Principal UX Researcher

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Principal UX Researcher

Company: Safewill

Location: Surry Hills, Sydney, Australia

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Product Research & Strategy

Date Posted: May 02, 2026

Experience Level: 5+ Years

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive product discovery, turning complex user insights into clear problems, opportunities, and strategic product direction.

• Own and execute research strategy across key product domains, prioritizing high-impact questions aligned with business objectives.

• Conduct end-to-end research using a blend of qualitative and quantitative methodologies to deeply understand customer behavior.

• Shape product strategy and roadmap by synthesizing research findings, data, and market signals into compelling narratives that influence key stakeholders.

• Facilitate workshops and collaborative sessions to align product, design, engineering, and leadership teams around insight-led decision-making.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a "Principal" level, indicating a senior individual contributor with significant autonomy and influence. The emphasis on "shaping what comes next," "driving discovery," and "influencing strategy" suggests a role that goes beyond execution to strategic partnership and thought leadership within the product development lifecycle. The company's focus on transforming estate planning technology implies a need for research that navigates sensitive topics and complex user needs.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the definition and execution of research strategies for critical product areas, ensuring alignment with Safewill's mission to simplify estate planning.

• Design and conduct comprehensive user research initiatives, encompassing generative exploration, problem definition, solution validation, and evaluative testing.

• Integrate qualitative insights (e.g., interviews, usability testing, ethnographic studies) with quantitative data (e.g., surveys, analytics, A/B testing results) to build a holistic understanding of user needs and behaviors.

• Translate complex research findings, market trends, and user feedback into clear, actionable insights and strategic recommendations for product roadmaps and feature development.

• Collaborate closely with Product Managers, Designers, Engineers, and Customer Experience (CX) teams to ensure research informs product decisions from conception through to launch and iteration.

• Define and track key success metrics for product initiatives, ensuring continuous learning and data-driven improvements post-launch.

• Facilitate cross-functional workshops and brainstorming sessions to foster a shared understanding of user needs and drive alignment on product direction.

• Champion best practices in UX research and discovery methodologies, continually improving the team's ability to uncover and act on user insights.

• Present research findings and strategic recommendations to senior leadership, effectively communicating the impact of user insights on business outcomes.

• Act as a key voice for the user within the product development process, ensuring user-centricity is maintained throughout all stages.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strategic, end-to-end ownership of the research process, emphasizing the impact on product strategy and business outcomes, rather than just research execution. The mention of "turning insights into clear problems, opportunities and product direction" suggests a proactive role in problem definition.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong academic foundation in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Design Research, or a related field is highly beneficial. Equivalent practical experience will also be considered.

Experience: Minimum of 5+ years of progressive experience in User Experience (UX) Research, Product Research, or a similar role focused on understanding user needs and informing product development. Experience in startup, scaleup, or B2B2C environments is strongly preferred, demonstrating adaptability and a results-oriented mindset.

Required Skills:

• Proven expertise in designing and executing a wide range of qualitative research methodologies (e.g., in-depth interviews, usability testing, ethnographic studies, diary studies).

• Demonstrated ability to conduct and leverage quantitative research methods (e.g., surveys, A/B testing, data analysis, survey design) to complement qualitative findings.

• Strong product thinking skills with the ability to translate user insights into actionable product strategies and roadmap recommendations.

• Experience in driving product discovery and defining problems and opportunities rather than just validating solutions.

• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with a proven ability to influence cross-functional teams (Product, Design, Engineering, Leadership) without direct authority.

• Proficiency in synthesizing complex information from research, data, and market signals into clear, compelling narratives.

• Experience facilitating workshops and collaborative sessions to drive alignment and decision-making.

• Ability to thrive in ambiguous environments and turn messy inputs into structured, actionable insights.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience within the FinTech, LegalTech, or PropTech sectors, particularly those dealing with sensitive personal information or complex life events.

• Familiarity with user research in a B2B2C context, understanding the dynamics of serving both business partners and end-users.

• Experience with advanced analytics tools and data visualization platforms.

• A portfolio showcasing end-to-end research projects, demonstrating impact on product strategy and business outcomes.

• Familiarity with agile development methodologies and working within product squads.

📝 Enhancement Note: The AI's "5-10" years experience estimate seems reasonable for a "Principal" role, but the job description explicitly states "5+ years." The emphasis on influencing without authority and shaping strategy is critical for a Principal level. The mention of "startup, scaleup, or B2B2C environments" is key.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A curated portfolio showcasing a minimum of 3-5 significant UX research projects.

• Each project case study should clearly articulate the research problem, the methodologies employed (qualitative and quantitative), the research process, key insights, and the direct impact on product strategy, design decisions, or business outcomes.

• Evidence of driving product discovery and defining new opportunities, not just validating existing solutions.

• Demonstration of how research findings were synthesized and communicated to influence cross-functional teams and leadership.

Process Documentation:

• Candidates should be prepared to discuss their personal research process, including how they approach research planning, participant recruitment, data collection, analysis, synthesis, and reporting.

• Specific examples of how they have improved research processes or contributed to embedding stronger discovery practices within teams.

• Ability to articulate how they combine generative and evaluative research thoughtfully within a product development lifecycle.

• Experience in defining success measures and ensuring learning loops are established post-launch.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Principal UX Researcher, a portfolio is crucial. It needs to demonstrate strategic impact, not just execution. The emphasis should be on how research drove business outcomes and shaped product direction, particularly in a startup/scaleup context.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on Safewill's location in Sydney, Australia, a Principal UX Researcher role typically commands a competitive salary. Considering the experience level (5+ years), the company's funding (backed by venture capital), and the strategic nature of the role, an estimated annual salary range would be AUD $160,000 - $220,000.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary package.

• Opportunity to be a foundational member of a growing product team in a mission-driven company.

• Stock options or equity participation (potential, common in startups/scaleups).

• Comprehensive health and wellness benefits, including medical, dental, and vision coverage.

• Generous paid time off (PTO) and public holiday allowances.

• Professional development budget for conferences, training, and learning resources.

• Opportunities for rapid career growth and leadership development.

• Regular team events and social activities.

• A collaborative and supportive work environment focused on impact and innovation.

• Hybrid work model offering flexibility.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours are expected, typically around 40 hours per week. While the role is full-time, Safewill likely offers flexibility in how these hours are structured, accommodating the hybrid work environment and the need for focused research time.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimation for Sydney, Australia, for a Principal UX Researcher with 5+ years of experience was researched using industry benchmarks from sources like Glassdoor, LinkedIn Salary, and local recruitment agency reports for senior tech roles in Sydney. The range reflects the seniority and impact expected of a Principal. Benefits are inferred based on typical offerings for well-funded tech startups in Australia.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, specifically focused on Estate Planning and End-of-Life Services. Safewill operates within the RegTech/FinTech/LegalTech space, leveraging technology to democratize access to essential services.

Company Size: Safewill is a scaleup, having secured significant venture capital funding from prominent investors. This indicates a company that has moved beyond the early startup phase and is in a growth trajectory, likely employing between 50-200 individuals.

Founded: Safewill was founded to modernize estate planning, suggesting a company built on innovation and a desire to disrupt traditional, often cumbersome, processes. The founding mission is to make estate planning more affordable, personalized, and relevant for modern Australians.

Team Structure:

• The UX Researcher will be embedded within product squads, fostering close collaboration with Product Managers, Designers, and Engineers.

• This role will likely report into a Head of Product, Director of Product, or potentially a Head of Design/Research, depending on the current organizational structure.

Methodology:

• Data-driven decision-making is a core tenet, with a strong emphasis on user insights.

• Agile and iterative product development processes are likely in place, encouraging rapid experimentation and learning.

• A "product culture" where Product, Design, and Engineering collaborate from the outset to define problems and solutions.

• Emphasis on continuous improvement of ways of working, including product quality, tooling, and processes.

• Regular exploration of new ideas through hackathons and dedicated sessions.

Company Website: https://careers.safewill.com

📝 Enhancement Note: The company description highlights a focus on innovation, accessibility, and user-centricity within the estate planning sector. The "SAFE values" (Speed, All-in, Find the Impact, Elevate) provide insight into the desired work ethic and cultural drivers.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This Principal UX Researcher role represents a senior individual contributor position. It demands a high degree of autonomy, strategic thinking, and the ability to influence product direction. Professionals at this level are expected to lead significant research initiatives, mentor junior team members (if applicable), and act as a subject matter expert in user research and product discovery. The role is critical in shaping the product strategy and ensuring user needs are at the forefront of development.

Reporting Structure: The Principal UX Researcher will likely report to a senior leadership role within the product organization, such as a Head of Product, Director of Product, or potentially a Head of Design. They will work closely with Product Managers and Designers within specific product squads, forming a collaborative triad.

Operations Impact: The impact of this role is significant, directly influencing product strategy, roadmap prioritization, and the overall user experience of Safewill's platform. By ensuring decisions are grounded in robust user insights, this researcher will play a key role in driving customer adoption, satisfaction, and ultimately, revenue growth by making estate planning more accessible and user-friendly. Their work will help define new product opportunities and optimize existing features to meet evolving customer needs.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership in Research: Opportunity to build and scale the UX research function at Safewill as the company grows.

• Strategic Influence: Directly contribute to high-level product strategy and company direction, moving beyond research execution to become a key strategic partner.

• Cross-functional Expertise: Deepen understanding of product management, design, engineering, and business operations through close collaboration.

• Mentorship: Potential to mentor junior researchers and contribute to building a strong research culture.

• Industry Impact: Play a pivotal role in transforming a traditionally complex and sensitive industry through user-centered technology.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Principal" title signifies a senior individual contributor role with strategic influence. Growth opportunities focus on expanding the research function and increasing strategic impact within the company.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Safewill offers a hybrid work environment. This means employees will have the flexibility to work remotely for a portion of the week and from the office for the remainder, fostering collaboration and team cohesion. The office is located in Surry Hills, Sydney.

Office Location(s): The primary office is located at Level 5/104 Commonwealth St, Surry Hills, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia. This location is in a vibrant urban area, offering good accessibility and proximity to amenities.

Workspace Context:

• The office environment is likely designed to foster collaboration, with meeting rooms, open workspaces, and areas for focused work.

• As part of a growing tech company, expect access to modern tools and technologies necessary for UX research and product development.

• Opportunities for informal and formal interactions with colleagues across product, design, engineering, and other departments, facilitating knowledge sharing and team building.

• The hybrid model supports a balance between focused, independent work and in-person collaboration.

Work Schedule: While standard full-time hours (approx. 40 hours/week) apply, the hybrid model suggests flexibility in scheduling. This allows researchers to balance deep work sessions with in-person team meetings and collaborative activities, supporting the demands of iterative product development and research synthesis.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid work arrangement is a key aspect of the work environment, balancing remote flexibility with in-office collaboration. The location in Surry Hills, Sydney, is noted.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A brief call with a recruiter to assess basic qualifications, cultural fit, and interest in the role and Safewill.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A more in-depth discussion with the hiring manager (likely a Head of Product or Director) to explore experience in UX research, strategic thinking, and alignment with the role's responsibilities.

• Portfolio Presentation & Deep Dive: A dedicated session where the candidate presents a selection of their work from their portfolio. This will involve discussing research strategy, methodology, insights, impact, and how they influenced product decisions. Expect detailed questions about their process and problem-solving approach.

• Cross-functional Interview(s): Interviews with key stakeholders from Product, Design, and Engineering to assess collaboration style, communication skills, and ability to work effectively within a product squad.

• Final Interview/Leadership Discussion: A meeting with a senior leader (e.g., CEO, CPO) to discuss overall strategic alignment, vision, and cultural fit within Safewill's SAFE values.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: Clearly articulate the business impact and product outcomes of your research. Quantify results where possible (e.g., "led to a 15% increase in conversion," "identified a critical pain point that informed the redesign, resulting in X% improved satisfaction").

• Showcase Strategy: Highlight how you shaped research strategy, defined problems, and influenced the product roadmap, not just executed research tasks.

• Demonstrate Methodology: Explain your choice of methodologies and why they were appropriate for the problem at hand. Show a blend of qualitative and quantitative approaches.

• Tell a Story: Structure your case studies like compelling narratives, outlining the challenge, your approach, key learnings, and the resolution/impact.

• Address Ambiguity: Be prepared to discuss how you handled ambiguous problems or incomplete information.

• Tailor to Safewill: If possible, subtly align your examples with Safewill's mission or the types of challenges they might face in estate planning technology.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be ready for a practical exercise or a deep dive into a hypothetical research problem relevant to Safewill's domain. This might involve outlining a research plan for a new feature or analyzing a complex user scenario.

• Practice articulating your thought process clearly and concisely, demonstrating how you would approach problem-solving and strategy development.

• Prepare to discuss how you would collaborate with product and design teams to ensure research insights are effectively translated into product solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is structured to assess not only research skills but also strategic thinking, collaboration, and cultural alignment. The portfolio presentation is a critical component.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• UX Research Platforms: Tools for remote usability testing, user interviews, surveys, and participant management (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze, Typeform, SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics).

• Collaboration Software: Tools for team communication and project management (e.g., Slack, Microsoft Teams, Jira, Confluence).

• Design & Prototyping Tools: Familiarity with the output of these tools is essential for evaluative research (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD).

• Data Analysis Tools: Proficiency with tools for analyzing quantitative data (e.g., Excel, Google Sheets, potentially SQL or basic statistical software like R or SPSS).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Experience with tools like Google Analytics or similar platforms to understand user behavior on the website.

• Product Analytics: Familiarity with product analytics tools (e.g., Mixpanel, Amplitude, Pendo) for tracking user engagement and feature adoption.

• Reporting & Dashboarding Tools: Ability to create clear reports and dashboards to communicate research findings and key metrics (e.g., Google Data Studio, Tableau, or presentation software like PowerPoint/Google Slides).

CRM & Automation:

• While not a primary tool for UX Research, understanding how CRM data (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) can inform research and how research impacts CRM strategies may be beneficial.

• Familiarity with marketing automation or customer engagement platforms could also provide context for user journeys.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the role is focused on UX Research, familiarity with the broader product technology stack, including analytics and collaboration tools, is expected for effective cross-functional work.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Speed: A drive to move quickly and decisively with purpose, balancing thoroughness with timely delivery.

• All-in: A commitment to teamwork, shared responsibility, and collective success. This means contributing fully and supporting colleagues.

• Find the Impact: A focus on prioritizing work that delivers the most significant value and measurable outcomes for users and the business.

• Elevate: A continuous pursuit of improvement, raising the bar in terms of quality, efficiency, and innovation across all aspects of work.

Collaboration Style:

• Product-Centric: Collaboration is deeply integrated into the product development process, with UX Research, Product Management, and Engineering working in close partnership from problem definition through to delivery.

• Insight-Led: Decisions are grounded in user data and research findings, fostering a culture where evidence guides strategy.

• Open Communication: Encourages transparency, constructive feedback, and open dialogue to ensure alignment and continuous learning.

• Shared Ownership: Teams collectively own the success of the product, fostering a sense of shared responsibility and accountability.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's "SAFE values" are explicitly stated and represent the core cultural drivers. These should be reflected in how candidates approach their work and interactions.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Sensitive Topics: Estate planning and end-of-life services involve emotionally charged and sensitive subject matter, requiring researchers with empathy and tact to conduct research ethically and effectively.

• Balancing Speed and Rigor: In a scaleup environment, there's a constant tension between the need to move fast and the requirement for robust, insightful research. The Principal researcher must adeptly balance these pressures.

• Driving Research Maturity: As a growing company, there may be opportunities to further mature the UX research function, establish new processes, and advocate for research best practices across teams.

• Cross-Functional Influence: Effectively influencing stakeholders across different departments (Product, Design, Engineering, Legal, Marketing) to adopt research insights and user-centered approaches.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Strategic Impact: Opportunities to significantly shape product strategy and contribute to the growth of a venture-backed tech company.

• Industry Expertise: Develop deep knowledge in the estate planning and end-of-life services sector.

• Leadership Development: Grow into a research leader, potentially building out a research team or defining best practices for the organization.

• Advanced Methodologies: Opportunity to experiment with and implement cutting-edge research techniques.

• Mentorship: Access to experienced leaders within Safewill and its investor network for guidance and development.

📝 Enhancement Note: Challenges are framed around the sensitive nature of the industry and the dynamic scaleup environment. Growth opportunities are tied to strategic influence and building out the research function.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you identified a significant user problem or opportunity that fundamentally shifted product strategy. What was your process, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on discovery, strategic influence, and impact.)

• "How do you decide which research methodologies to employ for a given problem? Walk us through an example where you combined qualitative and quantitative approaches." (Assess methodological depth and strategic choice.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Our company values are Speed, All-in, Find the Impact, and Elevate. How do these values resonate with your working style, and can you provide an example of how you've embodied similar principles in your past roles?" (Assess cultural fit and alignment with SAFE values.)

• "Describe a situation where you had to influence a cross-functional team or senior leader who was resistant to user insights. How did you approach it, and what was the result?" (Evaluate stakeholder management and influence skills.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Use a clear, chronological narrative for each case study: Problem/Opportunity -> Research Questions -> Methodology -> Process -> Key Insights -> Recommendations -> Impact/Outcome.

• Visuals: Use mockups, screenshots, or anonymized user quotes to illustrate your points, but keep it concise and focused on the research narrative.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, tie your research outcomes to measurable business results (e.g., conversion rates, user satisfaction scores, feature adoption).

• Focus on 'Why': Be ready to explain the 'why' behind your methodological choices and strategic recommendations.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your decision-making process, challenges encountered, and alternative approaches you considered.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview questions are tailored to assess strategic thinking, methodological expertise, and cultural alignment with Safewill's values and the demands of a scaleup environment.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Principal UX Researcher position:

• Submit your application through the Safewill careers portal at https://careers.safewill.com/jobs/7670594-principal-ux-researcher.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your most impactful UX research projects that showcase your ability to drive discovery, shape strategy, and deliver measurable business outcomes. Ensure each case study clearly outlines the problem, your approach, key insights, and the resulting impact.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight experience relevant to startup/scaleup environments, B2B2C contexts, and your expertise in both generative and evaluative research. Use keywords from the job description, focusing on strategic contributions and influence.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice articulating your research process, strategic thinking, and collaboration style. Be ready to discuss how you embody Safewill's SAFE values during interviews.

• Research Safewill: Understand Safewill's mission, product offerings, and the unique challenges of the estate planning technology space. This will help you tailor your responses and demonstrate genuine interest.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.

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