2026 Winter Student - Design Researcher (4 months)
RBC Capital
Job Description
Please note: This posting is for a 4-month Winter 2026 placement with a start date of January 2026 and end-date of April 2026.
In order to be eligible for this 4-month Student position, you must either:
- Be returning back to school after the work term end-date of April 2026; or
- If you are not returning back to school (i.e. are graduating in April/August 2026), but you require the work term as a mandatory component to in order to graduate successfully.
Please ensure that you meet these eligibility requirements before applying - candidates who apply but are found to be ineligible are not able to be considered.
What is the opportunity?
RBC is seeking an energetic, curious design thinker who wants to help define the digital services and experiences of the future. Design researchers at RBC bring their endless curiosity, empathy and analysis skills to the fore on all aspect of design thinking – from finding and framing innovative challenges, primary research that allows you to define compelling narratives that communicate research insights, finding new value propositions that will delight people to developing lean prototypes to test value propositions with actual customers. The Design Researcher will work alongside experienced professionals and play a key role in defining digital product strategies that shape the way Canadians interact and think about their financial wellbeing.
What will you do?
- Collaborate with product managers and research partners to understand key customer target needs and moments of truth that reveal new opportunities to innovate.
- Support design researchers at defining current state customer pain points and mapping ideal future experiences. Work with product design and technology leads to deliver amazing experiences to market while developing new feedback loops and opportunities to optimize our digital and physical customer ecosystems.
What do you need to succeed?
Must-haves
- Passion for learning about people and behavior in the worlds they inhabit, and getting at the motivations that lie beneath.
- Ability to synthesize research into concreate frameworks and visualizations that business stakeholders will understand.
- Willingness to create lean prototypes and stimuli that tease out compelling value propositions with customers.
- Comfortable working on ambiguous, multifaceted fuzzy problems, sometimes alone but mostly with multidisciplinary teams in a dynamic environment.
- Proficient with research frameworks and tools.
- Open minded, kind, considerate, focused on strategic outcomes and generally great to work with
- Relevant portfolio examples
Nice-to-have
- Working on a degree in Design, Psychology, Human Factors, Industrial Design, Human-Computer Interaction
What's in it for you?
We thrive on the challenge to be our best, progressive thinking to keep growing, and working together to deliver trusted advice to help our clients thrive and communities prosper. We care about each other, reaching our potential, making a difference to our communities, and achieving success that is mutual.
- Leaders who support your development through coaching and managing opportunities
- Ability to make a difference and lasting impact
- Work in a dynamic, collaborative, progressive, and high-performing team
- Opportunities to do challenging work
Job Skills
Additional Job Details
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Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the application deadline date above
Inclusion and Equal Opportunity Employment
At RBC, we believe an inclusive workplace that has diverse perspectives is core to our continued growth as one of the largest and most successful banks in the world. Maintaining a workplace where our employees feel supported to perform at their best, effectively collaborate, drive innovation, and grow professionally helps to bring our Purpose to life and create value for our clients and communities. RBC strives to deliver this through policies and programs intended to foster a workplace based on respect, belonging and opportunity for all.
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Expand your limits and create a new future together at RBC. Find out how we use our passion and drive to enhance the well-being of our clients and communities at jobs.rbc.com.