How to Hire a First UX Research Hiring Manager

The characteristics of the first UX research hires probably have some relationship to org size and research maturity. Once you've established that a company has a level of UX maturity that can justify bringing on a team of other researchers, you now are the hiring manager. So I've seen a shift in the last year or two towards hiring lead or director first researchers. That tells me companies realize they need someone seasoned to get that practice going.