UX Researcher

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: UX Researcher Company: Slingshot Aerospace Location: Remote, United States Job Type: Full-Time Category: User Experience (UX) Research Date Posted: 2025-10-28 Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (3+ years) Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive user-centered design by conducting end-to-end qualitative and quantitative UX research studies across the product lifecycle.
• Uncover user insights to inform product direction, improve usability, and shape business strategy in complex technical domains.
• Champion the voice of the user, translating research findings into actionable recommendations for product, design, engineering, and growth teams.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to integrate user needs and behaviors into product development processes and decision-making.
• Contribute to roadmap planning by identifying user pain points, behaviors, and emerging opportunity areas grounded in data.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is explicitly positioned as a UX Researcher, not a general Product Designer or Analyst. The emphasis is on research methodologies, insight generation, and influencing product strategy through user understanding. The "Depending on level and scope" note suggests potential for growth into more senior, strategic, or specialized Research Operations roles.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Discovery & Study Design:
  • Own the entire research process: scoping, participant recruitment, methodology selection, study facilitation, and analysis for diverse product initiatives.
  • Define and frame research questions that directly address product uncertainties and align with overarching business objectives, in close partnership with Product, Design, Engineering, and Growth teams.
  • Proactively contribute to strategic roadmap planning by identifying and articulating user needs, pain points, and untapped opportunity areas based on robust research findings.
• Research Execution & Insight Generation:
  • Conduct mixed-methods research, including but not limited to user interviews, usability testing, surveys, field studies, and A/B testing, to gather comprehensive user data.
  • Synthesize complex qualitative and quantitative data into clear, concise, and actionable insights that drive product improvements and strategic decisions.
  • Provide rapid evaluative testing and continuous discovery support to product teams, ensuring user feedback is integrated throughout the development cycle.
  • Collaborate with data analysts and designers to triangulate findings, ensuring a holistic understanding of user behavior, attitudes, and contextual factors.
• Influence & Integration:
  • Translate research insights into tangible artifacts such as user personas, journey maps, and strategic recommendations to guide product decisions and prioritize roadmap initiatives.
  • Present research findings persuasively and clearly to cross-functional stakeholders, fostering a shared understanding and collective empathy for user needs.
  • Build organizational empathy for users through compelling storytelling, facilitated workshops, and embedded collaboration with product teams.
• Cross-functional Collaboration:
  • Work closely with design, product management, engineering, marketing, and customer success teams to ensure user insights are effectively integrated into all stages of the product development lifecycle and business processes.
  • Partner with other UX researchers within the organization to refine and standardize internal research methodologies, templates, and best practices, fostering a cohesive research function.
  • Act as a vocal advocate for research and the user's perspective in key planning sessions and product decision-making forums, actively contributing to a user-centered development culture.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities are structured logically, covering the full research lifecycle from planning to influence. The emphasis on "end-to-end research studies" and "mixed-methods research" highlights the expectation of a seasoned researcher. The "depending on level and scope" note implies that senior candidates might lead high-impact initiatives, contribute to business strategy, and focus on Research Operations.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Sociology, Design, or a closely related field.
• Advanced degrees (Master's or Ph.D.) are considered a plus, as is a demonstrated commitment to continuous learning through specialized research training, behavioral science certifications, or relevant academic coursework.

Experience:

• A minimum of 3 years of progressive experience in UX research or a related discipline such as design research, HCI, behavioral science, or product design.
• Demonstrated increasing scope of responsibility and autonomy in previous roles, with a track record of successfully leading and executing research projects.
• Proven experience in planning and executing end-to-end research studies, encompassing both generative (exploratory) and evaluative (validation) research methods.
• A strong portfolio showcasing successful projects and a clear ability to influence product and business decisions through compelling insights, data alignment, and effective storytelling.

Required Skills:

• User Experience Research: Deep expertise in planning, executing, and synthesizing findings from a variety of UX research methodologies.
• Qualitative Research: Proficiency in conducting user interviews, contextual inquiries, usability tests, and focus groups to uncover user needs, pain points, and behaviors.
• Quantitative Research: Experience with surveys, A/B testing, data analysis, and other quantitative methods to validate hypotheses and measure user behavior at scale.
• Usability Testing: Skill in designing and conducting usability tests (moderated and unmoderated) to identify and resolve UI/UX issues.
• Data Analysis & Synthesis: Ability to analyze complex qualitative and quantitative data, identify patterns, and derive actionable insights.
• Project Management: Strong organizational and project management skills to manage multiple research studies simultaneously, ensuring timely delivery.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Proven ability to work effectively with product managers, designers, engineers, and other stakeholders.
• Storytelling & Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present findings clearly, persuasively, and impactfully to diverse audiences.
• Human-Centered Design: A strong understanding of human-centered design principles and the product development lifecycle.

Preferred Skills:

• Stakeholder Management & Influence: Experience effectively managing stakeholder expectations and influencing product strategy and roadmap decisions.
• Journey Mapping & Persona Creation: Proficiency in developing user personas, journey maps, and other frameworks to represent user understanding.
• Research Operations (Research Ops): Awareness and experience with building scalable research systems, including participant management, template creation, data tagging, and documentation best practices.
• Tool Proficiency: Familiarity with common UX research tools such as Figma, Dovetail, UserTesting.com, Miro, Lyssna, or similar platforms.
• Domain Experience: Experience or strong interest in technical domains such as aerospace, geospatial technology, 3D visualization, or real-time decision support tools.
• Flexibility & Adaptability: Ability to balance research rigor with pragmatic, scrappy approaches based on project needs and constraints.
• Continuous Learning Mindset: Demonstrated commitment to staying current with UX trends, emerging research methods, and ethical research practices.
• Business Acumen: Understanding of business principles and how user research can impact business outcomes and decision-making.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Minimum Requirements" clearly define the baseline expectation for years of experience and education. The "Preferred Skills" section is crucial for candidates, highlighting specific tools and domain knowledge that would make them stand out. The note about transferable skills is a positive signal for candidates who might not meet every single preferred criterion.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrate End-to-End Research Ownership: Showcase at least 2-3 distinct projects where you took full ownership of the research process, from initial scoping to final insight delivery and impact.
• Methodological Diversity: Include examples of studies employing a mix of qualitative and quantitative methodologies (e.g., interviews, usability tests, surveys, field studies) to address different research questions.
• Insight-to-Impact Articulation: Clearly articulate the user insights discovered and, critically, demonstrate how these insights directly influenced product design, strategy, or business outcomes. Quantify impact where possible.
• Process Documentation Examples: Provide brief examples or descriptions of how you document research plans, methodologies, findings, and recommendations to ensure clarity and accessibility for cross-functional teams.

Process Documentation:

• Research Plan & Methodology: Evidence of structured research planning, including defining clear research questions, selecting appropriate methodologies, and outlining participant criteria.
• Synthesis & Deliverables: Examples of how you synthesize complex data into digestible formats, such as personas, journey maps, user flows, or actionable insight reports.
• Cross-Functional Integration: Demonstrate how research findings are communicated and integrated into product development workflows, including collaboration with design, product, and engineering.
• Impact Measurement: Showcase how the impact of research recommendations was tracked or measured, even if qualitatively, to demonstrate the value of your work.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section is tailored to the specific needs of a UX Researcher role. The emphasis is on demonstrating a complete research lifecycle, the ability to translate raw data into actionable insights, and the crucial skill of proving the impact of that research on product decisions and business outcomes.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $125,000 - $155,000 USD Annually

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans designed to support employee well-being.
• Retirement Savings Plan: Opportunities for long-term financial planning with employer contributions.
• Paid Time Off: Generous vacation, sick leave, and holiday policies to ensure work-life balance.
• Professional Development: Support for continuous learning, including access to training, conferences, and certifications relevant to UX research and the aerospace/defense industry.
• Remote Work Stipend: Potential for a stipend to enhance home office setup for remote employees.
• Equity Opportunities: Possibility of receiving stock options or other equity-based compensation as part of the total compensation package.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time workweek (approximately 40 hours).
• While core hours will apply for team collaboration and meetings, there is an expectation of flexibility to accommodate research needs and cross-time-zone collaboration, typical for a remote role.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is explicitly provided in the input. The benefits are inferred based on standard offerings from tech companies, particularly those in the remote and full-time exempt categories. The working hours note acknowledges the flexibility inherent in remote work while also mentioning the need for structured collaboration.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Aerospace & Defense Technology, Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Mission-Critical Solutions. Slingshot Aerospace operates at the intersection of cutting-edge technology and high-stakes government and commercial applications, focusing on making space operations smarter and safer.

Company Size: While not explicitly stated in the provided data, the use of Greenhouse ATS and the mention of multiple product teams suggest a growing mid-sized company rather than a small startup or a large enterprise. This typically means a dynamic environment with opportunities for impact and a structured yet agile approach to product development.

Founded: Founded in 2020, Slingshot Aerospace is a relatively young company, indicating a culture of innovation, rapid growth, and a forward-thinking approach to solving complex problems in the space domain.

Team Structure:

• Product Teams: The UX Researcher will likely be embedded within or closely collaborate with several cross-functional product teams, each comprising Product Managers, Designers, Engineers, and potentially Data Analysts.
• Reporting: The UX Researcher will report into a Product or Design leadership structure, with potential dotted-line reporting or strong collaboration with a dedicated Research Operations function if one exists or is being developed.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: A strong emphasis is placed on close collaboration with Product, Design, Engineering, Growth, and Customer Success teams to ensure user insights are holistic and actionable across the entire customer journey.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: The company heavily relies on data analytics and AI to drive product development and business strategy, suggesting a strong preference for research that is grounded in empirical evidence.
• User-Centric Product Development: A core belief in understanding users is stated, implying that research findings are actively sought and integrated into product roadmaps and design processes.
• Agile & Iterative Approach: Given the company's age and industry, an agile and iterative product development methodology is likely, where research plays a continuous role in discovery and validation.

Company Website: https://slingshotaerospace.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company context is derived from the "About Us" section and industry knowledge. The emphasis on space operations, data analytics, and AI provides a unique backdrop for UX research, requiring researchers to engage with complex technical domains. The company's founding date suggests a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a mid-to-senior level UX Researcher (3+ years of experience). Depending on the candidate's experience, it could lean more towards a Senior UX Researcher if they demonstrate leadership in high-impact initiatives, strategic contributions, and influencing organizational-wide research practices.

Reporting Structure: The UX Researcher will likely report to a Director or VP of Product or Design. They will work closely with Product Managers and Designers within various product teams, acting as a key strategic partner. The role is an individual contributor, but senior levels may involve mentoring junior researchers or contributing to Research Operations enablement.

Operations Impact: The UX Researcher's impact is critical to Slingshot Aerospace's mission of creating "world-class data analytics and AI decision intelligence" for space operations. By ensuring products are intuitive, effective, and meet the rigorous demands of users in high-stakes environments, the researcher directly contributes to:

• Product Adoption & Satisfaction: Ensuring users can effectively utilize complex tools.
• Reduced Development Waste: Preventing the building of features that don't meet user needs.
• Strategic Product Direction: Informing the development of new capabilities and market opportunities.
• Customer Value & Retention: Delivering solutions that solve critical problems for customers in the space and defense sectors.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific research areas (e.g., generative research, quantitative analysis, research operations) or specific product domains within aerospace and defense.
• Leadership Track: For senior-level candidates, there's potential to grow into Lead UX Researcher roles, managing research initiatives, mentoring junior team members, and contributing more significantly to product and business strategy.
• Research Operations: Potential to transition into or contribute to building out Research Operations, focusing on scalable research frameworks, tools, and processes for the entire organization.
• Cross-functional Mobility: Gaining deep product and domain knowledge could open doors to product management or strategic roles within the company.
• Continuous Learning: The company emphasizes continuous learning, encouraging participation in industry events, training, and academic pursuits relevant to UX and the company's domain.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section interprets the "Depending on level and scope" note and the overall role description to outline potential career trajectories for a UX Researcher within Slingshot Aerospace, emphasizing the strategic impact and growth paths beyond a pure individual contributor role.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Fully Remote. This means no dedicated physical office space is required for this role, offering maximum flexibility.

Office Location(s): Remote, United States. Candidates must reside within the United States and be eligible to work there. Specific state restrictions apply (AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, HI, IL, IN, KS, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OR, RI, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, and WI).

Workspace Context:

• Autonomy & Self-Direction: As a remote role, there’s a high degree of autonomy expected in managing one's time, workspace, and productivity.
• Digital Collaboration Tools: The work environment will heavily rely on digital collaboration tools (Slack, Zoom, Miro, Figma, etc.) for communication, brainstorming, and co-creation.
• Cross-Functional Interaction: Despite being remote, the role emphasizes close interaction with distributed teams across Product, Design, and Engineering, requiring proactive communication and engagement.
• Focus on Technical Domains: The work involves engaging with complex technical concepts in aerospace and defense, requiring a mentally stimulating environment conducive to deep learning and problem-solving.

Work Schedule:

• A standard full-time schedule (approximately 40 hours per week) is expected.
• While specific hours may offer flexibility, candidates must be available for scheduled meetings, workshops, and collaborative sessions with teams across different US time zones. This may require occasional early morning or late afternoon availability depending on team locations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Remote, United States" location and the explicit list of eligible states are key details. The context emphasizes the tools and collaborative dynamics of a remote work environment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

1. Recruiter Screen: Initial conversation to assess basic qualifications, interest, and cultural fit.
2. Hiring Manager Interview: In-depth discussion about experience, research philosophy, approach to complex problems, and alignment with Slingshot Aerospace's mission.
3. Portfolio Review & Presentation: A critical stage where candidates present 1-2 key research projects from their portfolio. This will involve discussing their process, findings, impact, and ability to articulate insights persuasively. Expect questions about challenges faced and how they were overcome.
4. Cross-functional Interviews: Interviews with members of Product, Design, and Engineering teams to assess collaboration skills, ability to integrate research into development workflows, and understanding of technical domains.
5. Final Interview/Executive Interview: Potentially a discussion with senior leadership to confirm strategic alignment and cultural fit.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Select High-Impact Projects: Choose projects that clearly demonstrate your end-to-end research process, showcase significant impact, and align with the technical nature of Slingshot Aerospace's work.
• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly articulate:
  • The problem or research question.
  • Your approach (methodologies, tools).
  • The insights you uncovered.
  • The recommendations you made.
  • The impact of your work (quantify if possible).
  • Key learnings or challenges.
• Showcase Collaboration: Highlight how you worked with cross-functional teams and integrated feedback.
• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about your methodology choices, how you handled difficult stakeholders, how you synthesized complex data, and how you measured success.
• Tailor to Slingshot: If possible, draw connections between your past work and the challenges or domain areas relevant to Slingshot Aerospace (space, defense, AI, data analytics).

Challenge Preparation:

• Case Study Analysis: Be ready for a potential take-home assignment or an in-person/virtual case study where you might be asked to outline a research plan for a given problem or critique a hypothetical product/feature from a UX research perspective.
• Methodology Justification: Practice explaining why you chose specific research methods for particular problems, demonstrating a strategic understanding of research design.
• Insight Communication: Prepare to present insights in a way that is actionable for product teams, focusing on "so what?" and "now what?" rather than just reporting data.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section provides actionable advice for preparing for each stage of the interview process, with a strong emphasis on the portfolio presentation, which is central to UX research roles.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Prototyping & Design Collaboration: Figma (highly preferred)
• Research Repository & Synthesis: Dovetail, or similar tools for organizing and analyzing research data.
• User Testing Platforms: UserTesting.com, Lookback, or similar for remote usability testing.
• Whiteboarding & Collaboration: Miro, Mural, or similar for remote ideation and synthesis workshops.
• Audio/Video Transcription & Analysis: Lyssna, Otter.ai, or similar for efficient analysis of qualitative data.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly a primary UX research tool, familiarity with product analytics platforms (e.g., Amplitude, Mixpanel, Google Analytics) is beneficial for triangulating qualitative findings with quantitative user behavior data.
• Proficiency in generating reports and dashboards to communicate research findings effectively.

CRM & Automation:

• Familiarity with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and marketing automation tools can be helpful for understanding the broader customer lifecycle and data points related to user engagement.
• Understanding of how research insights can inform customer success and marketing efforts.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Preferred Skills" section directly lists several relevant tools. This section expands on those, categorizing them by function and adding context about their use in a UX research workflow.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A deep and unwavering commitment to understanding and advocating for the user's needs, behaviors, and motivations in all product decisions.
• Data-Driven Innovation: A culture that values empirical evidence, both qualitative and quantitative, to inform strategy, validate hypotheses, and drive innovation in complex technical domains.
• Collaboration & Transparency: Open communication and strong partnerships across product, design, engineering, and other departments to ensure insights are shared, understood, and acted upon effectively.
• Bold Thinking & Continuous Learning: Encouragement to tackle challenging problems, embrace new ideas, and foster a growth mindset through ongoing learning and adaptation.
• Mission-Driven Impact: A shared passion for contributing to safer and smarter space operations, understanding that the work has significant real-world implications.

Collaboration Style:

• Embedded Research: UX Researchers are expected to be embedded within or closely aligned with product teams, fostering a collaborative and integrated approach to product development.
• Proactive Partnership: The style encourages proactive engagement with stakeholders, seeking opportunities to inform strategy rather than just responding to requests.
• Insight Facilitation: Collaboration involves not just delivering findings but facilitating workshops and discussions that help teams internalize user needs and co-create solutions.
• Constructive Feedback Loop: An environment where feedback on research processes and findings is welcomed and used to refine methodologies and improve outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: These values are synthesized from the "About Us" section and the overall description of the role and company. They highlight the expected mindset and interpersonal approach for success at Slingshot Aerospace.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Complex Technical Domains: Gaining a deep understanding of intricate concepts in space operations, defense systems, and real-time decision intelligence can be challenging but rewarding.
• Balancing Rigor and Speed: Striking the right balance between conducting thorough, robust research and meeting the rapid demands of a fast-paced product development cycle.
• Influencing Stakeholders: Effectively translating complex research findings into compelling narratives that drive action and buy-in from diverse, often technically-minded, stakeholders.
• Establishing/Scaling Research Ops: For candidates interested in Research Ops, there may be an opportunity to contribute to building scalable research processes, tools, and participant management systems in a growing company.
• Remote Collaboration Dynamics: Maintaining strong team cohesion, empathy, and effective communication in a fully remote environment.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Domain Expertise: Deepen knowledge in aerospace, defense, geospatial tech, AI, and real-time decision tools, becoming a subject matter expert in these critical fields.
• Advanced Research Methodologies: Opportunity to learn and apply cutting-edge research techniques, potentially including advanced quantitative methods or specialized generative research approaches.
• Strategic Influence: Develop skills in influencing product strategy, roadmap prioritization, and broader business decisions through impactful research.
• Mentorship & Leadership: For senior candidates, opportunities to mentor junior researchers, lead research initiatives, and contribute to shaping the UX function.
• Industry Engagement: Potential to attend industry conferences or pursue certifications relevant to UX research and the aerospace/defense technology sector.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section addresses the inherent difficulties of the role and company context and frames them as opportunities for growth and skill development, aligning with a learning-oriented culture.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Research Strategy for Complex Domains: "How would you approach understanding the needs of satellite operators for a real-time command and control system? What methodologies would you prioritize, and why?" (Focus on your process for tackling novel, complex technical problems).
• Cross-functional Collaboration & Influence: "Describe a time you had to convince a skeptical engineering or product team to adopt a user-centered recommendation. What was your strategy, and what was the outcome?" (Highlight your communication, persuasion, and stakeholder management skills).
• Problem-Solving & Insight Delivery: "Walk us through a challenging research project where the initial findings were ambiguous or contradictory. How did you resolve this ambiguity to deliver actionable insights?" (Demonstrate your analytical rigor and ability to derive clear takeaways).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Slingshot Aerospace's mission to revolutionize space operations?" (Show genuine interest and alignment with the company's purpose).
• "How do you foster empathy for users within a product team, especially in a remote setting?" (Discuss your methods for building user understanding and advocating for the user).
• "How do you measure the impact of your research on product decisions or business outcomes?" (Prepare specific examples and metrics if possible).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on Impact, Not Just Process: While detailing your methodology is important, emphasize the outcomes and impact of your research. What changed because of your work?
• Tell a Story: Structure your case studies as narratives with a clear beginning (problem), middle (your approach and findings), and end (recommendations and impact).
• Quantify When Possible: If you can, use numbers to demonstrate the success of your recommendations (e.g., "This change led to a 15% reduction in task completion errors").
• Be Ready for Q&A: Anticipate detailed questions about your choices, challenges, and learnings. Be honest and reflective.
• Showcase Your 'Why': Explain your passion for UX research and why you are drawn to Slingshot Aerospace's specific mission and domain.

📝 Enhancement Note: These interview questions are designed to probe the core competencies of a UX Researcher and their ability to thrive in Slingshot Aerospace's specific environment. The portfolio advice is crucial for this role.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this UX Researcher position:

• Submit Your Application: Complete the application form via the provided link on the Slingshot Aerospace careers page.
• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest UX research projects. Ensure each project clearly demonstrates your end-to-end research process, the methodologies used, the actionable insights derived, and the resulting impact on product or business outcomes. Quantify impact where possible and be ready to discuss your specific contributions.
• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight keywords and responsibilities from your past roles that align with the job description, such as "qualitative research," "quantitative analysis," "usability testing," "stakeholder influence," "cross-functional collaboration," and experience with relevant tools. Emphasize achievements and measurable results.
• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice articulating your research process, key findings, and impact for your chosen portfolio projects. Be ready to discuss your approach to complex technical domains and how you advocate for user needs within product teams.
• Research Slingshot Aerospace: Familiarize yourself with Slingshot Aerospace's mission, products, and the space/defense industry. Understand their commitment to data analytics and AI, and consider how your UX research skills can contribute to their goals.

⚠️ 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.

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