UX Researcher

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: UX Researcher Company: Anaplan Location: Remote (Manchester, England, United Kingdom) Job Type: Full-time Category: User Experience / Product Research Date Posted: 2025-07-24 Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (4+ years) Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive product innovation and strategic business goals by uncovering deep user insights and translating them into actionable recommendations for Anaplan's platform.
• Lead UX research initiatives from inception to delivery, employing a mix of generative and evaluative research methodologies to understand user needs, behaviors, and pain points.
• Champion the user experience across Anaplan's ecosystem by effectively communicating research findings through compelling storytelling and creative delivery formats to build empathy and inspire action.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including designers and product managers, to embed research into the product development lifecycle and ensure research findings lead to tangible product improvements.
• Contribute to the continuous evolution of Anaplan's research processes, tools, and best practices, while also educating and supporting colleagues on the value and application of UX research.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job title is "UX Researcher," the responsibilities and company context (B2B/SaaS, complex product initiatives, financial systems) strongly suggest a role focused on understanding how users interact with enterprise software. This implies a need for skills in analyzing complex workflows, identifying pain points in business processes, and translating these into product improvements that enhance efficiency and decision-making for business users, aligning with revenue operations and GTM principles through improved user adoption and effectiveness.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Define and execute comprehensive UX research plans, including methodology selection, participant recruitment, and data collection for both generative (e.g., interviews, ethnographic studies) and evaluative (e.g., usability testing, A/B testing) research.
• Conduct user interviews, moderated and unmoderated usability tests, card sorting exercises, workshops, and surveys to gather qualitative and quantitative data on user needs and product interactions.
• Analyze data from diverse sources, including direct user research, product usage analytics, customer satisfaction surveys, and support tickets, to synthesize insights and identify key user behaviors and pain points.
• Develop compelling research outputs such as task flows, user personas, customer journey maps, empathy maps, and detailed research reports to effectively communicate findings.
• Utilize strong storytelling and creative presentation formats (e.g., workshops, presentations, visual artifacts) to share research insights with product, design, engineering, and other stakeholders, fostering user empathy and driving data-informed product decisions.
• Partner with Product Managers and UX Designers to translate research findings into prioritized product requirements, feature enhancements, and design recommendations.
• Advocate for user-centered design principles and research best practices across the organization, providing guidance and training to team members on research methods and their application.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of Anaplan's UX research practice by identifying opportunities to refine existing processes, adopt new tools, and explore innovative research techniques.
• Manage research logistics, including participant recruitment, scheduling, incentive distribution, and ensuring compliance with data privacy regulations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "complex product initiatives" and "enterprise SaaS, financial systems, or planning software" suggests that the research will likely focus on understanding intricate business workflows and how users navigate them within Anaplan's platform. This requires a deep dive into user processes, not just surface-level usability, to identify opportunities for efficiency gains and strategic improvements that directly impact business outcomes.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

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

Experience:

• A minimum of 4 years of hands-on experience leading and executing UX research projects from conception through to delivery, utilizing a variety of qualitative and quantitative research methods.
• Proven track record of translating complex user data into clear, actionable insights and strategic recommendations that have demonstrably influenced product direction and design.
• Experience working within Agile development environments and collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams (Product Management, Design, Engineering).

Required Skills:

• Generative Research: Expertise in conducting user interviews, ethnographic studies, contextual inquiries, and diary studies to uncover user needs and behaviors.
• Evaluative Research: Proficiency in planning and executing usability testing (moderated and unmoderated), heuristic evaluations, and A/B testing to assess product effectiveness.
• Data Synthesis & Analysis: Strong ability to analyze both qualitative (e.g., interview transcripts, observational notes) and quantitative (e.g., survey data, usage analytics) data to identify patterns, themes, and actionable insights.
• User Journey Mapping & Personas: Proven experience in creating detailed user journey maps, personas, and empathy maps to represent user needs, motivations, and pain points.
• Storytelling & Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present research findings persuasively and creatively to diverse audiences, including executive stakeholders.
• Collaboration & Influence: Demonstrated ability to build strong working relationships and influence product decisions through effective collaboration and clear articulation of user needs.
• Organizational & Methodical Approach: Highly organized, analytical, and methodical in approach, with a commitment to improving product quality through robust user research practices.
• Survey Design & Analysis: Skill in designing effective surveys for data collection and analyzing the results to extract meaningful insights.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in B2B or SaaS environments, particularly with complex enterprise software solutions.
• Familiarity with financial systems, enterprise planning software, or business intelligence tools.
• Exposure to or experience researching Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications and their user impact.
• Experience with user research tools for recruitment, testing, and analysis (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze, Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey).
• Understanding of how to leverage product analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude) to complement qualitative research.
• Willingness to travel domestically within the UK and occasionally internationally for research purposes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on B2B/SaaS and complex product initiatives suggests that candidates with experience in understanding enterprise workflows, business processes, and the needs of professional users will be highly valued. This goes beyond consumer UX and requires an ability to grasp complex domain knowledge.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase at least 3-4 distinct UX research projects that demonstrate a full research lifecycle, from defining objectives to delivering actionable insights.
• Clearly articulate the research problem, your role and responsibilities, the methodologies used, and the impact of your findings on product decisions or business outcomes.
• Include examples of key research artifacts such as research plans, interview scripts, usability test protocols, personas, journey maps, and summarized research reports.
• Highlight your ability to synthesize both qualitative and quantitative data, demonstrating how you derived insights and made recommendations.
• Quantify the impact of your research whenever possible, using metrics related to user satisfaction, task completion rates, efficiency improvements, or business KPIs.

Process Documentation:

• Demonstrated ability to document research processes, including the creation of detailed research plans that outline objectives, scope, methodology, and timelines.
• Examples of how you have structured and presented research findings in a clear, compelling, and actionable manner for various stakeholders.
• Evidence of creating and maintaining user research repositories or knowledge bases to ensure findings are accessible and reusable across teams.
• Showcase experience in refining research methodologies and processes based on project needs and learnings.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a UX Researcher role, the portfolio is critical. It’s not just about presenting findings, but demonstrating the process of research, the rigor of the methodology, and the clarity of communication. Candidates should focus on showcasing projects where their research directly led to measurable improvements or strategic shifts in product development.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Based on industry benchmarks for experienced UX Researchers (4+ years) in the UK, a competitive salary range is estimated to be between £60,000 and £85,000 per annum. This estimate considers the company's global presence, the complexity of its B2B SaaS product, and the demand for skilled UX researchers in the UK market.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Including medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Retirement Savings Plan: Likely a pension scheme with employer contributions.
• Paid Time Off: Generous vacation, sick leave, and public holiday allowance.
• Professional Development: Opportunities for training, conferences, and continuous learning to enhance UX research skills.
• Flexible Work Arrangements: As a remote position, there's inherent flexibility, potentially supplemented by flexible working hours.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Support for personal and professional well-being.
• Stock Options/Equity: Potential for participation in company stock plans.
• Life Insurance and Disability Coverage: Standard benefits to provide financial security.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time working hours are typically 40 hours per week. Given the remote and global nature of the team, there may be flexibility in daily scheduling to accommodate collaboration across different time zones, with an expectation of availability during core business hours for key meetings and team interactions.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary for a UX Researcher with 4+ years of experience in the UK can vary significantly based on location within the UK and specific company compensation structures. The provided range is an educated estimate based on general market data for experienced professionals in the tech sector. Benefits are standard for a company of Anaplan's size and industry.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Enterprise Software / Business Planning & Analytics (SaaS) Company Size: Anaplan is a large enterprise, indicated by its significant customer base (Fortune 50 companies) and global presence. This means operations professionals can expect established processes, dedicated departments, and opportunities for specialization within a structured environment. Founded: Anaplan was founded in 1998, giving it a long history and deep experience in the business planning and analytics software market. This longevity suggests stability and a mature product offering.

Team Structure:

• The UX Researcher will be part of a global UX team, collaborating with designers and researchers located in various international offices (London, San Francisco, New York, York).
• This role reports into a management structure within the Global Product and Technology organization, likely a UX Lead or Director.
• Close collaboration is expected with Product Managers, UX Designers, Engineering teams, and potentially Marketing and Customer Success to gather insights and drive product improvements.

Methodology:

• Anaplan operates on a "strategy-led, values-based and disciplined in execution" methodology, emphasizing a structured approach to product development and business operations.
• Research findings are expected to be data-driven, focusing on user needs and pain points to inform strategic decisions and product requirements.
• The team advocates for user experience by enabling data-driven decisions rooted in deep understanding of user needs.
• A "Winning Culture" is promoted, encouraging innovation, leadership, ambitious goal achievement, and celebrating successes.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "strategy-led" and "disciplined in execution" implies that research findings must be robust, well-supported by data, and presented in a way that clearly informs strategic product decisions. The "Winning Culture" suggests an environment that rewards initiative and measurable impact.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned at a Mid-Senior level, requiring significant autonomy and experience in leading UX research projects independently. It's a key individual contributor role within the UX team, expected to contribute significantly to product strategy through user insights.

Reporting Structure: The UX Researcher will report into a UX leadership role within the Global Product and Technology organization. They will work closely with Product Managers and UX Designers, acting as a peer and expert in user research.

Operations Impact: The UX Researcher's work directly impacts the usability, adoption, and effectiveness of Anaplan's platform. By ensuring the product meets user needs and addresses pain points, their research contributes to customer satisfaction, retention, and the overall success of Anaplan's business objectives. Insights generated can influence product roadmaps, feature prioritization, and strategic investment in user experience improvements, thereby supporting revenue growth and operational efficiency for Anaplan's clients.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific research methodologies, such as advanced qualitative analysis, quantitative research design, or specialized areas like AI user experience.
• Leadership & Mentorship: Opportunity to mentor junior researchers or lead research initiatives on larger, more complex product areas.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Influence product strategy and roadmap discussions through compelling research presentations and advocacy for user needs.
• Process Improvement: Lead initiatives to refine and enhance Anaplan's UX research processes, tools, and best practices.
• Industry Exposure: Gain experience with complex enterprise SaaS products, financial planning, and AI applications, expanding expertise in the B2B technology sector.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Mid-Senior Level" designation, coupled with the expectation to "lead UX research projects from inception to delivery," indicates a role with significant responsibility. Growth opportunities will likely stem from demonstrating impact, leadership in research initiatives, and contributing to the strategic direction of the product.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is listed as remote, but the description mentions being based in their York office and collaborating with teams in London, San Francisco, and New York. This suggests a hybrid or flexible approach where remote work is primary, but potential for occasional office presence or collaboration with colleagues in physical locations exists.

Office Location(s): While the role is remote, Anaplan has offices in locations like York, London, San Francisco, and New York, indicating a global operational footprint.

Workspace Context:

• As a remote UX Researcher, you will likely work from a home office setup.
• Collaboration will primarily occur through digital channels, utilizing video conferencing, collaboration platforms, and project management tools.
• The global team structure implies working with diverse colleagues and potentially across different cultural contexts, requiring strong remote collaboration skills.
• Access to Anaplan's internal systems, research tools, and data analytics platforms will be provided.

Work Schedule:

• The standard work week is likely 40 hours.
• Flexibility in daily scheduling is probable to accommodate collaboration across different time zones (e.g., US and UK teams). Core hours for essential meetings and team syncs will be expected.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote nature of the role means a strong emphasis on self-discipline, effective virtual communication, and the ability to manage one's own work environment and schedule efficiently. Collaboration tools and practices will be central to success.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A brief call with a recruiter to assess basic qualifications, experience, and cultural fit.
• Hiring Manager Interview: Deeper dive into your experience, research methodologies, and approach to problem-solving, likely with a UX Lead or Director.
• Portfolio Review & Presentation: A dedicated session where you will present your portfolio, walking through 1-2 key projects. Expect questions about your process, decision-making, and the impact of your research.
• Skills/Case Study Interview: Potentially a practical exercise or case study to assess your ability to analyze data, identify user needs, and propose research solutions for a given problem.
• Cross-Functional Stakeholder Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers, UX Designers, or engineers to evaluate collaboration skills and ability to integrate research into the product development lifecycle.
• Final Interview: May involve senior leadership for final assessment of fit and strategic alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: For each project presented, clearly articulate the problem, your specific contributions, the research methods used, the insights derived, and most importantly, the outcomes or impact of your research on the product or business. Quantify results whenever possible (e.g., "reduced task completion time by X%", "identified key usability issues leading to Y design changes").
• Showcase Process: Detail your research process from planning to synthesis. Explain why you chose specific methodologies and how you adapted them.
• Tell a Story: Structure your presentations like a narrative, guiding the interviewers through your thought process and the journey of discovery.
• Be Prepared for Questions: Anticipate questions about your decision-making, how you handled challenging situations, how you dealt with conflicting data, and how you collaborated with teams.
• Tailor to Anaplan: If possible, tailor your portfolio examples to showcase experience relevant to B2B SaaS, complex enterprise software, or planning tools, if you have it.

Challenge Preparation:

• Anticipate Research Scenarios: Be ready to discuss how you would approach research for a new feature or to diagnose a specific user pain point within a complex enterprise application.
• Data Analysis Practice: Think about how you would analyze a mixed-methods dataset (qualitative interviews, survey data, usage analytics) to extract actionable insights.
• Stakeholder Communication: Practice articulating complex research findings concisely and persuasively, focusing on the "so what?" and the recommended actions.
• Methodology Justification: Be prepared to defend your choice of research methods for different scenarios.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio review is often the most crucial part of the interview process for UX roles. Demonstrating not just research skills, but the ability to translate those skills into tangible business impact and effective communication is key.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• User Testing Platforms: Tools for conducting moderated and unmoderated usability tests and remote research sessions (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze).
• Survey & Feedback Tools: Platforms for creating and distributing surveys and collecting user feedback (e.g., Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey, Google Forms).
• Collaboration & Communication: Tools for team communication, project management, and collaborative design/research (e.g., Slack, Microsoft Teams, Jira, Confluence, Miro).
• Prototyping & Design Tools: While not primary for research, familiarity with tools used by designers (e.g., Figma, Sketch) can aid collaboration.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Tools for understanding user behavior within the product (e.g., Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude).
• Data Analysis & Visualization: Software for analyzing quantitative data and creating reports (e.g., Excel, Tableau, potentially R or Python for advanced analysis).
• Reporting Tools: Ability to create clear, concise research reports and presentations.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: Familiarity with CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce) can provide context on customer data and sales/support workflows, though direct CRM management is not expected.
• Automation Tools: Understanding of workflow automation principles relevant to research participant management or data analysis could be beneficial.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency with a range of user research tools is essential. The ability to integrate data from product analytics and potentially CRM systems to enrich qualitative findings would be a significant advantage.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A core value is advocating for the user and ensuring their needs and experiences are at the forefront of product development.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Emphasizing the use of research and analytics to inform product strategy and design choices.
• Collaboration & Teamwork: Fostering a collaborative environment where cross-functional teams work together to achieve common goals.
• Innovation & Continuous Improvement: Encouraging new ideas and a proactive approach to refining processes and product offerings.
• Excellence & Accountability: A commitment to high standards of work, taking ownership of research outcomes, and delivering impactful results.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Researchers are expected to work closely with Product Managers and UX Designers, acting as partners in the product development process.
• Empathy Building: The team aims to build empathy for users across all departments through effective storytelling and sharing of research insights.
• Feedback Culture: Openness to feedback on research approaches and findings, and providing constructive feedback to colleagues.
• Knowledge Sharing: A culture that encourages sharing research findings and best practices to uplift the entire team and organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's "Winning Culture" and emphasis on being "values-based" suggest that candidates should be prepared to demonstrate how they embody these principles in their daily work and interactions. Understanding how research fits into the broader product and business strategy is key.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Complexity of Enterprise SaaS: Researching a complex B2B SaaS platform requires a deep understanding of intricate business workflows and user roles, demanding significant domain learning.
• Balancing Generative and Evaluative Research: Effectively managing a mix of research types to meet diverse product development needs can be challenging.
• Translating Insights into Action: Ensuring that research findings are understood, prioritized, and acted upon by cross-functional teams, especially in a large organization.
• Remote Collaboration: Maintaining strong connections and effective collaboration with a globally distributed team requires proactive communication and engagement.
• Data Synthesis Across Sources: Integrating insights from various data sources (user interviews, analytics, support tickets) to form a holistic understanding of user behavior can be complex.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Research Techniques: Opportunities to learn and apply more specialized research methods, potentially including quantitative modeling or advanced statistical analysis.
• Domain Expertise: Deepen knowledge in business planning, financial analytics, and the specific industries Anaplan serves.
• AI Research Exposure: Gain experience in researching user interactions with AI-powered features, a growing area in enterprise software.
• Mentorship Programs: Potential for mentorship from senior researchers or leaders within Anaplan's UX and Product organizations.
• Industry Conferences & Training: Access to relevant conferences, workshops, and online courses to stay current with UX research best practices and tools.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for senior UX roles in enterprise software. Framing these challenges as opportunities for growth and skill development will be beneficial during interviews.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to influence a product decision with your research findings when there was resistance from stakeholders. How did you approach it?" (Focus on data-driven persuasion, storytelling, and stakeholder management.)
• "How do you determine which research methodology is most appropriate for a given product question or stage of development?" (Showcase understanding of trade-offs between methods and alignment with project goals.)
• "Imagine we are launching a new AI-driven forecasting feature. What would be your initial research plan to understand user needs and potential adoption challenges?" (Demonstrate strategic thinking, method selection, and consideration of user context.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "How do you see your role as a UX Researcher contributing to Anaplan's 'Winning Culture' and its values-based approach?" (Connect your work to company values like user-centricity, data-driven decisions, and collaboration.)
• "How do you typically collaborate with Product Managers and UX Designers? What is your ideal working relationship?" (Highlight your ability to integrate seamlessly into product teams and provide valuable research partnership.)
• "How do you measure the impact of your UX research on product success or business outcomes?" (Prepare to discuss metrics and how you track the influence of your work.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Start with the business problem, your research objectives, your methodology, key findings, actionable recommendations, and finally, the impact/outcomes.
• Data Visualization: Use clear visuals to represent data, journey maps, and personas. Keep text concise and focus on key takeaways.
• Storytelling: Weave a narrative that highlights the user's journey and how your research provided critical insights.
• Q&A Preparedness: Anticipate questions about your decisions, challenges faced, and how you would handle similar situations in the future. Be ready to discuss the "why" behind your choices.
• Conciseness: Aim to present 1-2 projects thoroughly within the allotted time, rather than rushing through many.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interviewers will be assessing not only your technical research skills but also your strategic thinking, communication abilities, and how well you align with Anaplan's culture and values. Be prepared to discuss your process, impact, and collaborative approach.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this UX Researcher position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Greenhouse.
• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight your experience with UX research methodologies, data analysis, stakeholder collaboration, and impact on product development. Use keywords from the job description.
• Prepare Your Portfolio: Curate your strongest UX research projects that showcase your end-to-end research process, analytical skills, and ability to drive impactful decisions. Ensure it's easily accessible (e.g., a personal website, PDF, or dedicated portfolio platform).
• Practice Your Portfolio Presentation: Rehearse walking through 1-2 key projects, focusing on clear storytelling, demonstrating your process, and quantifying the impact of your work. Be ready to answer detailed questions.
• Research Anaplan: Understand Anaplan's product, its market position, and its stated company values. Consider how your research skills can contribute to their mission and "Winning Culture."
• Prepare for Behavioral Questions: Anticipate questions about your experience, problem-solving skills, and how you handle collaboration and challenges.

⚠️ 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.