Lead Researcher Visa Sponsorship Jobs in Minnesota
Lead researcher visa sponsorship jobs in Minnesota are concentrated at the University of Minnesota, Mayo Clinic, and life sciences companies across the Twin Cities metro and Rochester. Minnesota's strong biomedical, agricultural science, and medical device sectors create consistent demand for research professionals who need H-1B visa, O-1 visa, or employment-based green card sponsorship.
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Get Access To All JobsCOMPENSATION
- The pay range is $132,000.00 - $238,000.00
Pay is based on several factors which vary based on position. These include labor markets and in some instances may include education, work experience and certifications. In addition to your pay, Target cares about and invests in you as a team member, so that you can take care of yourself and your family. Target offers eligible team members and their dependents comprehensive health benefits and programs, which may include medical, vision, dental, life insurance and more, to help you and your family take care of your whole selves. Other benefits for eligible team members include 401(k), employee discount, short term disability, long term disability, paid sick leave, paid national holidays, and paid vacation. Find competitive benefits from financial and education to well-being and beyond at https://corporate.target.com/careers/benefits.
About Us:
Working at Target means helping all families discover the joy of everyday life. We bring that vision to life through our values and culture. Learn more about Target here.
Target UX is a group of design, content, research, and accessibility practitioners and experts, with a passion for improving and innovating our digital experiences for Target’s guests, team members, and partners. Here, we pride ourselves on designing tangible, inspiring, and impactful solutions that serve all aspects of our business– and being a part of the team means you will play a critical role for Target’s digital experience by increasing ease, simplicity, value, and delight for every touchpoint.
About The Role:
As a Lead UX Researcher – Middle Mile, you will set the research direction for how Target understands and improves the tools, workflows, and experiences that support warehouse operations within our Global Supply Chain & Logistics organization. Middle Mile encompasses the warehousing of products before they are ready to be distributed to Target stores or directly to consumers. This role focuses on understanding the needs of warehouse team members responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing Middle Mile operations, while recognizing how upstream and downstream processes, systems, and decisions influence their day-to-day experiences.
You will lead foundational and applied research across warehouse products, platforms, and operational workflows. With a holistic, systems-oriented mindset, you will connect the dots across people, processes, technology, and business outcomes to uncover opportunities that balance team member needs with Target's operational goals.
You will partner closely with UX, Product, Technology, Data Science, Process, and Supply Chain Operations teams to connect research insights with business strategy and operational realities. You will bring diverse perspectives together, navigate complexity, and build alignment around opportunities that improve warehouse team member experiences while supporting the broader supply chain. You will influence product strategy and future-state experiences, mentor other researchers, and strengthen human-centered decision-making across Middle Mile.
You’ll use tried and true design methodologies such as human centered design and design thinking to understand guest needs, balance business ideas, deliver best-in-class design from concept to execution, while championing cross-functional experimentation.
As a member of the team, you will contribute to advancing the broader practice of UX at Target through influence, impact, and craft, while also educating cross-functional teams when needed. We are an engaged, supportive, and increasingly diverse team focused on elevating the impact of our discipline.
Responsibilities:
- Establish and lead the research strategy for Middle Mile warehouse experiences, influencing product priorities, roadmaps, and business decisions.
- Lead foundational and applied mixed-method research to understand warehouse team member needs, workflows, behaviors, and operational challenges.
- Apply holistic, systems-level thinking to connect people, processes, technology, and business outcomes, recognizing upstream and downstream impacts on warehouse operations.
- Partner with UX, Product, Technology, Data Science, Process, and Operations teams to identify opportunities, shape future-state experiences, and align solutions with team member and business needs.
- Combine qualitative insights with analytics and operational data to identify opportunities, inform decisions, and measure impact.
- Translate research into actionable recommendations that improve usability, workflow efficiency, operational effectiveness, and the overall team member experience.
- Optimize on AI-powered tools and emerging technologies to enhance research efficiency, accelerate synthesis and analysis, uncover deeper insights, and explore innovative approaches to understanding team member needs and improving warehouse experiences.
- Facilitate cross-functional collaboration, navigate ambiguity and competing priorities, and build alignment to move initiatives forward.
- Communicate insights through compelling storytelling, influence stakeholders, mentor researchers, and champion high-quality research practices.
- Acts as a strategic thought partner and provide expert guidance in leading, conducting, and synthesizing qualitative research projects – including, but not limited to: in person moderated testing, remote moderated & unmoderated testing, surveys, heuristic reviews, benchmark studies, concept testing, online & in-warehouse interviews, ethnographies, and co-creations.
About You:
- 7+ years of experience completing research in UX research, product research, human-computer interaction, design thinking, service design, behavioral science, or related field.
- Strong qualitative and quantitative research expertise, with experience leading complex research initiatives and influencing product strategy.
- A holistic, systems-oriented mindset with the ability to connect team member needs, operational processes, technology, and business objectives.
- Ability to synthesize research, analytics, and operational data into actionable insights and measurable outcomes.
- Strong relationship-building, facilitation, and storytelling skills, with the ability to navigate ambiguity, align diverse stakeholders, and influence without direct authority.
- Strong project management skills – experience managing multiple projects at various stages in the project life cycle.
- Experience mentoring researchers and advancing inclusive, accessible, and high-quality research practices.
- Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities, coordinate across teams, and drive initiatives forward.
This position will operate as a Hybrid/Flex for Your Day work arrangement based on Target’s needs. A Hybrid/Flex for Your Day work arrangement means the team member’s 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.
Benefits Eligibility
Please paste this url into your preferred browser to learn about benefits eligibility for this role: https://tgt.biz/BenefitsForYou_E
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
In compliance with state and federal laws, Target will make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please reach out to candidate.accommodations@HRHelp.Target.com. Non-accommodation-related requests, such as application follow-ups or technical issues, will not be addressed through this channel.
COMPENSATION
- The pay range is $132,000.00 - $238,000.00
Pay is based on several factors which vary based on position. These include labor markets and in some instances may include education, work experience and certifications. In addition to your pay, Target cares about and invests in you as a team member, so that you can take care of yourself and your family. Target offers eligible team members and their dependents comprehensive health benefits and programs, which may include medical, vision, dental, life insurance and more, to help you and your family take care of your whole selves. Other benefits for eligible team members include 401(k), employee discount, short term disability, long term disability, paid sick leave, paid national holidays, and paid vacation. Find competitive benefits from financial and education to well-being and beyond at https://corporate.target.com/careers/benefits.
About Us:
Working at Target means helping all families discover the joy of everyday life. We bring that vision to life through our values and culture. Learn more about Target here.
Target UX is a group of design, content, research, and accessibility practitioners and experts, with a passion for improving and innovating our digital experiences for Target’s guests, team members, and partners. Here, we pride ourselves on designing tangible, inspiring, and impactful solutions that serve all aspects of our business– and being a part of the team means you will play a critical role for Target’s digital experience by increasing ease, simplicity, value, and delight for every touchpoint.
About The Role:
As a Lead UX Researcher – Middle Mile, you will set the research direction for how Target understands and improves the tools, workflows, and experiences that support warehouse operations within our Global Supply Chain & Logistics organization. Middle Mile encompasses the warehousing of products before they are ready to be distributed to Target stores or directly to consumers. This role focuses on understanding the needs of warehouse team members responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing Middle Mile operations, while recognizing how upstream and downstream processes, systems, and decisions influence their day-to-day experiences.
You will lead foundational and applied research across warehouse products, platforms, and operational workflows. With a holistic, systems-oriented mindset, you will connect the dots across people, processes, technology, and business outcomes to uncover opportunities that balance team member needs with Target's operational goals.
You will partner closely with UX, Product, Technology, Data Science, Process, and Supply Chain Operations teams to connect research insights with business strategy and operational realities. You will bring diverse perspectives together, navigate complexity, and build alignment around opportunities that improve warehouse team member experiences while supporting the broader supply chain. You will influence product strategy and future-state experiences, mentor other researchers, and strengthen human-centered decision-making across Middle Mile.
You’ll use tried and true design methodologies such as human centered design and design thinking to understand guest needs, balance business ideas, deliver best-in-class design from concept to execution, while championing cross-functional experimentation.
As a member of the team, you will contribute to advancing the broader practice of UX at Target through influence, impact, and craft, while also educating cross-functional teams when needed. We are an engaged, supportive, and increasingly diverse team focused on elevating the impact of our discipline.
Responsibilities:
- Establish and lead the research strategy for Middle Mile warehouse experiences, influencing product priorities, roadmaps, and business decisions.
- Lead foundational and applied mixed-method research to understand warehouse team member needs, workflows, behaviors, and operational challenges.
- Apply holistic, systems-level thinking to connect people, processes, technology, and business outcomes, recognizing upstream and downstream impacts on warehouse operations.
- Partner with UX, Product, Technology, Data Science, Process, and Operations teams to identify opportunities, shape future-state experiences, and align solutions with team member and business needs.
- Combine qualitative insights with analytics and operational data to identify opportunities, inform decisions, and measure impact.
- Translate research into actionable recommendations that improve usability, workflow efficiency, operational effectiveness, and the overall team member experience.
- Optimize on AI-powered tools and emerging technologies to enhance research efficiency, accelerate synthesis and analysis, uncover deeper insights, and explore innovative approaches to understanding team member needs and improving warehouse experiences.
- Facilitate cross-functional collaboration, navigate ambiguity and competing priorities, and build alignment to move initiatives forward.
- Communicate insights through compelling storytelling, influence stakeholders, mentor researchers, and champion high-quality research practices.
- Acts as a strategic thought partner and provide expert guidance in leading, conducting, and synthesizing qualitative research projects – including, but not limited to: in person moderated testing, remote moderated & unmoderated testing, surveys, heuristic reviews, benchmark studies, concept testing, online & in-warehouse interviews, ethnographies, and co-creations.
About You:
- 7+ years of experience completing research in UX research, product research, human-computer interaction, design thinking, service design, behavioral science, or related field.
- Strong qualitative and quantitative research expertise, with experience leading complex research initiatives and influencing product strategy.
- A holistic, systems-oriented mindset with the ability to connect team member needs, operational processes, technology, and business objectives.
- Ability to synthesize research, analytics, and operational data into actionable insights and measurable outcomes.
- Strong relationship-building, facilitation, and storytelling skills, with the ability to navigate ambiguity, align diverse stakeholders, and influence without direct authority.
- Strong project management skills – experience managing multiple projects at various stages in the project life cycle.
- Experience mentoring researchers and advancing inclusive, accessible, and high-quality research practices.
- Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities, coordinate across teams, and drive initiatives forward.
This position will operate as a Hybrid/Flex for Your Day work arrangement based on Target’s needs. A Hybrid/Flex for Your Day work arrangement means the team member’s 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.
Benefits Eligibility
Please paste this url into your preferred browser to learn about benefits eligibility for this role: https://tgt.biz/BenefitsForYou_E
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
In compliance with state and federal laws, Target will make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please reach out to candidate.accommodations@HRHelp.Target.com. Non-accommodation-related requests, such as application follow-ups or technical issues, will not be addressed through this channel.
Lead Researcher Job Roles in Minnesota
See all 36+ Lead Researcher Jobs in Minnesota
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Search Lead Researcher Jobs in MinnesotaLead Researcher Jobs in Minnesota: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies sponsor visas for lead researchers in Minnesota?
Mayo Clinic in Rochester and the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis are among the most active sponsors for lead researcher roles, regularly filing H-1B petitions and supporting green card sponsorship. Life sciences companies such as 3M, Medtronic, and Boston Scientific also sponsor research professionals. Agricultural research organizations tied to Minnesota's farming industry round out the sponsorship pool for this role category.
Which visa types realistically fit lead researcher roles in Minnesota?
Lead researcher positions typically qualify as specialty occupations under the H-1B, requiring at least a bachelor's degree in a directly related field such as biology, chemistry, or a related science. Researchers with an advanced degree or exceptional ability may pursue an EB-2 green card, including a National Interest Waiver for independent research contributions. The O-1A visa suits researchers with demonstrated extraordinary ability. J-1 visa is available through designated exchange visitor program sponsors at universities and research institutions.
How to find lead researcher visa sponsorship jobs in Minnesota?
Migrate Mate lists lead researcher positions at Minnesota employers with verified visa sponsorship history, searchable by role and location across the Twin Cities, Rochester, and beyond. Because sponsorship patterns vary by institution and research focus, filtering to Minnesota-specific employers saves significant time. Migrate Mate surfaces roles at universities, medical centers, and life sciences companies that have actively filed for research professionals, so you can focus on employers already familiar with the sponsorship process.
Which cities in Minnesota have the most lead researcher sponsorship jobs?
Minneapolis and Saint Paul, together forming the Twin Cities metro, account for the highest concentration of lead researcher sponsorship opportunities, anchored by the University of Minnesota, Medtronic headquarters, and 3M's research facilities. Rochester is a significant secondary hub driven entirely by Mayo Clinic's extensive research programs. Smaller pockets of research activity exist in Arden Hills and Maplewood, home to additional 3M campuses and medical technology operations.
Are there state-specific factors that affect lead researcher sponsorship in Minnesota?
Minnesota's deep concentration of medical device manufacturers, academic medical centers, and agricultural research institutions means lead researcher roles here often require highly specialized doctoral or postdoctoral credentials, which strengthens H-1B specialty occupation arguments and EB-2 eligibility. The University of Minnesota's large international research community also creates a well-established pipeline for J-1 exchange researchers, with many institutions experienced in transitioning J-1 holders to H-1B status after satisfying any two-year home residency requirement.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored lead researcher jobs in Minnesota?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.