Senior UX Researcher, Developer User Experience

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX Researcher, Developer User Experience Company: Google Location: San Francisco, California, United States Job Type: Full-time Category: User Experience Research (UXR) / Product Research Date Posted: August 15, 2025 Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (5-10 years) Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• This role focuses on understanding the needs, attitudes, emotions, and behaviors of users within the developer ecosystem, specifically targeting software engineers, data scientists, and researchers.
• The Senior UX Researcher will partner with cross-functional teams (UX Designers, Product Managers, Engineers) to define strategic ideas for the future of experimentation across emerging developer workflows and ecosystems.
• A key aspect of this role involves influencing stakeholders across organizations to gain buy-in for research-driven, user-centric solutions and product improvements.
• The position requires a strong foundation in core UX principles and methodologies, coupled with experience in planning and executing quantitative UX studies using metrics like A/B testing and KPIs.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job title is "Senior UX Researcher," the emphasis on influencing executive leadership, leading multi-team research programs, and defining strategic ideas suggests a role with significant autonomy and impact, often associated with Staff or Principal levels within a specialized operations or product development context. The focus on "Developer User Experience" within "Core" infrastructure aligns this role with understanding the operational needs and workflows of internal or external developers.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Conduct primary research, including field studies, interviews, diary studies, participatory workshops, ethnography, surveys, usability testing, and logs analysis, to gather insights into user behaviors and motivations within the developer community.
• Plan and execute quantitative UX studies, leveraging tools and metrics such as A/B testing, key performance indicators (KPIs), and user analytics to inform design decisions and product strategy.
• Influence stakeholders across various organizational levels (including executive leadership) to champion research-based, user-centric solutions and drive product or service improvements.
• Own project priorities, aligning them with overarching product goals, and effectively manage the allocation of resources within research initiatives.
• Lead teams in defining and evaluating the impact of products, services, and the broader ecosystem on technical users.
• Drive strategic discussions by analyzing, consolidating, and synthesizing user, product, service, and business needs to inform future product development and experimentation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strategic and influential role, moving beyond typical research execution to encompass strategy definition, stakeholder management, and team leadership within the product development lifecycle, particularly concerning developer tools and platforms.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience is required.
• A Master's degree or PhD in Human-Computer Interaction, Cognitive Science, Statistics, Psychology, Anthropology, or a related field is strongly preferred, indicating a need for advanced research methodologies and analytical skills.

Experience:

• A minimum of 6 years of experience in an applied research setting (e.g., product research, academic research) or similar professional capacity is mandatory.
• Preferred experience includes 5 years of conducting UX research on products and working directly with executive leadership (Director level and above), demonstrating the ability to communicate complex findings and influence strategic decisions.
• 3 years of experience in project management and adapting to organizational change is also preferred, suggesting a need for strong organizational and change management skills.

Required Skills:

• User Experience Research: Deep expertise in planning, conducting, and synthesizing qualitative and quantitative research studies.
• Research Methodologies: Proficiency in a wide range of methods including usability studies, contextual inquiries, 1:1 interviews, and unmoderated research studies.
• Quantitative UX Studies: Experience in planning and executing quantitative studies, utilizing tools and metrics such as A/B testing, key performance indicators (KPIs), and user analytics to inform design decisions.
• Core UX Principles: Strong understanding of user-centered design, information architecture, and interaction design principles.
• Stakeholder Influence: Proven ability to influence stakeholders across organizations to gain support for research-based, user-centric solutions.

Preferred Skills:

• Technical User Research: Experience conducting research with highly technical users such as software engineers, data scientists, or researchers.
• Software Development Lifecycle: Familiarity with the software development lifecycle, specific tools used by developers, or enterprise data infrastructure.
• Project Management: Demonstrated experience managing complex research projects, often involving multiple workstreams or stakeholders.
• Leadership & Program Management: Experience leading multi-team research programs and influencing leadership decisions at a strategic level.
• Data Analysis & Synthesis: Ability to analyze, consolidate, and synthesize complex data from various sources to drive strategic insights.

📝 Enhancement Note: The combination of required and preferred skills emphasizes a blend of strong foundational UX research capabilities with specialized experience in technical user domains and strategic influence, crucial for driving product direction within a large tech organization.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a range of UX research projects, demonstrating a progression from research planning to insight generation and impact.
• Include case studies that highlight your ability to translate research findings into actionable product recommendations and strategic insights.
• Provide examples of how you have defined and evaluated product, service, or ecosystem impact through research.
• Demonstrate experience in planning and executing quantitative UX studies, including the use of A/B testing, KPIs, and user analytics.
• Present evidence of influencing stakeholders across organizations and driving user-centric solutions.

Process Documentation:

• Detail your approach to research design, including how you define research questions, select appropriate methodologies, and plan study execution.
• Illustrate your process for synthesizing research data, identifying key themes, and generating actionable insights that inform product strategy.
• Showcase how you communicate research findings to diverse audiences, including product managers, engineers, and executive leadership, using compelling narratives and data visualizations.
• Provide examples of how you have managed research projects, including prioritization, resource allocation, and timeline management.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the seniority and strategic nature of this role, a portfolio should not only present completed research but also demonstrate the candidate's strategic thinking, ability to manage complex projects, and influence on product direction, particularly within a developer-focused context.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• The US base salary range for this full-time position is $151,000 - $222,000 annually.
• This range is determined by factors such as role, level, and geographic location. Individual pay is further influenced by job-related skills, experience, and educational background.
• Recruiters will provide specific salary range details for the preferred location during the application process.

Benefits:

• Bonus: Eligibility for performance-based bonuses.
• Equity: Potential for stock options or grants as part of the compensation package.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Includes health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, and other standard employee benefits offered by Google.

Working Hours:

• The role is typically based on a 40-hour work week, aligning with standard full-time employment.
• While the core hours are standard, the nature of research and cross-functional collaboration may require flexibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is a base salary only. The inclusion of "bonus" and "equity" indicates a total compensation package that is competitive for a senior-level role at a major tech company like Google, especially for positions influencing core product infrastructure.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology (Software & Internet Services) Company Size: Large Enterprise (Google is a global tech giant with hundreds of thousands of employees). This scale offers extensive resources, opportunities for specialization, and exposure to cutting-edge technologies and methodologies. Founded: 1998. Google's long history and continuous innovation have shaped a culture that prioritizes user experience, data-driven decision-making, and ambitious problem-solving.

Team Structure:

• The role is within the User Experience (UX) team, which is multi-disciplinary, comprising UX Designers, Researchers, Writers, Content Strategists, Program Managers, and Engineers.
• This team collaborates closely with Product Management and Engineering to create industry-leading products.
• As a Senior UX Researcher, you will work with stakeholders across various functions and levels, indicating a need for strong cross-functional collaboration and communication skills.
• The "Core" team focuses on the technical foundation of Google's flagship products, including underlying design elements, developer platforms, product components, and infrastructure, suggesting a highly technical and foundational impact area.

Methodology:

• User-Centered Design: A fundamental principle guiding all product development at Google, ensuring user needs are paramount.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Emphasis on using research insights, analytics, and metrics to inform product strategy and design choices.
• Iterative Development: Continuous testing, feedback, and refinement of products and features based on user research and performance data.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Working closely with diverse teams to ensure a cohesive and impactful product experience.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Core" team context implies working on foundational elements that impact many Google products, requiring an understanding of complex systems and the needs of other developers or internal teams using these core components. This is a critical operational area within Google's product ecosystem.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Senior UX Researcher. This level signifies a high degree of expertise, autonomy, and impact. The role requires not only executing research but also influencing strategy, leading initiatives, and mentoring others. Reporting Structure: The Senior UX Researcher will likely report to a UX Research Manager or Lead, and will collaborate closely with Product Managers, Engineering Leads, and potentially Directors within the "Core" team and related product areas. Operations Impact: This role has a significant impact on the usability, effectiveness, and adoption of Google's core developer platforms and infrastructure. By understanding the needs of technical users, the researcher can shape foundational elements that influence countless other products and developers, driving efficiency and innovation across the company.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in researching complex technical domains, developer workflows, or emerging technology ecosystems.
• Leadership: Transition into roles leading larger research programs, managing research teams, or taking on more strategic product leadership responsibilities.
• Mentorship: Opportunity to mentor junior researchers within the UX community at Google.
• Cross-Functional Mobility: Potential to move into related roles such as Product Management, Program Management, or UX Design within technical product areas.
• Skill Development: Access to Google's internal research tools, training programs, and a community of UXRs for continuous learning and professional development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on influencing executive leadership and leading multi-team programs suggests a path towards Staff or Principal UX Researcher roles, or management positions, offering substantial career growth within Google's product development structure.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Google is known for its collaborative and innovation-focused office environments. This role is on-site, implying a physical workspace designed for teamwork and productivity. Office Location(s): San Francisco, California. This location is a major tech hub, offering access to a vibrant ecosystem of talent and industry events.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: Access to meeting rooms, brainstorming areas, and informal gathering spots designed to foster interaction and idea exchange among team members.
• Tools & Technology: Availability of cutting-edge research tools, software, and hardware necessary for conducting high-quality UX research.
• Team Interaction: Opportunities for regular face-to-face interaction with UX Designers, Product Managers, Engineers, and other stakeholders, facilitating tight-knit collaboration and rapid feedback loops.
• User Research Labs: Access to specialized facilities for conducting in-person usability testing and other observational research.

Work Schedule:

• Standard 40-hour work week, with flexibility often available for focused work or critical research activities.
• The collaborative nature of the role suggests an expectation of availability during core business hours for team meetings and cross-functional discussions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement for a role focused on developer experience within core infrastructure suggests a need for deep integration with engineering and product teams, benefiting from in-person collaboration and access to internal resources.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Typically involves a recruiter screening followed by an interview with a hiring manager or senior team member to assess experience and fit.
• Portfolio Review & Technical Interviews: Expect multiple rounds of interviews with UX researchers, designers, and product managers. A significant portion will involve presenting your portfolio, discussing past projects, and demonstrating your research process, strategic thinking, and ability to influence.
• Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with engineers or product managers to assess collaboration skills and understanding of the software development lifecycle.
• Leadership/Strategy Interviews: Discussions focused on strategic thinking, stakeholder management, and ability to lead complex research programs.
• Behavioral Interviews: Assessing cultural fit, problem-solving approaches, and how you handle challenges.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Structure: Organize your portfolio by project, clearly outlining the problem, your role, the research methodologies used, key findings, recommendations, and the impact of your work.
• Focus on Impact: Quantify the impact of your research whenever possible, using metrics, user feedback, or business outcomes. For this role, focus on improvements to developer workflows, efficiency gains, or adoption rates.
• Technical Depth: For this specific role, highlight projects involving technical users or complex systems. Showcase your ability to understand and research developer tools, platforms, or workflows.
• Strategic Thinking: Demonstrate how your research informed product strategy and influenced decision-making at various levels, especially with leadership.
• Presentation: Be prepared to walk through your projects concisely, highlighting key decisions and outcomes. Practice your narrative to ensure clarity and engagement.

Challenge Preparation:

• Research Design Challenge: You might be asked to propose a research plan for a hypothetical product or feature related to developer tools. Focus on defining clear research questions, selecting appropriate methods, and outlining how you'd measure success.
• Data Synthesis & Recommendation: Be ready to analyze a dataset (mock or real) and synthesize findings into actionable recommendations for product improvement.
• Stakeholder Communication: Prepare to explain complex research findings and their implications to a non-research audience, emphasizing how to drive action.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for a Senior role at Google is rigorous. Emphasize not just the "what" of your research, but the "how" and "why," demonstrating your strategic thinking, problem-solving skills, and ability to drive meaningful impact through user-centered insights.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• UX Research Platforms: Familiarity with tools for conducting unmoderated studies, usability testing, surveys, and interview management (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey).
• Data Analysis & Visualization: Proficiency in tools for qualitative data analysis (e.g., Dovetail, NVivo) and quantitative data analysis (e.g., Excel, R, Python for statistical analysis).
• Collaboration & Documentation: Google Workspace suite (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet) for documentation, collaboration, and presentations.
• Prototyping & Design Tools (Understanding): Familiarity with tools like Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD to understand design artifacts and collaborate effectively with designers.

Analytics & Reporting:

• User Analytics Platforms: Experience with tools like Google Analytics, Amplitude, Mixpanel for tracking user behavior and product usage.
• A/B Testing Tools: Understanding of platforms and methodologies for running controlled experiments (e.g., Google Optimize, Optimizely).
• Dashboarding Tools: Experience using tools like Tableau or Looker (Google's BI platform) to visualize and report research findings and product metrics.

CRM & Automation:

• While not a core CRM role, understanding how user data integrates with product development workflows and potentially CRM systems (for tracking user feedback or engagement) can be beneficial.
• Familiarity with workflow automation concepts relevant to research operations or data management could be advantageous.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given Google's internal toolset, familiarity with Google Workspace and potentially internal analytics/experimentation platforms would be highly advantageous. The emphasis on quantitative UX studies suggests a strong need for data analysis and statistical interpretation skills.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Focus on the User: The core principle of Google's UX philosophy, ensuring all efforts are user-centric.
• Data-Driven: Decisions are informed by rigorous research, analysis, and metrics.
• Collaboration: A strong emphasis on teamwork across disciplines and functions to achieve shared goals.
• Innovation: Encouraging new ideas, experimentation, and pushing the boundaries of technology and user experience.
• Impact: Driving meaningful change and delivering value to users and the business through research insights.
• Excellence: Striving for high quality in research methods, analysis, and communication.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Researchers work tightly integrated with Product Managers and Engineers, acting as the voice of the user throughout the product development lifecycle.
• Open Communication: Foster an environment where ideas and feedback are shared openly and constructively.
• Partnership: Collaborative approach to defining research objectives, interpreting findings, and developing solutions with product and engineering teams.
• Knowledge Sharing: Active participation in team meetings, internal forums, and communities of practice to share learnings and best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture at Google strongly values intellectual curiosity, a proactive approach to problem-solving, and the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment. For this role, demonstrating an understanding of developer workflows and technical challenges is also key.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Complexity of Developer Ecosystems: Researching highly technical users and complex software development workflows requires deep domain understanding and sophisticated research methods.
• Influencing Senior Stakeholders: Effectively communicating research insights and driving adoption of user-centric solutions among executive leadership requires strong persuasion and strategic communication skills.
• Balancing Strategic Vision with Execution: Aligning long-term strategic research goals with immediate product development needs and timelines.
• Navigating a Large Organization: Understanding how to effectively collaborate and drive change across multiple product teams and organizational structures within Google.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Access to cutting-edge tools and methodologies: Continuous learning through Google's internal research resources and industry best practices.
• Mentorship programs: Opportunities to learn from and be mentored by leading UX researchers and product leaders within Google.
• Professional development: Support for attending industry conferences, workshops, and pursuing relevant certifications.
• Exposure to diverse product areas: The chance to work on foundational elements that impact a wide range of Google products, providing broad exposure to different technical challenges and user needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role presents an opportunity to tackle complex, high-impact challenges at the intersection of user experience and core technology infrastructure, offering significant professional growth and skill development in a leading tech environment.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Tell me about a time you influenced product strategy with your research." Prepare a STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) answer focusing on a project where your insights led to significant strategic shifts or product improvements, ideally with executive buy-in.
• "How do you prioritize research requests when faced with multiple urgent needs?" Discuss your framework for prioritization, considering impact, urgency, strategic alignment, and resource availability.
• "Describe a challenging research project you led. What made it challenging, and how did you overcome those challenges?" Focus on problem-solving, stakeholder management, and your ability to adapt research methods.
• "How do you approach researching technical users like software engineers?" Highlight your understanding of developer workflows, technical jargon, and methods to gain trust and elicit detailed feedback from this audience.

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Google and this specific role within the Core team?" Research Google's mission, its approach to developer tools, and the significance of the "Core" team's work. Connect your passion for user experience and technical users to these aspects.
• "How do you collaborate with Product Managers and Engineers?" Provide examples of successful cross-functional partnerships, emphasizing communication, shared understanding, and mutual respect.
• "How do you measure the impact of your research?" Discuss the metrics you use, whether qualitative or quantitative, and how you track the influence of your findings on product development and user satisfaction.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Tell a Story: For each portfolio piece, frame it as a narrative: the problem, your approach, the key findings, your recommendations, and the resulting impact.
• Focus on Your Role: Clearly articulate your specific contributions, especially if it was a team project.
• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals, data snippets, and user quotes to bring your research to life.
• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, present metrics that demonstrate the success of your recommendations (e.g., increased conversion, reduced errors, improved satisfaction scores).
• Anticipate Questions: Be prepared to dive deeper into any aspect of your work, including the rationale behind methodological choices and how you handled unexpected findings.

📝 Enhancement Note: For this role, be ready to discuss your experience with the software development lifecycle and your understanding of the needs and pain points of technical users. Demonstrating strategic influence and leadership in your portfolio is critical.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior UX Researcher position at Google:

• Submit your application through the official Google Careers portal.
• Portfolio Customization: Review your existing portfolio and select projects that best showcase your experience with technical users, quantitative research, strategic influence, and impact on product development. Tailor your project descriptions to highlight these aspects.
• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly outlines your 6+ years of relevant experience, emphasizing skills in UX research methodologies, quantitative analysis, stakeholder management, and project leadership. Use keywords from the job description.
• Interview Preparation: Conduct thorough research on Google's UX philosophy, the "Core" team's mission, and common interview practices for UX Researchers at Google. Practice presenting your portfolio and answering behavioral and situational questions.
• Company Research: Understand Google's product ecosystem, particularly its developer tools and platforms. Familiarize yourself with Google's approach to user-centered design and data-driven decision-making.

⚠️ 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.