose and the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally in a team-oriented environment, you ll enjoy a career with us!

We understand that fostering a diverse and inclusive environment is critical for the success of our business, and we actively work towards it every day.

As the Product Experience Research and Design Manager in Retail Lending Solutions (RLS), you will play a critical leadership role in shaping the future of the experiences we deliver across our residential lending products and services. This role is responsible for deeply understanding the residential lending ecosystem, conducting comprehensive user and market research, and designing strategic, innovative, and intuitive product experiences.

You will lead cross functional product design initiatives, drive user experience research programs, facilitate design sprints, and champion experience led transformation across the organization. Your work will inform product strategy, ensure our solutions evolve with market needs, and identify future opportunities — including AI enabled experiences — that position FCT for long term success.

• Lead and conduct deep qualitative and quantitative research into the residential lending industry, user behaviours, lender and broker workflows, and service delivery models to uncover insights that shape product direction.
• Translate research findings into strategic experience frameworks
  , design concepts, service blueprints, and actionable recommendations that influence product and business strategy.
• Drive end‑to‑end product experience design
  , from discovery and ideation through prototyping, validation, refinement, and experience delivery.
• Facilitate cross‑department design sprints
  , collaborative workshops, and co‑creation sessions to align stakeholders on customer problems, opportunities, and solution directions.
• Partner closely with Product Managers, Engineers, SMEs, Operations, Legal, and other business units to drive experience‑led decision‑making and ensure design integrity throughout execution.
• Develop and maintain experience roadmaps
  , aligning short‑term design needs with long‑term strategic vision.
• Reimagine existing services and proactively propose new product and service models
  —including AI‑enabled workflows, automation opportunities, and next‑generation experience concepts.
• Produce high‑fidelity prototypes, journey maps, service models, UX flows, and research artifacts that articulate user needs and experience opportunities clearly.
• Establish and maintain a repository of experience guidelines, design principles, and UX standards for internal teams to follow.
• Evaluate and measure product experiences using qualitative and quantitative UX metrics
  ; ensure learnings shape ongoing design and product improvements.
• Evangelize user‑centered design practices across RLS and lead initiatives that strengthen a culture of experience innovation.

• A dynamic, highly skilled professional background in experience design, service design, and user research within complex product ecosystems — ideally in financial services, lending, or similarly regulated industries.
• 5+ years of experience in product experience, UX research, service design, product design, or related fields.
• Demonstrated excellence in designing and delivering…