Senior User Researcher

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior User Researcher

Company: Ciklum

Location: Brazil

Job Type: Full time

Category: User Research / Product Development Operations

Date Posted: 2026-08-12

Experience Level: 5-10 years

Remote Status: 100% Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and own the end-to-end user research process within project lifecycles, from opportunity identification to insight integration into product strategy and agile workflows.

• Employ a diverse range of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies to assess and validate product concepts, define customer segmentation, and drive customer-centric product development.

• Collaborate closely with design, product, and presale teams to translate research findings into actionable strategies, roadmaps, and solutions that resonate with users and business objectives.

• Contribute to the continuous improvement of the user research practice by sharing knowledge, developing guidelines, and mentoring colleagues, fostering a culture of user-centricity across the organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned within a custom product engineering company, suggesting a strong emphasis on deeply understanding client needs and user behaviors to inform product strategy and development. The "Senior" title implies a need for independent leadership, strategic thinking, and the ability to mentor junior researchers. The remote nature and global team structure highlight the importance of strong communication and collaboration skills.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own the entire user research stream for projects, encompassing opportunity spotting, research planning, participant recruitment, execution, and ensuring insights are prioritized and embedded into product development.

• Establish and manage robust user research processes that seamlessly integrate into agile workflows during both the discovery and delivery phases of projects.

• Conduct a variety of research types, including exploratory, assessment, evaluative, quantitative, and qualitative methods, tailored to project context and objectives.

• Partner with design and product teams to translate research findings into actionable strategies, roadmaps, and innovative solutions, ensuring a customer-driven approach.

• Actively participate in enhancing the broader user research practice by contributing to guidelines, knowledge sharing sessions, and supporting other researchers within the team.

• Consult with presale teams on user research approaches and methodologies for potential new projects, contributing to business development efforts.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly indicate a hands-on role that requires not only execution but also strategic ownership of the research process. The expectation to consult with presale teams suggests a business-acumen component, where research insights can directly influence client acquisition and project scoping.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Design Research, or a related field is typically expected for senior-level user researcher roles.

Experience: 5+ years of hands-on, standalone user research experience.

Required Skills:

• Expertise in core user research methods (e.g., interviews, surveys, usability testing) and the ability to execute them independently.

• Proven experience in assessing and validating early product concepts using diverse research methodologies beyond just interviews.

• Proficiency in defining customer segmentation across various markets and user groups.

• Demonstrated experience in participant recruitment for research studies.

• Exceptional facilitation skills for leading workshops, design sprints, and co-creation sessions.

• Strong sense of ownership and initiative, with the ability to drive work forward with minimal direction.

• Stellar communication and interpersonal skills for advising, negotiating, and collaborating effectively with stakeholders at all levels.

• Ability to synthesize complex data into compelling, evidence-led narratives that influence stakeholder thinking and guide product decisions.

• Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to manage priorities and deadlines in a dynamic environment.

• Well-versed in research tools such as Maze, Dovetail, or similar platforms for synthesis, repositories, and unmoderated testing. Preferred Skills:

• Experience with advanced quantitative research methods and statistical analysis.

• Familiarity with A/B testing and experimental design principles.

• Knowledge of design thinking methodologies and their application in product development.

• Experience working within distributed or global teams.

• Consulting experience, particularly within a product engineering or agency setting.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on an "experimental mindset combined with rigour" suggests a need for candidates who are not only technically skilled but also adaptable and willing to innovate within research approaches while maintaining scientific integrity. The requirement for strong ownership and minimal direction points to a need for proactive, self-starting individuals.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrate a strong track record of owning and executing user research initiatives from conception to impact, showcasing end-to-end research process ownership.

• Provide case studies that clearly articulate the research problem, methodology applied, key insights derived, and the tangible impact on product strategy, design, or business outcomes (e.g., improved user satisfaction, increased conversion rates, reduced development waste).

• Showcase examples of how you have defined and validated customer segmentation, illustrating the process and the strategic implications for product development.

• Include evidence of your facilitation skills, such as workshop outputs, design sprint summaries, or examples of co-creation artifacts that led to actionable solutions.

• Present examples of how you have synthesized complex research findings into compelling, evidence-led narratives that influenced stakeholder decisions. Process Documentation:

• Illustrate your approach to setting up and managing research processes within agile workflows, including how you integrate research activities into sprints and product delivery cycles.

• Detail your experience in selecting appropriate research methods (exploratory, assessment, evaluative, quantitative, qualitative) based on project stage and objectives.

• Provide examples of how you have used research synthesis tools (e.g., Dovetail, Maze) to organize, analyze, and extract insights from research data.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the "Senior" title and the nature of product engineering, a portfolio demonstrating strategic impact and the ability to independently manage research streams is crucial. Candidates should focus on showcasing how their research directly informed product decisions and business success, rather than just detailing methodologies.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: For a Senior User Researcher with 5-10 years of experience in Brazil, a competitive salary range is estimated to be between BRL 150,000 to BRL 250,000 annually. This estimate considers the senior level, the specialized nature of user research, the remote work arrangement, and the cost of living in major Brazilian tech hubs, adjusted for the company's global operations.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive, company-paid medical insurance for health and well-being.

• Dedicated mental health programs and support systems.

• 5 undocumented sick-leave days per year for personal health needs.

• Access to a Udemy license for continuous learning and skill development.

• Support for language courses to enhance communication capabilities.

• Company-paid certifications to advance professional credentials.

• Generous 20 working-days paid vacation annually, plus local bank holidays.

• Internal Mobility Program offering opportunities for project changes and career growth.

• Opportunities for professional development through internal events, meetups, and workshops.

• 100% remote work mode, offering significant flexibility.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours, typically around 40 hours per week, with flexibility to accommodate different time zones and project needs, especially given the global nature of Ciklum's operations and client base.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimation based on market data for senior-level research roles in Brazil, considering the tech industry and the prevalence of remote work. Benefits are comprehensive, focusing on employee well-being, continuous learning, and career progression, which are attractive to experienced professionals.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, Software Development, Custom Product Engineering, Consulting. Ciklum operates at the intersection of technology and business, providing engineering solutions that help organizations innovate and solve complex challenges. This context means the user researcher will be instrumental in translating business needs into user-centric product features.

Company Size: Global team of over 4,000 highly skilled professionals. This large scale indicates a structured organization with established processes, but also ample opportunities for cross-functional collaboration and impact.

Founded: Ciklum has been in operation for over two decades, indicating a stable and experienced company with a proven track record in the tech industry.

Team Structure:

• The user research team is part of a global network of skilled professionals, suggesting specialization within distinct functional areas (e.g., engineering, design, research, consulting).

• As a Senior User Researcher, you will likely report to a Head of Research, Design Lead, or a Senior Product Manager, with a matrixed reporting structure depending on project assignments.

• Cross-functional collaboration is a core tenet, with close partnerships expected with product managers, designers, engineers, and presale teams to ensure user insights are integrated throughout the product lifecycle. Methodology:

• Ciklum emphasizes a data-driven and evidence-led approach, where user research findings are critical for informing strategic decisions and product development.

• The company operates within agile workflows, requiring researchers to adapt their methodologies to fit iterative development cycles and deliver timely insights.

• A focus on innovation and engineering solutions suggests an environment that values experimentation, continuous learning, and the application of cutting-edge technologies.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's focus on "custom product engineering" and "redefining industries" implies that user research is not a secondary function but a critical driver of innovation and client success. The expansion into Latin America suggests a dynamic and growing environment.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is at a senior individual contributor level, requiring significant autonomy and the ability to lead research initiatives independently. It bridges the gap between executing research and strategically influencing product direction. The "Senior" designation implies a level of expertise that can mentor others and shape research practices.

Reporting Structure: Typically, a Senior User Researcher would report to a Design Lead, Head of UX Research, or a Senior Product Manager. They will work closely with cross-functional teams including product managers, designers, developers, and business analysts, and may also collaborate with presale teams.

Operations Impact: The Senior User Researcher's impact is critical to ensuring that Ciklum's custom-engineered products meet user needs, drive adoption, and achieve business objectives for their clients. By providing evidence-led narratives and strategic insights, they directly influence product strategy, roadmap prioritization, and the overall success of client projects, thereby contributing to revenue generation and client satisfaction.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific research methodologies or industry verticals (e.g., FinTech, HealthTech) relevant to Ciklum's client portfolio.

• Leadership: Transition into a Lead User Researcher or Research Manager role, overseeing a team, setting research strategy, and managing multiple projects.

• Product Strategy: Move into Product Management or UX Strategy roles, leveraging deep user understanding to shape product vision and roadmaps.

• Consulting: Develop expertise in client-facing consulting, advising clients on user research best practices and integrating research into their own product development processes.

• Continuous Learning: Utilize provided resources like Udemy, certifications, and internal workshops to stay abreast of the latest research trends and tools.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth opportunities highlight a clear career path within Ciklum, from senior individual contributor to leadership or strategic roles, with strong support for professional development. The emphasis on global impact and diverse projects offers broad exposure.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: While the role is 100% remote, Ciklum fosters a "One Team" culture and a "welcoming environment" with an "open-door policy" and "informal atmosphere." This suggests a collaborative and supportive virtual workspace. Regular team-building events, even in a remote setting, are likely part of the culture.

Office Location(s): Brazil (remote), with Ciklum having a global presence. This implies interaction with colleagues and clients across different geographies and time zones.

Workspace Context:

• The virtual workspace is designed for collaboration, likely utilizing various digital tools for communication, project management, and co-creation.

• Access to operations tools and technology is provided, as indicated by the mention of specific research platforms like Maze and Dovetail, and a Udemy license for learning.

• Opportunities for interaction with the operations team and wider Ciklum community are facilitated through internal events, meetups, and virtual team-building activities.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time (approximately 40 hours per week) and 100% remote. While a standard schedule is expected, there is likely flexibility to accommodate project needs, client time zones, and personal work styles, a common benefit of remote work in global organizations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote nature is a key aspect, requiring strong self-discipline and communication skills. The company's efforts to foster culture and collaboration virtually are important for remote employees to feel connected and engaged.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your application and resume, focusing on relevant experience and skills. Be prepared to highlight your 5+ years of standalone research experience and proficiency with core methodologies.

• Technical Interview/Portfolio Review: This is a critical stage. You will likely present case studies from your portfolio, detailing your research process, insights, and impact. Be ready to discuss your approach to participant recruitment, segmentation, and the tools you use (Maze, Dovetail). Expect questions on how you handle ambiguity and drive research forward with minimal direction.

• Stakeholder Interview: This may involve meeting with design leads, product managers, or even business stakeholders. The focus will be on your collaboration style, communication skills, ability to translate research into business value, and how you handle challenging stakeholder conversations.

• Final Interview: This might be with a senior leader to assess cultural fit, strategic thinking, and long-term potential within the company.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-5 strong case studies that showcase your end-to-end ownership of research streams, diverse methodologies, and significant impact. Tailor your selection to highlight experience relevant to product engineering and client-facing projects.

• Structure for Impact: For each case study, clearly outline: The Business/Product Problem, Your Role & Responsibilities, Research Objectives, Methodology Used (and why), Key Findings/Insights, Recommendations/Actions Taken, and The Outcome/Impact (quantified where possible).

• Highlight Process & Tools: Explicitly mention how you integrated research into agile workflows and the specific tools (Maze, Dovetail) you utilized for synthesis, repositories, and testing.

• Showcase Narrative Skills: Practice articulating your findings compellingly, demonstrating how you connect dots and create evidence-led narratives that influence decisions.

• Prepare for Questions: Anticipate questions about your experimental mindset, how you handle research challenges, and your approach to stakeholder management and negotiation.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be prepared for a potential take-home assignment or a live exercise focused on a hypothetical research problem. This could involve outlining a research plan, analyzing a small dataset, or presenting your approach to a specific product challenge.

• Focus on demonstrating your ability to quickly grasp a problem, define research objectives, select appropriate methods, and articulate a clear plan.

• Practice presenting your work concisely and effectively, as time management will be crucial.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily weigh your ability to demonstrate end-to-end ownership, strategic thinking, and a results-oriented approach. A strong, well-articulated portfolio is paramount for success in this role.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Research Platforms: Maze, Dovetail, UserTesting.com, Lookback, or similar tools for conducting unmoderated testing, managing research repositories, synthesis, and analysis.

• Collaboration & Whiteboarding: Miro, Mural, FigJam for virtual workshops, design sprints, journey mapping, and collaborative ideation.

• Prototyping Tools (familiarity): Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD – understanding these tools is beneficial for collaborating with designers and interpreting prototypes.

• Survey Tools: SurveyMonkey, Typeform, Google Forms for quantitative data collection.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics (familiarity): Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics – to understand user behavior on live products and inform research questions.

• Product Analytics (familiarity): Mixpanel, Amplitude – for understanding user engagement and feature adoption.

• Data Visualization Tools (familiarity): Tableau, Power BI – for presenting quantitative findings effectively.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM (familiarity): Salesforce, HubSpot – understanding CRM data can provide context for user segmentation and customer journey mapping.

• Project Management: Jira, Asana, Trello – for managing research tasks and integrating with development workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the role is focused on user research, familiarity with a broad spectrum of tools used in product development and analytics will be advantageous. Proficiency with core research platforms like Maze and Dovetail is explicitly required.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and advocating for the user, ensuring their needs and perspectives are at the forefront of product development.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Relying on evidence, including rigorous user research, to inform strategic choices and validate hypotheses.

• Agile & Iterative Approach: Embracing flexibility, quick learning, and continuous improvement in both research methods and product development.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Open communication, knowledge sharing, and a "One Team" mentality across global and cross-functional teams.

• Innovation & Problem-Solving: A proactive and experimental mindset focused on tackling complex challenges and engineering impactful solutions.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Actively partnering with product managers, designers, engineers, and presale teams, embedding research insights at every stage of the product lifecycle.

• Process Review & Feedback: Encouraging a culture of constructive feedback on research methodologies, findings, and their application, fostering continuous improvement.

• Knowledge Sharing: Regularly contributing to internal research communities, sharing best practices, and mentoring colleagues to elevate the collective expertise.

• Empowerment: Working autonomously with a strong sense of ownership, while also being a supportive team member who helps others succeed.

📝 Enhancement Note: Ciklum's values emphasize a blend of technical excellence, client focus, and a collaborative, agile working environment. The "One Team" culture is particularly important for remote employees to feel connected and integrated.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Remote Collaboration: Effectively maintaining strong communication and collaborative relationships with a distributed global team and diverse clients. Strategies include proactive communication, utilizing collaboration tools, and scheduling regular virtual check-ins.

• Balancing Rigor and Speed: Delivering high-quality, impactful research insights within fast-paced agile development cycles and client timelines. This requires efficient planning, prioritization, and adaptation of methodologies.

• Influencing Stakeholders: Translating complex research findings into compelling narratives that resonate with diverse stakeholders, including those less familiar with user research. This involves tailoring communication and demonstrating clear ROI.

• Navigating Ambiguity: Tackling research problems with minimal direction and defining research approaches for novel products or markets. This requires strong critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and initiative.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Operations Skill Advancement: Deepen expertise in advanced research techniques, specialized tools, and quantitative analysis through provided resources and project experience.

• Industry Exposure: Gain broad experience across various industries and product lifecycles by working with Ciklum's diverse international client base.

• Leadership Development: Opportunities to mentor junior researchers, lead research streams on complex projects, and potentially move into leadership roles.

• Professional Growth: Access to Udemy licenses, company-paid certifications, and internal knowledge-sharing events to continuously enhance skills and stay current with industry trends.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role presents opportunities to tackle complex, globally-impactful projects while developing advanced research and strategic influencing skills in a supportive, learning-oriented environment.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you owned the entire user research stream for a product, from initial concept to final delivery. What was your process, and what was the impact?" - Prepare a detailed case study highlighting your end-to-end ownership, methodologies, and quantifiable outcomes.

• "How do you approach defining customer segmentation for a new product or market? Can you share an example?" - Focus on your process for identifying key user groups and the strategic implications of this segmentation.

• "Imagine you need to validate a complex product concept with limited time and budget. What research methods would you prioritize and why?" - Demonstrate your ability to make pragmatic, strategic choices under constraints.

• "How do you ensure your research insights are not only understood but also acted upon by design and product teams?" - Discuss your methods for collaboration, communication, and embedding insights into the product lifecycle. Company & Culture Questions:

• "Why are you interested in Ciklum and this specific Senior User Researcher role?" - Research Ciklum's mission, recent projects, and their focus on custom product engineering. Align your skills and career goals with their offerings.

• "How do you contribute to a collaborative and knowledge-sharing research community, especially in a remote setting?" - Highlight your experience with mentoring, internal presentations, or contributing to best practices.

• "Describe your ideal work environment and how you thrive in a remote, global team." - Emphasize your self-discipline, communication strengths, and ability to connect with colleagues virtually. Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on Narrative: Structure your presentation around compelling stories of impact. Clearly articulate the problem, your approach, the insights, and the tangible results.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals from your case studies (e.g., key findings slides, workshop outputs, persona summaries) to illustrate your points.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the business value of your research (e.g., increased conversion rates, reduced support tickets, improved NPS scores).

• Highlight Process Integration: Explain how you integrated research into agile workflows and collaborated with cross-functional teams.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your methodology choices, participant recruitment strategies, and how you handled challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on demonstrating not just research skills, but also strategic thinking, business acumen, strong communication, and the ability to drive impact independently within a global, remote team.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior User Researcher position:

• Submit your application through the Ciklum career portal link provided.

• Customize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to highlight your 5+ years of standalone user research experience, proficiency in core methodologies, experience with specific tools (Maze, Dovetail), and your ability to drive impact with minimal direction. Use keywords from the job description.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select and refine 3-5 impactful case studies that showcase your end-to-end ownership, strategic thinking, and quantifiable results. Ensure your portfolio is easily accessible (e.g., via a personal website, PDF, or dedicated platform).

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice presenting your portfolio case studies, focusing on clear storytelling, demonstrating process integration, and articulating the business impact of your research.

• Research Ciklum: Understand their company mission, client types, and approach to custom product engineering. Identify how your skills and experience align with their values and the specific needs of this role.

⚠️ 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.

---