Director, Product Guest Experience Research

Journey with us! Combine your career goals and sense of adventure by joining our incredible team of employees at Royal Caribbean Group. We are proud to offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, and excellent career development opportunities, each offering unique ways to explore the world.

We are proud to be the vacation-industry leader with global brands — including Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises — the most innovative fleet and private destinations, and the best people. Together, we are dedicated to turning the vacation of a lifetime into a lifetime of vacations for our guests.

Royal Caribbean Group’s Royal Caribbean International Brand has an exciting career opportunity for a full-time Director, Product Guest Experience Research on the Product Development Team reporting to the AVP, Product Strategy and Innovation.

This position will work onsite in Miami, Florida.

This position is not eligible for work authorization sponsorship.

Position Summary:

Please note this is NOT an IT or tech related position.

In this position, you would be the strategic architect responsible for shaping Royal Caribbean’s long-term guest experience vision, leading the insights, strategies, and frameworks that guide the innovation and design of Royal Caribbean’s product portfolio representing $30 billion in global investment across new ships, fleet modernizations, and private destinations.

You would be one of the most influential contributors in the Product Development organization, directly impacting how future guests will experience the brand. By combining behavior research, guest observation, competitive intelligence, and deep product insights; you would ensure that critical product innovations and decisions are rooted in insight, drive measurable business value, and reinforce Royal Caribbean’s long-term competitive advantage.

You would oversee the guest research, observational studies, competitive benchmarking, and  product segmentation, ensuring these functions work cohesively to inform the entire development lifecycle, strategic decisions, and investment priorities. Your impact would extend beyond the inspiration, it will ensure innovations and designs are distinctive, guest validated, and financially sound, helping to avoid costly late stage changes measured in millions and ensuring every product delivers against Royal Caribbean’s objectives of driving the guest experience, growing market share, and increasing revenue generation.

You would translate complex level insights into clear, actionable strategies that define the emotional, functional, and commercial success of future products that will shape the future of vacation experiences for the Royal Caribbean International brand. Acting as a thought partner across Product Development, Marketing, Hotel Operations, Newbuild, and brand; this role will require you to collaboratively influence various cross functional teams and business unit executives (VPs+).

We are looking for an influential strategist with deep expertise in experience design, product, and guest research, with the ability to communicate complex findings with clarity and influence. You would lead a team of experienced professionals, including directors, senior managers and managers, and oversee a research budget that supports the entire product portfolio. You would also lead high-performing teams while managing the end-to-end research process, applying cutting-edge methodologies, and continuously improving practices to enhance impact and efficiency.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Define and lead the guest experience strategy that shapes all new products across ships and private destinations, ensuring Royal Caribbean continues to lead the industry in innovation and differentiation.

• Develop a multi-year experience strategy roadmap, connecting guest insight to innovation direction, innovation pipeline priorities, and financial outcomes.

• Oversee the integrated guest research, observational studies, and competitive benchmarking program that informs the portfolio of product investment decisions.

• Develop a multi-year experience strategy roadmap, connecting guest insight to innovation direction, innovation pipeline priorities, and financial outcomes.

• Champion the voice of the guest across every stage of the product lifecycle, ensuring design and investment decisions are rooted in validated guest needs and behavioral insight.

• Translate research into experience frameworks and briefs that provide clear, actionable direction for product and design teams.

• Lead global observational and ethnographic studies to uncover latent needs and ensure concepts perform as intended in real-world contexts.

• Establish and evolve a competitive experience benchmark for cruise and broader leisure industries, identifying whitespace and innovation opportunities.

• Partner closely with Hotel Operations, Revenue Management, Finance, and Product to define experience KPIs and forecast the ROI of guest experience enhancements.

• Serve as a strategic advisor to executive leadership, helping shape investment and prioritization decisions that balance innovation, cost, and guest value.

• Deliver insights and recommendations through compelling storytelling and visualization, driving alignment across senior stakeholders.

• Lead, inspire, and develop a high-performing team of strategists, researchers, and analysts, building a culture of curiosity, rigor, and impact.

Qualifications, Knowledge and Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree is required in Business, Design, Behavioral Science, or related field. Master’s degree preferred.

• 15+ years of progressive experience in guest research, insights, or experience strategy within hospitality, travel, entertainment, or consumer experience industries.

• Experience building and leading multidisciplinary teams of strategists, researchers, and analysts.

• Proven track record of translating research and behavioral insight into strategic direction for large-scale product development or design initiatives.

• Demonstrated success influencing executive stakeholders and driving measurable impact across multi-billion-dollar portfolios.

• Expertise in human-centered design, ethnography, and experience strategy, with strong analytical and storytelling capabilities.

• Exceptional communication and leadership skills, with the ability to synthesize complex insights into clear, actionable strategies for senior audiences.

• Deep understanding of competitive benchmarking, segmentation, and trend analysis in global leisure and experience markets.

We know there's a lot to consider. As you go through the application process, our recruiters will be glad to provide guidance, and more relevant details to answer any additional questions. Thank you again for your interest in Royal Caribbean Group. We'll hope to see you onboard soon!

It is the policy of the Company to ensure equal employment and promotion opportunity to qualified candidates without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, sexuality, gender identity or expression, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Royal Caribbean Group and each of its subsidiaries prohibit and will not tolerate discrimination or harassment.