Management and scale

As a UX Lead at Cervest, I have had the opportunity to manage and grow a team of both Researchers and Designers. In this role, I have implemented the following initiatives to support my team's development:

Career Growth Path and Goal Setting

Every six months, my team would undergo an exercise to evaluate both their hard and soft skills. We would begin by reviewing their personalized career trajectory map, which was tailored toward either honing their craft or focusing on people management. Together, we set three goals for the semester—two aligned with company objectives and one personal goal.

Using the company’s education budget, we monitored progress monthly to identify any blockers and provide support as needed. At the end of each six-month period, we revisited the career map for a post-mortem review to assess their improvement as Researchers.

As an inspiration I’ve used the material from the ResearchOps community from their Skills Framework. I’ve used their career trajectory map as a base for this exercise.

Competency Matrix and Leveling

I developed a competency matrix for both Researchers and Designers, outlining five levels of growth within the company. Researchers were evaluated on several key criteria, including: Technical Ability, ResearchOps, Customer Centricity, Empathy, Collaboration, Decision Making, Scope and Complexity, Autonomy and Prioritization, and Problem Solving.

This matrix, combined with regular performance reviews, provided a clear and transparent path for career progression within the organization.

Mentorship and 1:1 Meetings

I held biweekly one-on-one meetings with each team member, typically lasting 30 minutes. These meetings allowed me to gauge their well-being, review project progress, and identify any areas where they needed support or help in overcoming obstacles.