Senior User Researcher - ZEOS Design & Research (all genders)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior User Researcher - ZEOS Design & Research

Company: Zalando

Location: Berlin, Germany / Stockholm, Sweden

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: User Research / Design Operations / Research Operations

Date Posted: August 19, 2025

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• This role is pivotal in establishing and scaling research operations, focusing on building robust systems and processes to support continuous user research activities for product development teams.

• You will bridge the gap between product teams' need for user insights and their current limitations in accessing research tools, participants, and reusable findings, thereby enhancing research velocity and impact.

• The position requires a blend of hands-on user research expertise and a strategic approach to research operations, aiming to empower Designers and Product Managers with self-service research capabilities.

• Collaboration with an existing researcher is key, ensuring comprehensive coverage of both deep discovery work and broad research operations needs within the ZEOS Design & Research team.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is a hybrid of traditional user research and a specialized "Research Operations" function, a growing discipline focused on operationalizing and scaling user research within organizations. The emphasis on building infrastructure and enabling self-service research indicates a strategic, foundational contribution to the company's product development lifecycle.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and manage a verified internal panel of research participants to ensure consistent access to relevant user groups.

• Oversee, manage, and enhance the suite of research tools, including but not limited to platforms like Great Question, Dovetail, Airtable, and various survey tools.

• Create and maintain essential internal systems, standardized templates, and comprehensive guides to enable self-service research for designers and product managers.

• Establish and optimize efficient workflows for survey deployment, participant screening, incentive management, and data collection.

• Plan, execute, and lead both generative (discovery) and evaluative (validation) user research studies in close collaboration with cross-functional teams (Product, Design, Engineering).

• Synthesize complex research findings into clear, actionable insights and strategic recommendations that directly inform product strategy and development decisions.

• Collaborate closely with another researcher to align on research methodologies, operational strategies, and shared project goals, ensuring a cohesive research function.

• Advocate for user-centered design principles and research best practices across the organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a dual focus: building scalable research infrastructure (operations) and conducting direct user research (discovery/evaluative). The expectation to "translate research findings into clear, compelling insights" suggests a need for strong analytical and communication skills beyond just data collection.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Information Science, or a related field.

Experience:

• 5-10 years of progressive experience in user research, UX research, or a closely related field.

• Proven track record in developing, implementing, and managing research operations, including participant panels, tool administration, and workflow optimization.

• Experience in designing and executing a variety of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies.

Required Skills:

• User Research Methodology: Proficient in designing and conducting generative research (e.g., interviews, ethnography, diary studies) and evaluative research (e.g., usability testing, A/B testing, surveys).

• Research Operations (ResOps): Expertise in building and managing research infrastructure, including participant panels, consent management, incentive distribution, and research tool administration.

• Tool Proficiency: Skilled in using a range of user research and operations tools such as Great Question, Dovetail, Airtable, UserTesting.com, SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics, or similar platforms.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Ability to partner effectively with Product Managers, Designers, Engineers, and other stakeholders to define research needs and integrate findings.

• Communication & Storytelling: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex insights and recommendations clearly and persuasively to diverse audiences.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with data analysis and synthesis tools for qualitative data.

• Familiarity with project management methodologies and tools for tracking research initiatives.

• Knowledge of GDPR and data privacy regulations relevant to user research.

• Experience in mentoring junior researchers or contributing to research team development.

• A proactive approach to identifying and solving operational challenges in research.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "significant experience" requirement, coupled with the dual focus on research and operations, implies a mid-to-senior level individual contributor capable of strategic thinking and independent execution. The mention of specific tools like Great Question and Dovetail indicates a preference for candidates familiar with modern research stack components.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Research Operations Framework: Showcase examples of developed research operations frameworks, including participant panel management systems, research tool stacks, and standardized workflows.

• Process Optimization Case Studies: Present case studies demonstrating how you improved research efficiency, scalability, and participant access through systematic process improvements.

• Self-Service Enablement: Include examples of creating templates, guides, or internal resources that empowered non-researchers to conduct research more effectively.

• Data Synthesis & Impact: Demonstrate your ability to translate raw research data into actionable insights and illustrate the impact of these insights on product decisions and business outcomes.

Process Documentation:

• Evidence of creating clear, concise documentation for research processes, including:

  • Workflow design for survey deployment, participant screening, and incentive management.

  • Implementation and standardization of research tool usage across teams.

  • Methods for measuring the effectiveness and impact of research initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role with a significant research operations component, a portfolio that demonstrates not only research quality but also the ability to build and manage scalable research processes is crucial. Candidates should be prepared to showcase how they've operationalized research, not just conducted it.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Benefits:

• Equity: Employee Shares Program, offering ownership and participation in Zalando's success.

• Discounts: Significant employee discounts on fashion and beauty products sold and shipped by Zalando (40%), and Lounge by Zalando (30%), as well as discounts from external partners.

• Time Off: 27 days of vacation per year for full-time employees, along with 2 paid volunteering days annually.

• Work Flexibility: Hybrid working model allowing up to 60% remote work per week, with flexibility for teams to define their specific hybrid arrangements. Option to work from abroad for up to 30 working days a year.

• Wellbeing & Health: Comprehensive health and wellbeing options, including access to Wellhub (formerly Gympass), and dedicated mental health support and coaching.

• Professional Development: Opportunities to drive personal development through an internal training platform and biannual peer-to-peer reviews.

• Relocation Support: Relocation assistance is available for candidates requiring it, subject to prior agreement.

• Family Support: Access to family services, including counseling and support resources.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time working hours, typically around 40 hours per week. The hybrid model offers flexibility in how and where these hours are performed, within team collaboration needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The listed benefits are competitive for the European tech market, with a strong emphasis on work-life balance, employee wellbeing, and professional growth. The hybrid model is a key perk, offering flexibility in work location and schedule.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: E-commerce (Fashion & Lifestyle)

Company Size: Large (Zalando is a major European e-commerce player with thousands of employees globally). This size offers opportunities for significant impact and exposure to complex challenges.

Founded: 2008. Zalando has a mature history in e-commerce, evolving from a shoe retailer to a comprehensive fashion and lifestyle platform, indicating a culture of innovation and adaptation.

Team Structure:

• ZEOS Design & Research: This team is part of Zalando's broader product organization, likely comprising various design disciplines (Product Design, UX/UI Design, Visual Design) and User Researchers.

• Reporting Structure: The Senior User Researcher will likely report to a Head of Design, a Director of Product, or a Lead Researcher, with close collaboration with Product Managers and Designers within specific product areas.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: The role is inherently cross-functional, requiring deep partnerships with Product Management, Engineering, Marketing, and potentially Data Science teams to embed user insights into the product development lifecycle.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Zalando, as a large e-commerce company, relies heavily on data analytics and user insights to drive product strategy and optimize customer experience.

• Agile Development: Research activities are likely integrated into agile product development cycles, requiring flexibility and the ability to deliver timely insights.

• User-Centered Design: A commitment to understanding and serving customer needs is fundamental, with user research playing a critical role in validating hypotheses and informing design decisions.

Company Website: https://www.zalando.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Zalando's scale and focus on fashion e-commerce suggest a dynamic, data-informed environment where user experience is paramount. The "Inclusive by Design" philosophy indicates a strong commitment to diversity and equity, which should be reflected in research practices and team interactions.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Senior Individual Contributor. This role offers the opportunity to shape and mature the research operations function, potentially leading to leadership roles in Research Operations or a broader Design Operations capacity.

Reporting Structure: The Senior User Researcher will likely report into a Design or Product leadership role, collaborating closely with Product Managers and Designers. This structure allows for direct influence on product strategy and discovery.

Operations Impact: This role has a significant opportunity to impact product development by enabling more efficient, scalable, and impactful user research. By building robust research systems, the researcher can amplify the voice of the customer across multiple product teams, directly influencing product direction, user satisfaction, and business outcomes.

Growth Opportunities:

• Research Leadership: Progress to a Lead Researcher or Research Manager role, overseeing a team of researchers and shaping the overall research strategy.

• Research Operations Specialization: Grow into a dedicated Research Operations Lead or Manager, focusing exclusively on scaling and optimizing research processes and infrastructure.

• Design Operations: Transition into a broader Design Operations role, encompassing aspects of design systems, tooling, and team enablement beyond just research.

• Cross-functional Mobility: Opportunities to move into product management or strategy roles, leveraging deep user understanding and operational expertise.

• Skill Development: Continuous learning in advanced research methodologies, new research technologies, and leadership skills through Zalando's training platforms and potential participation in industry conferences.

📝 Enhancement Note: The dual nature of this role (researcher + operations) provides a unique growth trajectory. A successful candidate can build expertise in both qualitative research and the strategic, operational aspects of scaling research, opening doors to diverse career paths within product development organizations.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Zalando operates with a hybrid working model, meaning the office environment will be a mix of dedicated workspaces and collaborative areas designed to support both focused work and team interaction. The specific setup will vary by location (Berlin, Stockholm).

Office Location(s):

• Berlin, Germany: A major European tech hub with a vibrant startup and established tech scene. Zalando's Berlin office is likely a modern, well-equipped space fostering collaboration.

• Stockholm, Sweden: Another leading European city for technology and design, known for its innovative companies and strong design culture.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hubs: Expect open-plan areas, meeting rooms, and informal spaces designed to encourage spontaneous discussions and teamwork.

• Research Tools & Technology: Access to a modern suite of research tools and technologies managed by the Research Operations function, facilitating efficient study execution.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities to connect with fellow researchers, designers, product managers, and other stakeholders through regular team meetings, workshops, and cross-functional projects.

Work Schedule: The hybrid model offers flexibility, allowing employees to balance remote work with in-office days as determined by team needs and personal preference, within the 60% remote guideline. This structure supports focused research analysis and collaborative sessions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature of the work environment is a key feature, offering flexibility while balancing the need for in-person collaboration essential for research and design teams. Candidates should be comfortable with a degree of autonomy in managing their work location.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A conversation with a Talent Acquisition Partner to assess basic qualifications and cultural fit.

• Hiring Manager/Team Interview: A deeper dive into your experience with user research methodologies, research operations, and tool proficiency. This may include behavioral questions.

• Portfolio Presentation & Case Study: A dedicated session where you present your portfolio, showcasing relevant projects, particularly those demonstrating research operations impact and scaled research initiatives. Be prepared to discuss your process, challenges, and outcomes in detail.

• Cross-functional Collaboration Interview: You may meet with Product Managers or Designers to assess your ability to collaborate effectively and translate research into actionable product decisions.

• Final Interview: Typically with a senior leader to discuss strategic alignment, growth potential, and overall fit within Zalando.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Research Operations: Clearly showcase projects where you built or significantly improved research infrastructure, participant panels, or research workflows. Quantify the impact where possible (e.g., "reduced participant recruitment time by X%", "enabled Y% more teams to conduct research").

• Demonstrate Impact: For each project, explain the problem, your approach (including operational aspects), the insights generated, and the tangible impact on product strategy or user experience.

• Process & Tools: Detail the specific research tools you used and how you leveraged them for efficiency and scale. Explain your process for creating guides, templates, or self-service resources.

• Storytelling: Structure your portfolio around compelling narratives that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to drive positive change through research.

Challenge Preparation:

• Research Operations Scenario: You might be presented with a hypothetical scenario where a product team needs to conduct research but lacks resources. Be prepared to outline how you would leverage research operations principles to support them.

• Insight Synthesis: Be ready to analyze a set of (hypothetical) research findings and articulate the key insights and strategic recommendations for product development.

• Process Improvement: Prepare to discuss how you would approach improving an existing research process or building a new one from scratch.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the specialized nature of the Research Operations aspect of this role, expect portfolio review and case study discussions to heavily weigh on your ability to operationalize and scale research, not just execute it. Demonstrating impact through efficiency and enablement will be key.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Research Platforms: Great Question (explicitly mentioned), UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze, or similar for moderated/unmoderated usability testing and remote research.

• Qualitative Data Analysis: Dovetail (explicitly mentioned), NVivo, ATLAS.ti, or similar for synthesizing qualitative data from interviews and usability tests.

• Data Management & Operations: Airtable (explicitly mentioned), Notion, Google Sheets, or similar for managing participant panels, research plans, incentives, and documentation.

• Survey & Form Tools: SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics, Google Forms, Typeform for data collection and user feedback.

Analytics & Reporting:

• General Analytics: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics for understanding user behavior on the Zalando platform.

• BI Tools: Tableau, Power BI, Looker for creating dashboards and reporting on research impact and participant engagement.

• Product Analytics: Tools like Amplitude or Mixpanel for analyzing user product interactions.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM: Salesforce or similar for customer data management, though less directly used by researchers, understanding its role is beneficial.

• Automation: Zapier, Make (formerly Integromat), or custom scripts for automating workflows related to participant recruitment, scheduling, and incentive distribution.

• Integration: Familiarity with how different tools integrate within a research tech stack.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency with the explicitly mentioned tools (Great Question, Dovetail, Airtable) is highly desirable. A strong understanding of how these tools integrate and support a scalable research process will be a significant advantage.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and advocating for the user in all product decisions.

• Data-Driven: Decisions are informed by user research, analytics, and empirical evidence.

• Collaboration: Strong emphasis on working effectively with cross-functional teams to achieve shared goals.

• Efficiency & Scalability: A drive to create processes and systems that enable teams to conduct research effectively and at scale.

• Continuous Improvement: An ongoing effort to refine methodologies, tools, and processes to enhance research quality and impact.

Collaboration Style:

• Empowerment: The role aims to empower other teams by providing them with the tools and knowledge to conduct their own research, fostering a culture of shared responsibility for user understanding.

• Partnership: Working closely with Product Managers and Designers as strategic partners, integrating research seamlessly into the product development lifecycle.

• Knowledge Sharing: Active participation in sharing research findings, best practices, and operational improvements across the design and product organizations.

• Feedback Loops: Openness to receiving and providing constructive feedback to improve research quality and team collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "enabling self-service research" suggests a culture that values empowerment and knowledge sharing, where researchers act as facilitators and enablers for other teams.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Discovery and Operations: Effectively managing time and resources between hands-on research and the strategic build-out of research operations infrastructure.

• Driving Adoption of New Systems: Encouraging and supporting product teams to adopt new self-service research tools and processes.

• Maintaining Data Quality: Ensuring the integrity and usability of participant data and research findings as the scale of operations grows.

• Measuring Research Impact: Developing robust metrics to demonstrate the value and return on investment (ROI) of both individual research projects and the overall research operations function.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Research Operations Expertise: Deepen knowledge in building and managing research infrastructure, participant recruitment strategies, and research tooling.

• Advanced Research Techniques: Opportunities to explore and implement advanced qualitative and quantitative research methods.

• Industry Best Practices: Stay abreast of emerging trends and best practices in UX research and Research Operations through internal training, conferences, and community engagement.

• Cross-functional Impact: Gain exposure to product strategy and business decision-making by embedding research insights at critical junctures.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role presents a unique challenge and opportunity to define and build a critical function within a large e-commerce organization. Success will require strategic thinking, operational excellence, and strong stakeholder management.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Research Operations Vision: "If you were to build a world-class research operations function at Zalando from the ground up, what would be your top three priorities in the first 90 days?"

• Balancing Roles: "How do you prioritize your time between conducting direct research and building operational systems? Can you give an example of a time you successfully balanced both?"

• Tooling Strategy: "Describe your approach to selecting, implementing, and managing user research tools to ensure they meet the diverse needs of product teams."

• Stakeholder Alignment: "How do you ensure that research findings are understood and acted upon by cross-functional teams, especially when dealing with complex or sensitive insights?"

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Zalando's mission and its position in the fashion e-commerce industry?"

• "How do you see yourself contributing to Zalando's 'Inclusive by Design' philosophy?"

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Quantify Impact: For your research operations projects, use metrics to demonstrate efficiency gains, cost savings, or increased research output.

• Showcase Process: Clearly articulate the steps you took to build systems, develop templates, or improve workflows. Use diagrams or flowcharts if helpful.

• Focus on Enablement: Highlight how your work empowered other teams to conduct research more effectively.

• Concise Storytelling: For each project, keep your narrative focused on the problem, your solution (including operational aspects), and the measurable outcome.

📝 Enhancement Note: Be prepared to discuss specific examples of how you've operationalized research, managed participant panels, and improved research workflows. Demonstrating a systems-thinking approach to research will be key.

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📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided Workday link.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight your experience in both user research methodologies and, crucially, research operations (building panels, managing tools, creating workflows).

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates achievements related to process improvement, scalability, and cross-functional collaboration. Use keywords like "Research Operations," "Participant Panel Management," "Workflow Optimization," "Tool Administration," and "Self-Service Research."

• Portfolio Preparation: Select 2-3 strong portfolio pieces that best demonstrate your experience in research operations and your ability to drive impact through scaled research initiatives. Practice presenting your portfolio concisely, focusing on your process, challenges, and quantifiable results.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Zalando's business, its product offerings, and its stated values, particularly "Inclusive by Design." Understand how user research contributes to their e-commerce success.

⚠️ 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.