Principal UX Researcher

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Principal UX Researcher

Company: Zocdoc

Location: New York, NY

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: User Experience Research / Product Strategy

Date Posted: 2026-09-03

Experience Level: 7+ Years (Mid-Senior to Principal Level)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Own and drive the research strategy for Zocdoc's core user groups (patients or providers), influencing product roadmaps and business objectives.

• Lead complex, multi-phase mixed-methods research studies from inception through iteration, ensuring user needs and mindsets are understood.

• Shape high-ambiguity problem spaces with robust qualitative and quantitative evidence, particularly for zero-to-one opportunities.

• Develop and evolve user-centered metrics and measurement programs in partnership with Data Science, tracking user experience and business outcomes.

• Collaborate extensively with Product, Design, Brand, Marketing, and Data Science leadership to embed user insights across the organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Principal UX Researcher, indicating significant autonomy and strategic influence. The emphasis on "owning the research agenda" and "shaping high-ambiguity problem spaces" suggests a need for a proactive, strategic thinker who can operate with limited precedent and drive research initiatives independently. The "Principal" title also implies mentorship responsibilities and representing UXR at leadership levels.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Strategize, scope, and execute complex, multi-phase research studies from early discovery through product launch and ongoing iteration.

• Design and conduct quantitative research, including needs sizing, concept testing, segmentation, and tracking surveys, with a focus on sampling strategies for hard-to-reach populations.

• Integrate behavioral data with qualitative insights to provide a holistic understanding of user journeys, pain points, and task completion.

• Develop and maintain measurement programs (tracking surveys, benchmarking, longitudinal studies, diary studies) to hold the business accountable to user-centered outcomes.

• Synthesize and package insights from diverse studies into memorable and actionable frameworks for various audiences, including leadership.

• Partner with Marketing, Brand, and Sales teams to ensure a unified view of the user informs positioning, go-to-market strategies, and product development.

• Build and evolve research infrastructure, including external sample sources, agencies, and contractor partners, and advocate for necessary budgets.

• Mentor junior researchers, share industry knowledge, and contribute to the overall growth and maturity of the UXR practice.

• Represent User Experience Research (UXR) on business unit leadership teams, advocating for user needs and research-driven decision-making.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic ownership and hands-on execution. The expectation to "build and evolve new research systems" and "reduce one-off reactive research" points to a need for process optimization and infrastructure development within the UXR function. The emphasis on "sampling judgment" and "defining measurement, not just consuming it" indicates a high level of methodological rigor expected.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Statistics, or a related field is typically expected for this level of role.

Experience: Minimum of 7+ years of dedicated UX research experience, with a demonstrated track record of impacting product strategy and direction.

Required Skills:

• Genuine fluency in both qualitative (e.g., interviews, usability testing, ethnography) and quantitative (e.g., surveys, A/B testing analysis, statistical analysis) research methods.

• Proven ability to define and implement measurement programs, including tracking surveys, benchmarking studies, and defining key user-centered metrics.

• Strong sampling judgment and experience in developing strategies to reach diverse and hard-to-reach user populations.

• Experience in building and leveraging research infrastructure, including managing external vendors (agencies, contractors) and advocating for budgets.

• Demonstrated experience in influencing leaders who may lack deep experience with research methodologies and insights.

• Superb communication and presentation skills, with the ability to keep diverse stakeholders informed across multiple mediums.

• Capability to balance systems-level strategic thinking with detailed execution, navigating ambiguity and political nuance.

• Experience in consumer products at scale OR B2B/SaaS products with complex, multi-stakeholder adoption cycles.

• Experience leading foundational, cross-functional research efforts, partnering effectively with Data Science and Marketing. Preferred Skills:

• Experience with AI tools and processes for research efficiency and scalability.

• Familiarity with healthcare marketplaces or complex consumer/B2B platforms.

• Experience in defining and iterating on jobs-to-be-done frameworks.

• Strong understanding of product development lifecycle and agile methodologies.

• Mentorship experience for junior researchers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "7+ years" requirement coupled with "Principal" title suggests a senior individual contributor role. The emphasis on "genuine fluency in both qualitative and quantitative methods" and "real sampling judgment" indicates a need for deep methodological expertise rather than just surface-level knowledge. The requirement to "build and leverage research infrastructure" and "make a case for the budget" points to a need for strong strategic and business acumen.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a strong mixed-methods research portfolio demonstrating adaptive processes, precise and generative insights, and a clear ability to influence product direction.

• Include case studies that highlight complex, multi-phase studies from strategy definition through to impact measurement.

• Detail your approach to defining and executing research for zero-to-one opportunities with limited precedent.

• Demonstrate how you have combined behavioral data with qualitative findings to provide comprehensive user understanding.

• Present examples of how you have developed and implemented measurement programs (tracking, benchmarking, longitudinal studies). Process Documentation:

• Clearly articulate your research process, emphasizing how you scope, plan, execute, and synthesize findings.

• Provide examples of how you have partnered with Data Science and Marketing to establish shared user views and drive alignment.

• Illustrate your approach to building and evolving research systems and infrastructure to improve efficiency and scalability.

• Document how you have mentored junior researchers or contributed to the UXR practice's maturity.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Principal level role, the portfolio is critical. It should not only showcase past projects but also demonstrate the candidate's strategic thinking, methodological rigor, and ability to drive significant business impact through research. Emphasis should be placed on how the candidate "shaped high-ambiguity problem spaces" and "defined measurement" rather than just conducting standard usability tests.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $187,000 - $240,000 USD per year.

Benefits:

• Flexible, hybrid work environment.

• Unlimited Vacation policy.

• 100% paid employee health benefit options (medical, dental, and vision).

• Commuter Benefits program.

• 401(k) with employer-funded match.

• Corporate wellness program (Wellhub).

• Sabbatical leave (after 5+ years of service).

• Competitive paid parental leave.

• Fertility/family planning reimbursement.

• Cell phone reimbursement.

• Catered lunch daily, with beverages and snacks provided.

• Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and ZocClubs.

• Great Place to Work Certified.

Working Hours: Standard 40 hours per week, with flexibility expected due to the hybrid work environment and the nature of research projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range of $187,000 - $240,000 USD for New York, NY, aligns with senior/principal-level UX Researcher roles in major tech hubs. This range reflects the required experience, the strategic nature of the role, and the cost of living in NYC. The benefits package is comprehensive, with notable inclusions like unlimited vacation, 100% paid health benefits, and catered lunches, which are attractive perks in the tech industry.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Digital Health Marketplace. Zocdoc operates at the intersection of healthcare and technology, aiming