Senior UX Researcher, Customer & Partner Experiences

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX Researcher, Customer & Partner Experiences Company: ServiceNow Location: San Diego, California, United States Job Type: Full-time Category: User Experience / Product Research Date Posted: September 22, 2025 Experience Level: 5-10 Years

🚀 Role Summary

• Conduct end-to-end user research to deeply understand customer and partner needs for ServiceNow's platform and products.
• Apply a range of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to inform product strategy, design validation, and adoption across the product lifecycle.
• Partner closely with Product Management and Design teams to translate research insights into actionable recommendations that influence product roadmaps and feature development.
• Champion the voice of the customer by synthesizing complex user data into clear, compelling narratives, personas, and user journey maps.
• Evaluate and integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) concepts into work processes and product functionalities, understanding their impact on user experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this role is in UX Research, it has strong ties to Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy by focusing on customer and partner experiences. Understanding how these experiences drive product adoption, customer satisfaction, and ultimately revenue is crucial. The emphasis on AI integration also points towards a forward-thinking approach to operations and product development.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the planning, execution, and synthesis of user research studies across the product development lifecycle, from initial discovery to post-launch adoption.
• Utilize diverse research techniques, including but not limited to usability testing (formative and summative), concept testing, interviews, surveys, and ethnographic studies, tailoring methods to specific project goals.
• Collaborate with Product Managers and Designers to define research objectives, identify key user segments, and map out critical use cases and user journeys.
• Actively participate in design reviews and strategy sessions, presenting research findings and advocating for user-centered design principles.
• Analyze and synthesize both qualitative and quantitative data from research studies and secondary sources to generate strategic and tactical insights.
• Develop and present clear, concise, and actionable recommendations to cross-functional stakeholders, including product, design, engineering, and marketing teams.
• Contribute to the development and refinement of user personas, job stories, and customer journey maps to ensure a shared understanding of user needs across the organization.
• Explore and assess the potential impact of AI technologies on user workflows, decision-making processes, and overall product experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a need for strategic thinking beyond just executing research tasks. The role requires influencing product strategy and working with technical and business-minded end-users, implying a need for strong business acumen and communication skills relevant to operations and GTM functions.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Computer Science, or a related field. Master's degree or PhD is a strong plus.

Experience: A minimum of 5 years of professional experience conducting customer-centered research, with a preference for 7+ years for a senior-level role. Experience in enterprise software or B2B SaaS environments is highly desirable.

Required Skills:

• Proven experience in applying a wide range of user research methodologies (qualitative and quantitative) to product definition and design.
• Demonstrated ability to define, plan, and execute research studies, including outlining objectives, goals, timelines, and developing appropriate sample plans.
• Proficiency in analyzing and synthesizing complex data sets to derive actionable insights and strategic recommendations.
• Experience in developing insightful, probing questions that resonate with diverse user groups, from highly technical individuals to business-minded end-users.
• Strong understanding of user interface design principles, usability evaluation techniques, task analysis, and experimental design.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills, with the ability to visualize technically complex topics and articulate them clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to learn new technical concepts quickly and apply them to research challenges.

Preferred Skills:

• Direct experience with or critical thinking around integrating AI into work processes, decision-making, or problem-solving within a product context.
• Experience with the creation and execution of online surveys and advanced qualitative research techniques.
• Familiarity with enterprise software user bases and their unique needs.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams including Product Management, Design, Engineering, and Marketing.
• Knowledge of data visualization tools and techniques to effectively communicate research findings.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for AI integration experience is a key differentiator, suggesting a need for candidates who can think about how technology, particularly AI, impacts user workflows and operational efficiency. The emphasis on enterprise software users implies a need to understand complex B2B scenarios.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing impactful research projects that demonstrably influenced product insights or user experiences.
• Examples within the portfolio should clearly articulate research goals, the specific methodologies employed, the research process followed, and the candidate's individual role and contributions.
• Include examples of data visualizations and crisply articulated insights derived from the research.
• Demonstrate the ability to translate research findings into tangible product improvements or strategic recommendations.
• Showcase experience in synthesizing diverse data sources to create a holistic understanding of the user.

Process Documentation:

• Evidence of structured research planning, including defining clear research objectives, scope, and timelines.
• Documentation of research execution, including participant recruitment strategies, data collection protocols, and any necessary ethical considerations.
• Examples of data synthesis and analysis processes, highlighting how qualitative and quantitative data were combined to form insights.
• Artifacts demonstrating the communication of findings, such as user journey maps, personas, reports, or presentation decks.
• Documentation of how research insights were integrated into product development workflows and influenced decision-making.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a senior role, the portfolio is critical. It should not just show what was done, but how and why, and most importantly, the impact on the product and business. Candidates should be prepared to walk through their process, particularly how they handled ambiguity and synthesized complex information, which is common in operations and GTM strategy.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $126,700 - $215,400 annually (This is a guideline for the San Diego, California location and may vary based on experience, qualifications, and other factors).

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Plans, including Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs).
• 401(k) Plan with a generous company match.
• Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP).
• Matching Donations to charitable organizations.
• Flexible Time Away Plan, promoting work-life balance.
• Family Leave Programs to support employees during important life events.

Working Hours: The standard work week is 40 hours. While this is a full-time role, the company culture may offer flexibility in scheduling to accommodate research needs and personal commitments, typical of modern tech environments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is quite broad, indicating that the company is looking for a range of senior to potentially lead-level UX researchers. The benefits package is robust and aligns with industry standards for major tech companies, supporting a holistic employee experience that is important for retaining talent in specialized roles like UX research, which can heavily influence operational efficiency and customer success.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Enterprise Software / Cloud Computing / IT Service Management (ITSM). ServiceNow is a leader in digital workflow automation, enabling organizations to modernize their operations through a single cloud-based platform. Company Size: ServiceNow is a large, global enterprise with thousands of employees worldwide, indicated by its Fortune 500 status and extensive customer base. Founded: 2004. Founded by Fred Luddy, ServiceNow has grown from a visionary idea into a global market leader, emphasizing innovation and transformation.

Team Structure:

• The UX Research team likely operates within the Product and Engineering organizations, working closely with Product Management and Design.
• Researchers may specialize in different product areas or customer segments (e.g., end-users, administrators, developers, partners).
• Collaboration is expected to be highly cross-functional, involving regular interaction with Product Managers, UX Designers, Engineers, Marketing, and potentially Sales and Customer Success teams to understand broader GTM implications.

Methodology:

• ServiceNow's approach to product development is likely agile, with research integrated throughout the sprints and product lifecycle.
• Emphasis is placed on data-driven decision-making, leveraging both user research insights and business metrics to guide product strategy.
• A focus on "making the world work better for everyone" suggests a culture that values impact, efficiency, and customer success.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: ServiceNow’s focus on digital workflows and enterprise solutions means that understanding the operational impact of their products is paramount. A UX Researcher in this environment needs to grasp how their findings can streamline business processes, improve customer adoption, and contribute to overall operational efficiency for ServiceNow's clients.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior UX Researcher role, indicating a significant level of experience and autonomy. It suggests the individual will be expected to lead research initiatives, mentor junior researchers, and contribute to the strategic direction of UX research within their product area. The role requires not just execution but also strategic thinking and the ability to influence product roadmaps.

Reporting Structure: Typically, a Senior UX Researcher would report to a Lead UX Researcher, UX Research Manager, or Director of User Experience. They would work closely with Product Managers and Design Leads for specific product initiatives.

Operations Impact:

• By understanding and advocating for customer and partner experiences, this role directly impacts product adoption rates, customer satisfaction, and retention – all key operational metrics.
• Research insights can lead to streamlined user workflows, reducing training needs and support costs for customers, thereby improving their operational efficiency.
• Informing product strategy with user needs helps ensure ServiceNow builds solutions that solve real business problems, driving revenue growth and market leadership.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership: Potential to grow into a Lead UX Researcher or Managerial role, overseeing a team and setting research strategy.
• Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific research methodologies, product domains (e.g., AI, Platform, specific workflow areas), or customer segments (e.g., enterprise IT, HR, customer service).
• Cross-functional Advancement: Opportunities to move into Product Management, Design Strategy, or even roles focused on Customer Success Operations or GTM strategy, leveraging deep user understanding.
• Mentorship: Opportunity to mentor junior researchers and contribute to the development of UX research best practices within ServiceNow.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior" title implies a need for strategic contributions that go beyond task execution. Candidates should consider how their research can inform operational efficiency for both ServiceNow and its customers, a key aspect of GTM success.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: ServiceNow operates with a "new world of work" model, which includes flexible work personas (flexible, remote, or required in office). The specific persona for this role would be determined based on the nature of the work and assigned location. The San Diego office is likely a modern, collaborative workspace.

Office Location(s): The primary location listed is 4810 Eastgate Mall, San Diego, California. ServiceNow has multiple offices globally, but this specific role is tied to the San Diego site.

Workspace Context:

• Expect a dynamic, fast-paced environment typical of a leading technology company.
• Collaboration will be key, with opportunities to work in diverse teams and contribute to projects that have a broad impact.
• Access to modern tools and technologies will support research activities and data analysis.
• The culture likely encourages innovation, continuous learning, and a shared commitment to delivering value to customers.

Work Schedule: While the core work week is 40 hours, the company's flexible approach to work personas may allow for some degree of schedule flexibility, provided research deliverables and team collaboration needs are met. This flexibility is beneficial for managing research projects that may require varying hours for participant interaction or data analysis.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Work Personas" concept suggests flexibility in how work is performed. For a UX Researcher, this could mean varied hours for participant interviews or analysis, but also requires strong self-management and communication to ensure seamless collaboration with teams who might have different work arrangements.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your resume and potentially conduct a brief screening call to assess basic qualifications and fit.
• Portfolio Review: This is a critical stage. You'll likely be asked to present a portfolio showcasing 2-3 key research projects. Prepare to detail your process, the challenges faced, your contributions, and the impact of your research.
• Interviews with Team: Expect interviews with Product Managers, Designers, and potentially other UX Researchers. These will cover your research skills, approach to problem-solving, collaboration style, and understanding of enterprise software.
• AI/Strategy Discussion: Be prepared to discuss your experience with AI integration and how you approach strategic thinking in research.
• Final Round: May involve a discussion with senior leadership or a deeper dive into specific project scenarios.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select projects that best demonstrate your end-to-end research process, impact, and ability to handle complex problems, especially those involving enterprise users or AI.
• Tell a Story: Structure each project as a narrative: the problem, your approach, the execution, the insights, and the impact. Quantify impact whenever possible (e.g., "led to a 15% increase in task completion rate").
• Highlight Your Role: Clearly articulate your specific contributions, especially in team-based projects.
• Showcase Synthesis: Demonstrate how you synthesized qualitative and quantitative data into actionable insights.
• Address AI: If possible, include a project that touches upon AI or automation, explaining how you evaluated its impact on users.
• Prepare for Questions: Anticipate questions about your methodology choices, how you handle conflicting data, and how you influence stakeholders.

Challenge Preparation:

• Case Study: You might be given a hypothetical product problem or a research challenge and asked to outline your approach. Focus on your process, methodology, and how you'd gather insights.
• Scenario-Based Questions: Prepare to answer questions about how you would handle specific research situations, such as dealing with difficult stakeholders, unexpected research findings, or time constraints.
• AI Impact: Think about how you would research the user experience of AI-powered features or how AI could be integrated into existing workflows to improve efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio and interview process will heavily scrutinize how well a candidate can translate raw research data into strategic recommendations that drive business outcomes. This aligns with operations principles of efficiency and impact measurement. Candidates should be ready to discuss how their research influences product adoption and customer success metrics.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Research Platforms: Tools for usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze), survey creation (e.g., Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey, Typeform), and potentially specialized tools for remote research.
• Collaboration Tools: Platforms like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Confluence, Jira for team communication and project management.
• Design Tools: Familiarity with design tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD) is beneficial for understanding design artifacts and collaborating with designers.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Data Analysis Software: Proficiency in tools for analyzing qualitative data (e.g., Dovetail, NVivo) and quantitative data (e.g., Excel, SPSS, R, Python for statistical analysis).
• Visualization Tools: Experience with tools like Tableau, Power BI, or even advanced Excel features for creating compelling data visualizations.

CRM & Automation:

• While not a primary tool for UX Research, familiarity with CRM systems (like Salesforce, or ServiceNow's own platform) can provide context on customer data and workflows. Understanding how research findings can feed into CRM data or automation strategies is a plus.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong grasp of data analysis and visualization tools is crucial for synthesizing research findings effectively and communicating them to stakeholders. Given ServiceNow's platform, understanding how research inputs can integrate with broader data and workflow automation systems would be an advantage.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Obsession: A deep commitment to understanding and advocating for the needs of customers and partners.
• Innovation: Driving new solutions and embracing new technologies, including AI, to improve user experiences and operational efficiency.
• Collaboration: Working effectively across teams to achieve shared goals and deliver exceptional products.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Relying on evidence and insights to guide strategy and product development.
• Impact: Focusing on delivering tangible value and making the world work better for everyone.

Collaboration Style:

• Expect a highly collaborative environment where researchers work hand-in-hand with Product Managers and Designers.
• Open communication and constructive feedback are likely encouraged to refine research approaches and product designs.
• Researchers are expected to be proactive in sharing insights across relevant teams to ensure user needs are consistently considered.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's stated purpose "to make the world work better for everyone" implies a culture focused on impact and efficiency. UX Researchers are key to achieving this by ensuring products are usable, valuable, and solve real-world operational challenges for users.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Diverse Needs: Synthesizing insights from various customer and partner segments, including highly technical users and business stakeholders, to inform a unified product strategy.
• Influencing Stakeholders: Effectively communicating research findings and advocating for user needs in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities.
• Integrating AI: Navigating the complexities of researching user experiences with emerging AI features, understanding user trust, adoption, and ethical considerations.
• Measuring Research Impact: Quantifying the direct impact of research on product success metrics and business outcomes.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI Research Specialization: Opportunities to deep-dive into researching AI-driven features and their user implications.
• Cross-Functional Exposure: Learning about product management, design strategy, and GTM operations through close collaboration.
• Advanced Methodologies: Access to training and development in cutting-edge UX research techniques.
• Industry Conferences: Potential to attend and present at leading UX and technology conferences.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for senior roles in operations-adjacent fields, requiring strategic thinking and the ability to influence. Growth opportunities are strong, particularly in areas like AI and cross-functional understanding, which are vital for modern GTM and operations roles.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• How would you approach researching the needs of both technical administrators and business end-users for an enterprise SaaS platform?
• Describe a time you used AI-related insights or tools to inform product decisions or improve a user's workflow.
• How do you prioritize research efforts when faced with multiple product teams and competing demands?
• Walk me through your process for synthesizing qualitative and quantitative data into actionable insights.
• How do you measure the success of your research initiatives and demonstrate their impact on product outcomes?

Company & Culture Questions:

• What excites you about ServiceNow and its mission to make the world work better?
• How do you see your role contributing to the operational efficiency of ServiceNow's customers?
• Describe your ideal collaborative relationship with Product Managers and Designers.
• How do you stay current with advancements in UX research and AI technology?

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Project Selection: Choose projects that showcase end-to-end research, highlight your strategic thinking, and ideally touch upon enterprise users or AI.
• Narrative Arc: Structure each project as a story: context, problem, your role, methodology, process, challenges, insights, and impact.
• Data Visualization: Clearly present key data points and insights using visuals.
• Impact Quantification: Be ready to discuss the business impact of your research (e.g., improved conversion rates, reduced support tickets, increased user satisfaction).
• AI Focus: If you have relevant AI experience, be prepared to discuss it in detail.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, a deep understanding of user needs, and the ability to translate research into tangible business value. Connecting research findings to operational improvements for both ServiceNow and its clients will be a strong advantage.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior UX Researcher position:

• Submit your resume and a link to your portfolio through the ServiceNow careers portal.
• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio highlights projects demonstrating end-to-end research, strategic influence, and ideally, experience with enterprise users or AI integration. Tailor your project selection to match the responsibilities outlined in the job description.
• Resume Optimization: Craft your resume to clearly articulate your experience in user research, your ability to synthesize data, and your impact on product development. Use keywords such as "customer-centered research," "usability testing," "AI integration," "product strategy," and "stakeholder management."
• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio, anticipating questions about your methodology, your approach to AI, and how you influence product decisions. Prepare specific examples that demonstrate your skills.
• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with ServiceNow's platform, its target markets, and its commitment to digital workflow automation. Understand how UX research contributes to the company's overall operational success and customer value proposition.

⚠️ 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.