User Researcher

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: User Researcher Company: AffiniPay Location: Remote - US Job Type: Full-Time Category: User Experience (UX) Research / Product Operations Date Posted: July 25, 2025 Experience Level: Mid-Level (2-5 years) Remote Status: Fully Remote (US-based)

🚀 Role Summary

• This User Researcher role focuses on driving product strategy and development through deep user understanding, ensuring that AffiniPay's fintech solutions are user-centered and meet market needs.
• The position requires independent ownership of research initiatives for significant product features, emphasizing a connection between user insights and broader business objectives and key outcomes.
• Key responsibilities include conducting both generative and evaluative research, translating findings into actionable recommendations, and collaborating closely with product, design, data, and engineering teams.
• Success in this role hinges on strong qualitative research skills, effective communication of insights through compelling presentations, and a strategic understanding of the B2B fintech and legal tech landscapes.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the role is listed as "User Researcher," its emphasis on connecting insights to business strategy, identifying strategic opportunities, and working with product managers and designers positions it within the broader Product Operations or GTM Operations spectrum, particularly in how user insights inform product-market fit and go-to-market strategies. The "operations" aspect comes from optimizing the product development lifecycle through research.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Independently plan, execute, and lead qualitative user research studies across various product experiences, employing rigorous and appropriate methodologies (e.g., user interviews, usability testing, surveys, contextual inquiry).
• Collaborate proactively with Product Managers, Product Designers, Data Analysts, and Engineering teams to identify key research questions, define project scope, and establish realistic research timelines that align with product roadmaps.
• Develop and deliver compelling research presentations, reports, and artifacts that clearly communicate user needs, pain points, and actionable recommendations to diverse cross-functional stakeholders, including leadership.
• Cultivate a deep understanding of user needs, workflows, and pain points within the legal tech, accounting tech, and broader professional services sectors, acting as the primary advocate and "voice of the user" within the product development process.
• Identify strategic opportunities for product innovation and improvement by synthesizing user insights with market trends and business goals, directly contributing to user-centered solutions that drive measurable business value and key outcomes.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of research practices and methodologies within the User Experience and Product teams, sharing best practices and fostering a user-centric mindset across the organization.
• Stay abreast of emerging trends in user research, fintech, legal tech, and AI/automation technologies to inform research approaches and identify new avenues for user insight generation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities listed indicate a significant level of autonomy and strategic input, typical of a mid-level to senior operations-adjacent role where research directly informs product strategy and operational efficiency of the product lifecycle. The emphasis on "connecting work to broader business strategy" and "progressing against key outcomes" highlights the operations-focused impact of the research.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

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

Experience:

• 2-5 years of industry experience specifically conducting qualitative user research within a product development or UX context.
• Demonstrated track record of independently leading research projects from inception to completion, with a clear focus on connecting research findings to business strategy and driving measurable progress against key outcomes.
• Proven ability to translate complex user data and insights into clear, concise, and persuasive communication artifacts (presentations, reports, personas, journey maps) tailored to motivate cross-functional stakeholders.

Required Skills:

• Qualitative Research Methodologies: Expertise in planning and executing a range of qualitative research methods, including in-depth interviews, usability testing (moderated and unmoderated), ethnographic studies, and diary studies.
• User-Centered Design Principles: Strong understanding of user-centered design processes and how to integrate user research effectively throughout the product development lifecycle.
• Storytelling & Presentation Skills: Exceptional ability to craft compelling narratives from research data and present findings clearly and persuasively to technical and non-technical audiences, including executive leadership.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Proven experience working effectively with Product Managers, UX Designers, Data Analysts, Engineers, and other stakeholders to define research goals and translate insights into actionable product improvements.
• Data Analysis & Synthesis: Ability to analyze and synthesize qualitative data to identify patterns, themes, and actionable insights, often in conjunction with quantitative data from analytics or product metrics.
• Industry-Standard UX Tools: Proficiency in common user research and collaboration tools such as Figma, Zoom, UserTesting.com, Maze, Dovetail, Reduct, and Qualtrics.

Preferred Skills:

• B2B & SaaS Experience: Prior experience conducting user research for Business-to-Business (B2B), Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), or financial technology (Fintech) products.
• Domain Expertise: Familiarity with or experience in legal tech, accounting tech, or other professional services software domains.
• AI & Automation Knowledge: Working knowledge of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation technologies and their potential impact on user workflows and product development.
• Quantitative Research Skills: Basic understanding of quantitative research methods and statistical analysis to complement qualitative findings.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for 2-5 years of experience and the emphasis on independent project leadership and connecting work to business strategy suggest this role is geared towards a User Researcher who can operate with significant autonomy, making it a critical component of the product operations and GTM strategy enablement. Proficiency in a wide array of tools indicates a need for a researcher adept at leveraging technology for efficient and impactful research.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A robust portfolio showcasing a minimum of 3-5 distinct user research projects, demonstrating end-to-end research ownership from planning and execution to analysis and recommendation.
• Portfolio pieces should clearly articulate the research objectives, methodologies employed, participant recruitment strategy, key findings, and the impact of the research on product decisions and business outcomes.
• Evidence of translating user insights into tangible product improvements, design iterations, or strategic recommendations that demonstrably addressed user needs and/or business goals.
• Demonstrate proficiency with at least 2-3 of the listed industry-standard tools (e.g., UserTesting, Dovetail, Figma, Maze) within project examples.

Process Documentation:

• Examples of well-documented research plans, including clear research questions, hypotheses, participant profiles, and methodological choices.
• Demonstrate ability to create clear, concise, and visually appealing research reports or presentations that effectively communicate complex findings to diverse audiences.
• Showcase how research findings were integrated into product development workflows, design iterations, or strategic planning processes to drive user-centric decision-making.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role emphasizing impact and business strategy connection, the portfolio is crucial. It needs to highlight not just the research process but also the researcher's ability to influence product direction and demonstrate measurable impact, aligning with operational efficiency and effectiveness goals within product development.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Estimated Range: $80,000 - $110,000 annually.
• Research Methodology: This estimate is based on industry benchmarks for User Researchers with 2-5 years of experience in the US, considering the company's industry (Fintech), location flexibility (remote US), and the competitive nature of tech talent. Factors such as specific location cost-of-living within the US, candidate experience, and interview performance can influence the final offer.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Fully covered medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees, with a choice of health plans.
• Pet Insurance: Coverage for employee's pets, reflecting a pet-friendly culture.
• Flexible Time Off: Generous and flexible Paid Time Off (PTO) policy to encourage work-life balance.
• Retirement Planning: 401K plan with a company match to support long-term financial security.
• Performance-Based Incentives: Competitive compensation packages including mid-year and end-of-year bonuses, plus equity options for all full-time employees.
• Wellness Programs: Access to a Health Wellness Program featuring nutrition consultations, mental health app subscriptions, and discounted gym memberships.
• Family Support: Parental resources and 16 weeks of paid time off for primary caregivers to support new parents.
• Professional Development: Opportunities for continuous learning, including mentorship programs, leadership development, and internal AffiniPayU courses.
• Community Engagement: Company-sponsored Matching Gift Program and organized volunteer activities to support local communities.
• DEI Initiatives: Educational opportunities and programs focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• On-Site Perks (for those near offices): While this role is remote, the company offers perks like free lunch delivery and stocked kitchens at its Austin and San Diego headquarters, indicating a strong employee appreciation culture.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time hours are anticipated, likely around 40 hours per week. Given the remote nature and the nature of research, there may be flexibility in daily scheduling, but consistent availability during core business hours for collaboration is expected.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate. The comprehensive benefits package, including performance bonuses and equity, highlights AffiniPay's investment in its employees, which is a strong indicator of a supportive work environment, common in forward-thinking operations teams.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Technology (Fintech), specifically focused on payment solutions and practice management software for professional services firms (legal, accounting, architectural, engineering, construction). Company Size: While not explicitly stated in the provided data, the mention of "teams continue to grow" and being recognized as one of Inc. 5000's fastest-growing companies for 13 years suggests a company that has scaled significantly from its founding and likely employs several hundred to over a thousand employees. This implies established processes but also a dynamic, growth-oriented environment. Founded: 2005, indicating a mature company with a proven track record in the fintech space.

Team Structure:

• The User Researcher will likely be part of a Product or Design team, collaborating closely with Product Managers, UX Designers, and Data Analysts.
• The reporting structure would typically place the User Researcher under a UX Lead, Research Manager, or Head of Product/Design.
• Cross-functional collaboration is a cornerstone, with heavy interaction expected with product development teams, engineering, marketing, and potentially customer success to gather diverse perspectives.

Methodology:

• AffiniPay's culture is described as "fast-moving, growth-focused," with an emphasis on "highly collaborative problem solvers" who are "passionate about both personal and company growth."
• The company values creating together, doing whatever it takes, and investing in team member growth, recognition, and celebration.
• Data-driven decision-making and user-centricity are implied through the need for a User Researcher to translate insights into solutions that align user needs and business objectives.

Company Website: affinipay.com

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's long-standing presence on the Inc. 5000 list points to a stable yet ambitious growth trajectory. The collaborative and growth-focused culture suggests that operations roles here are expected to be proactive and contribute to continuous improvement.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a mid-level User Researcher, requiring 2-5 years of experience. It offers a significant opportunity to own research for major features, indicating a level of autonomy and impact beyond junior roles. It serves as a stepping stone towards Senior User Researcher or specialized UX research leadership positions.

Reporting Structure: The User Researcher will likely report into a Product or Design leadership structure, working closely with Product Management and Design leads. This structure provides exposure to strategic product planning and decision-making processes, vital for operational insight.

Operations Impact: User research directly influences product strategy, roadmap prioritization, design execution, and ultimately, user adoption and satisfaction. By ensuring products are intuitive and meet user needs, this role supports operational efficiency in product development (reducing rework) and enhances go-to-market effectiveness by ensuring product-market fit. The insights gathered can inform marketing messaging, sales enablement materials, and customer support strategies, creating a ripple effect across operations.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Advancement: Deepen expertise in advanced qualitative and mixed-methods research, specialize in specific research areas (e.g., generative research, behavioral analysis), and potentially gain exposure to quantitative analysis.
• Leadership Development: Progress to a Senior User Researcher role, leading larger, more complex research initiatives, mentoring junior researchers, and contributing to research strategy. Potential pathways to management roles within UX Research or Product Operations.
• Domain Specialization: Develop deep expertise in the fintech or legal tech industries, becoming a go-to subject matter expert on user needs within these verticals.
• Cross-functional Exposure: Gain broader experience by contributing to product strategy, marketing insights, and customer success initiatives based on research findings.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a clear path for growth within UX Research, with potential to influence product strategy at a higher level, which is a key element in many GTM and Product Operations career trajectories. The emphasis on connecting research to business outcomes is critical for career progression in operations-focused roles.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: While the job is advertised as "Remote - US," AffiniPay does maintain physical headquarters in Austin and San Diego. This suggests a hybrid-friendly culture, even for remote roles, where in-office experience is valued and provided for those who can access it. The remote setup emphasizes digital collaboration tools and asynchronous communication.

Office Location(s): Austin, TX and San Diego, CA (for context, though the role is remote).

Workspace Context:

• As a remote role, the workspace will be the employee's home office. Success will depend on effective use of digital collaboration tools and maintaining strong communication channels with a distributed team.
• The environment encourages proactive engagement and self-direction, typical of remote operations roles where structured communication and task management are paramount.
• Opportunities for interaction will primarily be through virtual meetings, Slack, and collaborative platforms, fostering a digitally connected team.

Work Schedule:

• A standard 40-hour work week is expected, with flexibility in daily hours to accommodate different time zones across the US. However, availability for scheduled meetings, interviews, and collaborative sessions during core business hours (likely aligned with Central or Pacific time zones) is crucial for effective team operations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote nature of this role requires a high degree of self-discipline and proficiency with digital collaboration tools, which are core operational competencies for distributed teams.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Application Submission: Submit resume and portfolio via the Greenhouse portal.
• Initial Screening: A call with a Talent Acquisition Specialist to discuss background, experience, and cultural fit.
• Hiring Manager Interview: Interview with the hiring manager (likely a UX Research Lead or Product Manager) to dive deeper into research experience, methodologies, and approach to problem-solving, potentially including a portfolio review.
• Stakeholder Interviews: Interviews with cross-functional partners (e.g., Product Designer, Product Manager, Data Analyst) to assess collaboration skills and ability to integrate research into the product lifecycle.
• Research Challenge/Case Study: Candidates may be asked to complete a take-home research exercise or present a detailed case study from their portfolio, demonstrating their research process, insights, and impact.
• Final Interview: Potentially a final interview with a senior leader to discuss strategic thinking and alignment with company goals.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: Select projects that clearly demonstrate how your research influenced product decisions, led to measurable improvements, and contributed to business objectives. Quantify impact whenever possible (e.g., "reduced task completion time by X%," "increased conversion rates by Y%").
• Showcase Process Rigor: Clearly articulate your research methodology, including how you defined research questions, selected participants, and analyzed data. Highlight any unique or creative approaches you took.
• Narrative Storytelling: Structure your portfolio presentations like a story: the problem, your approach, the findings, the recommendations, and the outcome. Make it engaging and easy to follow.
• Tool Proficiency: Briefly mention the tools used and how they facilitated your research process where relevant.
• Tailor to AffiniPay: If possible, subtly tailor your presentation to highlight experience relevant to B2B, fintech, or professional services, showing you've researched the company and its users.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the User: If given a challenge, focus on defining the target user and their context first.
• Methodology Choice: Be prepared to justify your choice of research methods based on the research goals and constraints.
• Actionable Insights: Ensure your recommendations are clear, specific, and directly address the identified user needs or problems.
• Presentation Clarity: Practice presenting your findings concisely and persuasively, anticipating questions from a cross-functional audience.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process emphasizes practical application of research skills and the ability to communicate effectively with various stakeholders, which are critical operational skills for ensuring research insights translate into tangible business value. The portfolio review is a key operational assessment of a candidate's ability to deliver impact.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Collaboration & Communication: Zoom, Slack, Microsoft Teams (likely used for daily communication and meetings).
• User Research Platforms: UserTesting.com, Maze (for unmoderated usability testing and surveys).
• Qualitative Data Analysis & Synthesis: Dovetail, Reduct (for organizing, analyzing, and synthesizing interview transcripts and video data).
• Design Prototyping & Collaboration: Figma (for reviewing designs, collaborating with designers, and potentially creating simple prototypes for testing).
• Survey Tools: Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey, or Google Forms (for creating and distributing surveys).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: While not explicitly listed for the researcher, familiarity with tools like Google Analytics, Amplitude, or Mixpanel would be beneficial for triangulating qualitative findings with quantitative user behavior data.
• Data Visualization: Tools like Tableau or Looker might be used by related teams for reporting, and understanding how to interpret visualizations is helpful.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM: While not directly used for research, understanding CRM systems like Salesforce is helpful for context on customer data.
• Automation Tools: Familiarity with workflow automation concepts is a plus, especially given the "Nice to Have" for AI/automation knowledge.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in a range of specialized user research tools is a key requirement, indicating a modern, tech-enabled approach to research. This signifies the importance of operational efficiency in data collection and analysis for this role.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A core tenet is deeply understanding and advocating for the user, ensuring their needs are at the forefront of product decisions.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Relying on both qualitative and quantitative data to inform strategy and product development, fostering an environment of evidence-based operations.
• Collaboration & Transparency: Working closely with cross-functional teams, sharing insights openly, and fostering a transparent environment for feedback and iterative improvement.
• Growth Mindset: Encouraging continuous learning, skill development, and adaptability in a fast-paced fintech environment.
• Problem Solving: A proactive approach to identifying and solving user and business challenges through rigorous research and strategic thinking.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Expect to be an integral part of product teams, working hand-in-hand with designers and product managers throughout the product development lifecycle.
• Feedback Exchange: An open culture for providing and receiving constructive feedback on research plans, findings, and recommendations.
• Knowledge Sharing: Actively participating in sharing research insights across teams and contributing to a collective understanding of the user.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on collaboration, data-driven decisions, and a growth mindset aligns with operational excellence principles, where teams work cohesively to achieve strategic objectives efficiently.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing User Needs with Business Goals: Effectively advocating for user needs while ensuring solutions align with AffiniPay's business objectives and technical constraints requires strong negotiation and communication skills.
• Pace of a Growing Fintech Company: Adapting to a fast-moving environment where priorities can shift requires agility and efficient research planning.
• Remote Collaboration: Maintaining strong, productive relationships and ensuring clear communication within a distributed team requires proactive effort and mastery of digital collaboration tools.
• Translating Insights into Action: The challenge of ensuring research findings are not just reported but actively implemented into product roadmaps and designs, requiring strong stakeholder management and influence.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Research Techniques: Opportunity to learn and apply more sophisticated mixed-methods research approaches.
• Fintech & Legal Tech Domain Expertise: Deepen knowledge of the professional services industry and its unique user needs.
• Cross-functional Influence: Develop skills in influencing product strategy and gaining buy-in from diverse stakeholders.
• Mentorship: Potential to be mentored by experienced researchers or product leaders, and to mentor junior team members as the team grows.

📝 Enhancement Note: Overcoming the challenge of translating insights into action is a critical operational skill for any researcher, directly impacting the efficiency and effectiveness of the product development process.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Research Strategy: "Describe a time you had to define research goals for a complex feature with ambiguous requirements. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your process, stakeholder alignment, and how you clarified objectives).
• Stakeholder Management: "How do you ensure your research findings are understood and acted upon by product managers and designers? Can you share an example of when you had to influence a product decision based on your research?" (Highlight your communication, storytelling, and influencing skills).
• Problem Solving: "Imagine we want to understand why users are dropping off during our onboarding process. What research methods would you propose, and why?" (Demonstrate your methodological agility and ability to connect methods to business problems and operational efficiency).

Company & Culture Questions:

• Alignment with Values: "How do you embody a user-centric approach in your work? How do you balance user needs with business objectives?" (Connect your past experiences to AffiniPay's stated values).
• Team Collaboration: "Describe your ideal collaboration dynamic with product managers and designers. How do you ensure effective communication and integration of research insights?" (Show your understanding of team dynamics and cross-functional operational workflows).
• Impact Measurement: "How do you measure the success of your user research? What metrics do you track to demonstrate the impact of your work on product and business outcomes?" (This is crucial for operations-focused roles – focus on actionable metrics).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• The "Why": Clearly articulate the business problem or user need that drove each research project.
• The "How": Detail your research process, including methodology, participant recruitment, and analysis techniques. Be specific about the tools used.
• The "What": Present your key findings clearly and concisely, using visuals where appropriate.
• The "So What": This is critical – explain the impact of your research. How did it influence product decisions, design iterations, or business strategy? Quantify if possible.
• The "What Next": Briefly touch upon any follow-up research or implementation steps.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparing for questions about impact measurement and demonstrating how research contributes to business objectives is vital for this role, as it directly relates to operational effectiveness and ROI.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this User Researcher position:

• Submit your application through the provided Greenhouse link, ensuring your resume and portfolio are uploaded.
• Portfolio Customization: Select 2-3 of your most impactful research projects that best demonstrate your ability to drive product strategy and user-centered solutions within a B2B or SaaS context. Tailor the presentation to highlight your process and the resulting business impact.
• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly lists your years of experience in qualitative user research, highlights proficiency in key tools (Figma, UserTesting, Dovetail, etc.), and emphasizes achievements linked to business outcomes or product improvements. Use keywords like "qualitative research," "user insights," "product strategy," "cross-functional collaboration," and "impact."
• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your research process and findings using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behavioral questions, and prepare to walk through your portfolio projects with a focus on the "so what" – the impact.
• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with AffiniPay's products (MyCase, LawPay, etc.) and target audience (legal, accounting professionals). Understand their mission and values to better articulate your fit and how your research can contribute to their operational success.

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