Senior UX Researcher, AI/Agents

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX Researcher, AI/Agents

Company: Clay Labs

Location: New York, NY, United States

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: User Experience Research / Product Research

Date Posted: March 11, 2026

Experience Level: 5+ years

Remote Status: Hybrid (with a focus on the US)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead end-to-end user research initiatives, particularly focusing on AI and agent-based features within a B2B SaaS product.

• Employ a robust mixed-methods research approach, integrating qualitative and quantitative data to inform product strategy.

• Collaborate extensively with cross-functional teams including Product Management, Design, Engineering, Sales, and Customer Success to translate user insights into impactful product decisions.

• Drive strategic product development by researching complex user workflows, data enrichment, and emerging AI capabilities to enhance user trust and value.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job title is "Senior UX Researcher," the responsibilities and company focus heavily lean towards Product Research, specifically within the AI/Agents and B2B SaaS domain. The role requires a strategic partner who can influence roadmap decisions based on deep user understanding, rather than solely focusing on usability testing. The hybrid nature suggests a strong preference for candidates in or willing to relocate to the New York area, with flexibility for remote work within the US.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead Mixed-Methods Research: Design, plan, and execute comprehensive research studies utilizing a variety of methodologies including in-depth interviews, surveys, usability testing, behavioral data analysis, and A/B testing to address key product questions.

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Serve as a primary research partner to Product Managers, Designers, Engineers, Sales, and Customer Success teams, identifying research needs and ensuring research findings are effectively translated into actionable product strategies and improvements.

• Strategic Initiative Ownership: Take ownership of research for critical product areas such as AI/agents, enterprise-grade features, and novel technologies, directly influencing product roadmap prioritization and feature development.

• Diverse User Understanding: Conduct research across a wide spectrum of user segments and personas, from individual contributors (sales reps, growth marketers) to technical architects, within both SMB and enterprise customer contexts.

• Stakeholder Management & Influence: Effectively manage relationships with diverse stakeholders, navigate competing priorities, build consensus around research insights, and communicate findings clearly and compellingly to audiences ranging from individual contributors to executive leadership.

• Research Infrastructure Development: Proactively build and refine scalable systems for participant recruitment, insight synthesis, knowledge sharing, and the overall management of research operations to support a growing product team.

• User Advocacy: Act as a strong advocate for user needs and perspectives throughout the product development lifecycle, ensuring that customer voice consistently shapes product decisions and strategic direction.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a senior-level, strategic contribution. The expectation is not just to conduct research but to lead it, own it for key areas, and influence strategic decisions. The mention of "building scalable systems" indicates a need for someone who can establish and improve research processes, not just execute them.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Computer Science, or a related field is typically expected for this level of research expertise.

Experience: 5+ years of dedicated experience in User Experience (UX) Research, with a strong preference for candidates with a background in B2B SaaS or complex technical product environments.

Required Skills:

• Mixed-Methods Research Expertise: Demonstrated ability to design and execute both qualitative (e.g., user interviews, ethnographic studies, usability testing, contextual inquiry) and quantitative research (e.g., surveys, analytics, statistical analysis, experimental design) to answer complex product questions.

• AI/Agent & Emerging Tech Research: Proven experience or a strong, demonstrated interest and aptitude for researching AI-powered products, intelligent agents, or other emerging technologies, including understanding user trust, adoption, and value perception.

• B2B SaaS Product Acumen: Familiarity with the complexities of B2B software, understanding user workflows, enterprise needs, and the sales/customer success cycles in a SaaS context.

• Stakeholder Management & Communication: Exceptional ability to manage relationships with diverse internal stakeholders, effectively communicate research findings, influence decision-making, and present complex information clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.

• Systems Thinking & Process Development: Experience in identifying research needs, developing scalable research processes, building participant recruitment pipelines, and establishing knowledge management systems for research insights.

• Comfort with Ambiguity: Proven ability to define research problems, select appropriate methodologies, and operate effectively and with agility in a fast-paced, early-stage environment.

• Collaborative Mindset: A genuine eagerness to learn, share knowledge, and work collaboratively with cross-functional teams to achieve shared product goals.

Preferred Skills:

• Workflow Automation Tools: Experience researching or using workflow automation platforms, understanding user challenges and opportunities in this space.

• Technical Product Understanding: Familiarity with technical concepts such as APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) or specific protocols like MCP (Model Context Protocol), particularly as they relate to user interaction and product functionality.

• Enterprise Feature Research: Specific experience researching the needs and behaviors of large enterprise clients, understanding their unique requirements and adoption patterns.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "genuine curiosity and interest" in AI products suggests that candidates with strong foundational research skills and a passion for AI, even without direct prior experience, will be considered. The "bonus" skills (workflow automation, APIs/MCP) are highly desirable and would significantly strengthen an application.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Case Studies of Impact: Showcase 2-3 detailed case studies demonstrating your end-to-end research process, from problem definition to impact measurement. Each case study should clearly articulate the research question, methodologies employed, key findings, and the resulting product or strategic decisions influenced.

• Methodological Diversity: Highlight your proficiency across a range of research methods, with specific examples of how you've applied mixed-methods approaches to solve complex product challenges.

• AI/Technical Product Focus: Prioritize projects that involve AI, complex technical products, or B2B SaaS solutions. If direct AI experience is limited, demonstrate transferable skills from complex domains where users interact with sophisticated systems.

• Quantifiable Outcomes: Where possible, include metrics demonstrating the impact of your research, such as improvements in user satisfaction, task success rates, adoption metrics, or contributions to key business objectives (e.g., revenue growth, churn reduction).

Process Documentation:

• Research Design & Planning: Provide examples of research plans, including clear objectives, target participant profiles, chosen methodologies, and timelines, demonstrating strategic thinking in research design.

• Insight Synthesis & Communication: Include examples of how you synthesize complex data into clear, actionable insights, such as executive summaries, compelling presentations, or research reports tailored to different audiences.

• Scalable Research Practices: Showcase any work done to build or improve research infrastructure, such as participant recruitment strategies, knowledge sharing repositories, or standardized research templates.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio is critical for this role. Candidates should be prepared to walk through their projects in detail, explaining their thought process, methodological choices, and the tangible impact of their research. The ability to demonstrate systems thinking and process improvement within research operations is a key differentiator.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $170,000 - $230,000 USD per year.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.

• Equity/Stock options in a rapidly growing Series C company.

• Generous paid time off (PTO) and holidays.

• Professional development stipend for conferences, courses, and learning resources.

• Access to world-class coaches specializing in creativity, management, and personal development.

• 401(k) plan (details on matching may vary).

• Remote work flexibility within the United States.

• Opportunities to work with cutting-edge AI technologies.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours, typically around 40 hours per week. Flexibility is encouraged, but consistent availability for collaboration with cross-functional teams in US time zones is expected.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is competitive for a Senior UX Researcher role in New York City, especially within the tech industry and for a company with a $5B valuation and $100M revenue. The benefits package is robust, with a notable emphasis on professional development and personal growth through coaching, aligning with Clay Labs' stated culture.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: AI, Data Enrichment, Workflow Automation, B2B SaaS. Clay Labs operates at the intersection of AI, data, and growth, empowering organizations to innovate and execute growth strategies more effectively.

Company Size: While the exact number of employees isn't explicitly stated in the raw data, the company has raised a $100M Series C, crossed $100M in revenue, and has a $5B valuation. This indicates a significant, fast-growing scale-up, likely employing several hundred individuals. A "Senior" role suggests a mature but still agile organization structure.

Founded: Founded with a mission to help organizations turn any growth idea into reality, implying a relatively recent founding date, likely within the last 5-10 years, given its current valuation and revenue milestones.

Team Structure:

• Product Team: The Senior UX Researcher will be part of the Product team, working closely with Product Managers and Designers.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: The role requires deep collaboration with Engineering, Sales, and Customer Success, indicating a highly integrated and communicative product development environment.

• Research as a Strategic Function: The emphasis on research influencing roadmap and strategy suggests that user research is a valued and integral part of the product development lifecycle, not an afterthought.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven & User-Centric: Clay Labs emphasizes using data and user insights to drive growth and product innovation.

• Creative Practice: Growth is viewed as a creative practice, suggesting an environment that values experimentation, iteration, and novel approaches.

• Operating Principles: The company operates under specific principles like "negative maintenance" and "non-attached action," indicating a culture that values efficiency, focus, and a deliberate, mindful approach to work.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Clay Labs presents itself as an innovative, fast-paced, and values-driven company. The culture seems to foster creativity, professional growth, and a unique approach to work. The "Senior" title implies the researcher will be expected to contribute to shaping these methodologies.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a "Senior" individual contributor role. It signifies a level of expertise where the researcher is expected to operate with significant autonomy, lead complex projects, mentor junior researchers (if any), and significantly influence product strategy. It's a step towards potential Principal Researcher or Research Lead roles.

Reporting Structure: The role reports into the Product organization, likely to a Head of Product, Director of Product, or potentially a dedicated Head of Research or Design if such a role exists. The key is that they are embedded within the product development lifecycle.

Operations Impact: The researcher's work directly impacts the company's ability to "turn any growth idea into reality" by ensuring the product is intuitive, valuable, and trusted by users, especially in the complex domain of AI and data. This directly influences user adoption, retention, customer satisfaction, and ultimately, revenue growth.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership in Research: Potential to grow into a lead role managing a research team or a Principal Researcher focusing on the most critical strategic initiatives.

• Specialization in AI/Agents: Deepen expertise in a highly sought-after and rapidly evolving field, becoming a go-to expert within the company and industry.

• Cross-functional Influence: Develop strong strategic partnership skills, influencing product roadmaps and business decisions across multiple departments.

• Process Improvement: Contribute to and lead the development of scalable research operations and knowledge management systems.

• Mentorship: Opportunity to mentor and guide junior researchers or other team members in user-centered methodologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a significant opportunity for career advancement within a high-growth, well-funded startup. The focus on AI and complex B2B SaaS provides a platform to build specialized expertise in a cutting-edge domain.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid. While the role is based in New York, the company offers remote flexibility within the US. This suggests a modern work environment that balances in-person collaboration with remote autonomy. The emphasis on "hybrid" implies that while remote is possible, there's a strong value placed on in-office time for specific collaborative activities.

Office Location(s): New York, New York, United States. This is a major hub for tech and innovation, offering access to a vibrant professional community.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The New York office likely serves as a central point for team meetings, brainstorming sessions, and in-person collaboration, fostering a dynamic exchange of ideas.

• Access to Technology: As a tech company, expect access to modern research tools, collaboration platforms, and robust IT infrastructure to support both in-office and remote work.

• Diverse Team Interaction: The hybrid model encourages intentional collaboration, with opportunities to work closely with designers, PMs, engineers, and go-to-market teams on a regular basis, both in person and virtually.

Work Schedule: While a standard 40-hour work week is expected, the company's culture of creativity and "non-attached action" suggests an emphasis on results and efficiency rather than strict adherence to hours. Flexibility is likely provided, but core hours for team collaboration will be important.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature means candidates should be comfortable with a mix of remote and in-office work, likely requiring occasional travel to the New York office if not based there locally. The environment is expected to be fast-paced and collaborative.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

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

• Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion with the hiring manager (likely a Head of Product or Design) to delve deeper into your experience, research philosophy, and strategic thinking.

• Portfolio Review & Presentation: A dedicated session where you present 1-2 key portfolio projects, showcasing your research process, insights, and impact. This is a critical stage for demonstrating your skills.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Interviews with key partners from Product, Design, Engineering, and potentially Sales/CS to assess collaboration skills and how you approach working with different disciplines.

• Take-Home Assignment (Potential): While not explicitly stated, some companies at this stage might present a small research challenge or prompt to assess your approach to a specific problem.

• Final Round/Leadership Interview: A conversation with senior leadership to discuss strategic alignment, long-term vision, and overall fit with the company's culture and goals.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Storytelling: Frame your portfolio projects as compelling narratives. Clearly articulate the problem, your approach, the "aha!" moments, and the ultimate impact.

• Focus on Impact: Quantify the results of your research whenever possible. Show how your insights led to measurable improvements or strategic shifts.

• Methodological Justification: Be prepared to explain why you chose specific research methods for each project. Demonstrate your understanding of trade-offs and best practices.

• AI/Technical Relevance: Highlight any projects that involved complex systems, AI, or B2B contexts. If those are limited, emphasize transferable skills in understanding user behavior with sophisticated technology.

• Conciseness and Clarity: Present your work clearly and concisely. Respect the time of the interviewers and focus on the most impactful aspects of your projects.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand Clay's Product & Mission: Research Clay's product, target audience, and mission thoroughly. Understand how AI and agents fit into their growth strategy.

• Anticipate AI Research Questions: Be ready to discuss your thoughts on researching AI products, user trust in AI, designing for emergent capabilities, and understanding user mental models for AI agents.

• Practice Presenting: Rehearse your portfolio presentations until they are smooth, confident, and impactful. Practice articulating your thought process and findings clearly.

• Prepare Questions: Have thoughtful questions ready for each interviewer that demonstrate your engagement and understanding of the role, team, and company.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will likely be rigorous, with a strong emphasis on practical application of research skills and strategic thinking. The portfolio review is a cornerstone, so dedicating significant time to its preparation is essential.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Research Platforms: Familiarity with tools for user interviews, usability testing, and survey administration (e.g., UserTesting.com,maze.co, SurveyMonkey, Typeform, Qualtrics).

• Analytics & Data Visualization: Experience with platforms like Google Analytics, Amplitude, Mixpanel, Tableau, or Looker for analyzing behavioral data and tracking user engagement.

• Collaboration & Project Management: Proficiency with tools like Jira, Confluence, Asana, Trello, Slack, and Google Workspace for team communication and project tracking.

• Prototyping & Design Tools: Basic familiarity with tools used by designers and PMs, such as Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD, to understand design artifacts and provide feedback.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Experience with tools that track user behavior, feature adoption, and conversion funnels.

• Data Warehousing/SQL (Beneficial): While not explicitly required, familiarity with SQL or data warehousing concepts would be advantageous for deeper data exploration.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: Understanding of how CRMs (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) are used in B2B contexts, as customer data can inform research.

• Workflow Automation Tools: Experience or research related to tools that automate business processes, aligning with Clay's product domain.

📝 Enhancement Note: While specific tools are not listed, a strong researcher should be proficient in a variety of qualitative and quantitative research tools. The ability to work with data analytics platforms and understand the broader tech stack (CRM, automation) is crucial for a B2B SaaS environment.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Creativity & Innovation: A core value, as growth is seen as a creative practice. Expect an environment that encourages novel ideas and experimentation.

• User-Centricity: "Champion for users" is a key responsibility, indicating that user needs and perspectives are paramount in decision-making.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Insights derived from research and analytics are expected to guide product strategy and development.

• Efficiency & Focus: Operating principles like "negative maintenance" suggest a culture that values streamlined processes and avoiding unnecessary complexity.

• Collaboration & Openness: The emphasis on cross-functional partnership and community suggests a highly collaborative and communicative environment.

Collaboration Style:

• Integrated Teams: Close, regular collaboration between research, product, design, and engineering is expected.

• Insight Sharing: A culture of actively sharing research findings and insights across the organization to inform broader strategy.

• Feedback Loops: Openness to constructive feedback and iterative improvements based on user input and team discussions.

• Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Encouragement to learn from colleagues in different functions, fostering a holistic understanding of the product and business.

📝 Enhancement Note: Clay Labs cultivates a unique culture that blends intense focus and efficiency with creativity and personal growth. The ideal candidate will thrive in an environment that values both rigorous research and innovative thinking, and can effectively navigate a collaborative, fast-paced setting.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Rapidly Evolving AI Landscape: Keeping pace with the fast-moving field of AI and agents, and translating complex technical advancements into user-understandable and valuable features.

• Balancing SMB vs. Enterprise Needs: Researching and designing for a diverse customer base with potentially conflicting needs and workflows between smaller businesses and large enterprises.

• Building Research Scalability: Establishing and refining research processes and infrastructure in a high-growth startup environment where demands can change rapidly.

• Influencing Senior Stakeholders: Effectively communicating complex research findings and advocating for user needs to influence strategic decisions at the executive level.

• Defining User Trust in AI: Researching how to build and maintain user trust in AI-powered features, which is critical for adoption and long-term success.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into AI/Agent Research: Become a recognized expert in researching cutting-edge AI applications and their user implications.

• Strategic Product Influence: Gain significant experience in shaping product roadmaps and influencing business strategy at a high-growth company.

• Process & Operations Development: Contribute to building and scaling research operations, developing systems that support efficient and impactful research.

• Cross-Functional Expertise: Enhance skills in partnering with product, design, engineering, and go-to-market teams.

• Mentorship & Coaching: Leverage the company's unique coaching programs and potential for mentoring junior team members.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role presents significant opportunities for professional development in a high-impact area. The challenges are substantial but come with the reward of shaping a cutting-edge product and growing within a dynamic company.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you influenced a product roadmap with your research. What was the situation, your approach, and the outcome?" (Focus on strategic impact, stakeholder management, and clear articulation of research value.)

• "How would you approach researching user trust in AI agents? What methodologies would you consider, and why?" (Demonstrate understanding of AI-specific research challenges and your methodological flexibility.)

• "Walk me through your process for designing and executing a mixed-methods study for a new AI feature." (Highlight your end-to-end research process, from planning to synthesis and recommendation.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you most about Clay Labs and our mission to help organizations turn growth ideas into reality?" (Research the company's mission, values, and recent announcements.)

• "How do you see your role as a UX Researcher contributing to our unique operating principles like 'negative maintenance'?" (Reflect on how research can drive efficiency and focused development.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly define the problem, your role, the research questions, your methodology (and why), key findings, recommendations, and the impact.

• Quantify Impact: Use data points, metrics, and specific examples to demonstrate the tangible outcomes of your work (e.g., "Our research led to a 15% increase in feature adoption").

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals (e.g., anonymized user quotes, sample personas, key findings summaries, charts) to make your presentation engaging and illustrative.

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

• Tailor to Clay: If possible, subtly connect your past work to the challenges and opportunities at Clay, especially regarding AI, B2B SaaS, and workflow automation.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on demonstrating not just research execution but strategic thinking, impact, and strong communication skills. Understanding Clay's specific context (AI, growth, operating principles) will be key to answering questions effectively.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior UX Researcher position:

• Submit your application through the provided Ashby link.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 1-2 of your most impactful projects that best showcase your mixed-methods research skills, experience with complex/technical products (ideally AI or B2B SaaS), and ability to drive product strategy. Ensure your portfolio clearly articulates the problem, your process, findings, and measurable outcomes.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight keywords and experiences directly relevant to the job description, such as "UX Research," "AI/Agents," "B2B SaaS," "Mixed-Methods," "Stakeholder Management," and "Product Strategy." Quantify your achievements whenever possible.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice delivering your portfolio case studies confidently and concisely, focusing on the story, impact, and your strategic contributions.

• Research Clay Labs: Thoroughly understand Clay's mission, product, target market, recent funding rounds, and operating principles. Prepare thoughtful questions for the interviewers that demonstrate your engagement and understanding.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and industry-standard assumptions to provide a comprehensive overview. All details, particularly regarding specific responsibilities, team structure, and interview process, should be verified directly with Clay Labs during the application and interview stages.