Staff UX Researcher

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Staff UX Researcher

Company: Cohere

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Remote-Flexible)

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: User Experience Research / Product Operations

Date Posted: May 26, 2026

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (7+ years)

Remote Status: Remote-Flexible (US, UK, Canada)

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the establishment and operationalization of a robust UX research practice within the North team, focusing on foundational research infrastructure and scalable methods.

• Drive evidence-based product development by embedding user insights at critical stages of the product lifecycle, influencing scope, build, and evaluation processes.

• Lead complex, end-to-end UX research initiatives, from strategic scoping and participant recruitment to rigorous synthesis and actionable recommendation delivery.

• Consult and empower cross-functional partners (Designers, PMs, FDEs) by providing UXR tools, tactics, and guidance to enhance their research capabilities and customer feedback capture.

• Contribute to defining measurable hypotheses and interpreting analytics post-delivery, ensuring a data-informed approach to product strategy and roadmap planning.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as the first dedicated UX Researcher for the "North" team, implying a significant opportunity to build and shape the research function from the ground up. The focus on "scaling intelligence" and "frontier models" suggests a highly technical and innovative product environment. The emphasis on "enterprise experience" and "AI products" indicates a need for a researcher comfortable with complex B2B solutions.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain research systems, frameworks, and infrastructure (e.g., research repositories, templates, engagement models) to ensure research is organized, accessible, and actionable across the organization.

• Develop and execute a strategic research roadmap, prioritizing initiatives that align with product development stages and business objectives for the North team.

• Lead comprehensive research projects, including defining research questions, selecting appropriate methodologies (qualitative and quantitative), managing participant recruitment, conducting interviews/sessions, and synthesizing findings into clear, impactful recommendations.

• Provide expert consultation and mentorship to Designers and Product Managers, guiding them on research methodologies, study design, and the interpretation of user feedback to ensure rigor and quality.

• Equip the Field Development Engineering (FDE) team with effective UXR tools and tactics to systematically capture structured feedback from customer engagements, and translate this feedback into actionable product insights for roadmap planning and prioritization.

• Collaborate closely with Product Managers to define measurable hypotheses during project kickoffs and to analyze product performance and user behavior data post-launch.

• Advocate for user-centered design principles and research-backed decision-making across product teams, fostering a culture of continuous learning and iterative improvement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibility to "operationalize systems, frameworks, and infrastructure" and "empower teams to drive research initiatives independently" highlights a critical Research Operations (ResearchOps) component to this role, beyond just conducting research. The focus on supporting FDEs and PMs suggests a strong emphasis on enabling other teams to leverage research insights effectively.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

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

Experience: 7+ years of progressive experience in User Experience Research, with a demonstrable track record of impacting product strategy and outcomes through research.

Required Skills:

• Deep Qualitative & Quantitative Research Expertise: Proven ability to design, conduct, and synthesize research using a wide array of methods (e.g., user interviews, usability testing, surveys, diary studies, A/B testing, competitive analysis).

• Systems Thinking & ResearchOps: Demonstrated experience in establishing and scaling research infrastructure, processes, and tooling from scratch, creating systems that multiply impact across an organization.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Exceptional ability to partner effectively with Product Management, Engineering, Design, and other stakeholders, integrating research seamlessly into the product development lifecycle.

• Advanced Communication & Synthesis: Skill in clearly articulating complex research findings and actionable recommendations to both technical and non-technical audiences, including executive leadership.

• Enterprise Customer Experience: Substantial experience conducting research with enterprise clients and understanding the nuances of B2B product adoption and user needs.

• Technical Literacy: Familiarity with complex concepts in Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, and enterprise software, with the ability to design research in technically dense product areas.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with AI products, agentic systems, or large language models (LLMs).

• Familiarity with product analytics tools and interpreting usage data.

• Experience in building or scaling a Research Operations function.

• Consulting or advisory experience within a product organization.

• Experience working in a fast-paced, high-growth technology company.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "7+ years" requirement positions this as a senior or staff-level role, emphasizing strategic impact and the ability to build processes. The explicit mention of "systems thinking" and "establishing research infrastructure from scratch" is a key differentiator, signaling a need for someone who can build the function, not just execute within an existing one. Technical literacy in AI is crucial given Cohere's domain.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Case Studies Demonstrating Impact: Candidates are expected to present detailed case studies showcasing end-to-end research projects, clearly outlining the problem, methodology, your role, key findings, and the tangible impact on product decisions and business outcomes.

• Research Infrastructure Examples: Showcase examples of systems, frameworks, templates, or processes you've designed or implemented to organize research, manage participants, or share insights more effectively.

• Methodological Versatility: Highlight your proficiency across a range of qualitative and quantitative methods, with clear examples of how you selected the right method for the specific research question and context.

• Stakeholder Engagement Evidence: Include examples of how you've successfully collaborated with and influenced cross-functional partners (PMs, Designers, Engineers) through research insights.

• Enterprise Research Focus: Present projects that specifically address the complexities of enterprise customer needs, B2B product adoption, or technically complex software solutions.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design: Demonstrate experience in mapping out and optimizing research workflows, from planning and recruitment to analysis and reporting, ensuring efficiency and quality.

• Insight Synthesis & Actionability: Provide examples of how you transform raw data into clear, concise, and actionable insights that drive product improvements and strategic decisions.

• Scalability & Empowerment: Showcase how you've built processes that enable broader team participation in research or that ensure research findings are accessible and utilized effectively across the organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the emphasis on building research infrastructure, a portfolio demonstrating experience with ResearchOps, process development, and scalability will be highly valued. Candidates should be prepared to articulate not just what research they did, but how they set up the systems to make research more effective and accessible.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: For a Staff UX Researcher in Toronto, Canada (with remote flexibility in US/UK), with 7+ years of experience, the estimated salary range would typically fall between CAD $150,000 - $220,000 annually. This estimate is based on industry benchmarks for senior-level UX research roles in major tech hubs, considering the skills required for building research infrastructure and Cohere's position in the AI sector.

Benefits:

• Culture: Open and inclusive work environment and culture.

• Work-Life Balance: Generous 6 weeks (30 working days) of vacation annually.

• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive health and dental benefits, including a dedicated budget for mental health support.

• Parental Leave: 100% parental leave top-up for up to 6 months.

• Stipends & Allowances: Weekly lunch stipend, in-office lunches & snacks, and a co-working stipend for remote flexibility.

• Personal Enrichment: Benefits towards arts and culture, fitness, well-being, quality time, and workspace improvement.

• Professional Development: Opportunities to work on cutting-edge AI research and potential for professional growth within a rapidly expanding company.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours (approximately 40 hours per week), with a remote-flexible arrangement allowing for work from home or co-working spaces in the US, UK, or Canada.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is an estimate for Toronto, Canada. Actual compensation may vary significantly based on the candidate's specific experience, performance during the interview process, and the company's compensation philosophy. The benefits package is comprehensive, with a strong emphasis on work-life balance and employee well-being, which are attractive to senior-level professionals.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Artificial Intelligence (AI) - specifically focusing on training and deploying frontier models for developers and enterprises. This places Cohere at the forefront of AI development, enabling applications like content generation, semantic search, RAG, and agents.

Company Size: Cohere is a rapidly growing tech company in the AI space. While the exact current size isn't specified in the input, its focus on "frontier models" and its funding suggest it's likely a well-established startup or scale-up, probably in the range of 200-1000 employees, with ambitions to grow significantly.

Founded: Cohere was founded in 2019, making it a relatively young but highly impactful company in the AI landscape. This means it likely operates with a fast-paced, innovative, and agile culture.

Team Structure:

• North Team Focus: This role is specifically for the "North" team, suggesting a departmental or product-focused team structure.

• Research Function Building: As the first dedicated researcher on this team, the individual will be instrumental in defining how UX research integrates with this specific group.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The role emphasizes close collaboration with Designers, Product Managers (PMs), and Field Development Engineers (FDEs), indicating a highly integrated product development environment.

• Reporting: While not explicitly stated, a Staff UX Researcher often reports to a Director or VP of Product, Design, or Research, or potentially a senior Product leader within the North team.

Methodology:

• Evidence-Driven Decision Making: Cohere emphasizes "evidence-driven thinking" and "scaling intelligence," suggesting a culture that values data, rigorous analysis, and customer feedback.

• Customer-Centricity: The mission to "serve humanity" and focus on customer value indicates a strong commitment to understanding and meeting user needs.

• Pace and Hard Work: The description mentions a culture of working "hard and moving fast," typical of high-growth tech companies, especially in the competitive AI sector.

• Innovation and Craftsmanship: Cohere values individuals who are "passionate about their craft" and "one of the best in the world at what they do," fostering an environment of high performance and continuous improvement.

Company Website: https://cohere.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture appears to be driven by a mission-oriented, fast-paced, and technically excellent team. The role's emphasis on building research infrastructure is a key aspect of the "methodology" within this specific team context.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is classified as "Staff UX Researcher," which is a senior individual contributor (IC) position. It signifies a high level of expertise, autonomy, and the ability to influence strategy and build foundational processes. Staff-level roles are typically responsible for tackling complex, ambiguous problems and driving significant impact, often mentoring more junior team members or leading initiatives across multiple teams.

Reporting Structure: The Staff UX Researcher will likely report to a senior leader within the "North" product organization, such as a Director of Product Management, Director of Design, or Head of UX Research if one exists at a higher level. They will work closely with Designers, Product Managers, and Engineers within the North team.

Operations Impact: The impact of this role is substantial:

• Product Usability & Adoption: Directly influences the intuitiveness and usability of Cohere's AI products, which is critical for enterprise adoption and customer value realization.

• Strategic Direction: Research insights will inform product strategy, roadmap prioritization, and feature development, ensuring that Cohere's offerings meet evolving market and user needs.

• Research Practice Development: Establishes the foundational UX research practice for the North team, creating scalable processes that will benefit future growth and research initiatives.

• Customer Understanding: Deepens the organization's understanding of enterprise customer needs, pain points, and workflows related to AI adoption, informing product-market fit.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership in ResearchOps: Opportunity to build and lead the Research Operations function for the North team, establishing best practices and potentially growing a team in the future.

• Strategic Influence: Become a key strategic partner in product development, shaping the direction of cutting-edge AI products.

• Technical Specialization: Deepen expertise in AI/ML products and the enterprise software landscape, becoming a go-to expert in user research for complex technical domains.

• Mentorship: As a senior member, opportunities to mentor junior researchers or product team members in research methodologies.

• Career Advancement: Potential to move into Principal or Lead Researcher roles, or transition into leadership positions within Product or Design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Staff" title is critical here, indicating a role that requires not just execution but also strategic thinking, process building, and significant influence. The emphasis on building the research practice from scratch is a major growth opportunity in itself, allowing the individual to shape their domain.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Cohere offers a "Remote-flexible" work environment. This means while physical office locations exist (Toronto, New York, San Francisco, London, Paris), employees have the option to work remotely, either from home or a co-working space. This arrangement is supported by a co-working stipend.

Office Location(s): Cohere has offices in Toronto, New York, San Francisco, London, and Paris. The specific team, "North," might be primarily based out of or heavily interacting with the Toronto office, given the location specified for the role, but the remote-flexibility extends to the US and UK.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative: The emphasis on cross-functional partnerships implies a collaborative environment where researchers work closely with designers, PMs, and engineers. Regular syncs and joint problem-solving sessions are likely.

• Tooling: Given the technical nature of AI and the need for research infrastructure, expect access to modern collaboration tools (e.g., Slack, Notion, Figma) and potentially specialized research platforms for participant management, synthesis, and repository management.

• Interaction: While remote-flexible, there will be opportunities for interaction with the team through virtual meetings, collaborative platforms, and potentially occasional in-person meetups or team events, depending on team structure and company policy. The presence of physical offices suggests a hybrid model is supported and encouraged for those who prefer it.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time work hours (approximately 40 hours per week). The remote-flexible nature allows for some autonomy in structuring the workday, provided core collaboration times and deadlines are met. This flexibility is beneficial for researchers who need to schedule participant sessions or manage deep work periods.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Remote-flexible" nature is a key aspect. While the role is based in Toronto, the ability to work remotely across the US, UK, and Canada is a significant perk. The co-working stipend further supports this flexibility. The expectation is that while remote, strong communication and collaboration skills are paramount.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will likely review applications and conduct an initial screening call to assess basic qualifications, experience, and cultural fit.

• Portfolio Presentation & Deep Dive: A core part of the process will involve a dedicated session where candidates present their portfolio. This will focus on 1-2 key case studies demonstrating their ability to lead research, build systems, and drive impact. Expect detailed questions about their process, decision-making, and the outcomes of their work.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Candidates will likely meet with key stakeholders they'd be collaborating with, such as Product Managers, Designers, and potentially Engineering leads. These interviews will assess collaboration style, technical understanding, and ability to translate research into actionable product insights.

• Systems & Strategy Discussion: Expect discussions focused on how the candidate would approach building the research practice, establishing infrastructure, and scaling research within the North team. Questions may involve hypothetical scenarios and strategic planning.

• Final Round: This may involve a discussion with a senior leader (e.g., VP of Product) to assess overall fit, strategic thinking, and alignment with Cohere's mission and values.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: Clearly articulate the business or product impact of your research. Quantify outcomes whenever possible (e.g., "led to a 15% increase in feature adoption," "reduced user errors by 20%").

• Showcase Systems Building: Since this role emphasizes building research infrastructure, highlight specific examples of processes, templates, or tools you've created. Explain the problem they solved and their scalability.

• Methodological Rigor: Be prepared to defend your methodological choices. Explain why you chose a particular method and how it best addressed the research question.

• Storytelling: Structure your case studies as compelling narratives. Clearly define the problem, your approach, your unique contributions, the insights generated, and the resulting actions and outcomes.

• Tailor to the Role: Emphasize experience with enterprise customers, AI/technical products, and building research functions.

Challenge Preparation:

• Research Strategy Exercise: You might be asked to outline a research strategy for a hypothetical new feature or product area within Cohere's AI offerings. Focus on defining objectives, key questions, target users, and appropriate methodologies.

• Problem-Solving Scenario: Be ready to discuss how you would approach a complex research problem, such as understanding low adoption of a new AI feature or diagnosing usability issues in a beta product.

• Stakeholder Alignment: Practice articulating how you would gain buy-in for research initiatives and ensure insights are effectively communicated and acted upon by cross-functional teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "establishing the infrastructure, methods, and engagement model" means interviewers will be looking for evidence of strategic thinking, process design, and the ability to operate autonomously. The portfolio should strongly reflect these capabilities.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Research Platforms: Tools for participant recruitment, scheduling, and management (e.g., UserTesting, UserZoom, Dovetail, specialized recruitment panels).

• Collaboration Suites: For documentation, communication, and project management (e.g., Notion, Confluence, Jira, Asana, Slack).

• Design & Prototyping Tools: For reviewing designs and understanding user flows (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD).

• Synthesis & Analysis Tools: For organizing and analyzing qualitative data (e.g., Dovetail, NVivo, Miro for affinity mapping).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Tools to interpret user behavior data and support hypothesis validation (e.g., Amplitude, Mixpanel, Google Analytics).

• Data Visualization: Tools to create dashboards and reports for stakeholders (e.g., Tableau, Looker, Power BI).

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: While not directly managed, familiarity with CRM data (e.g., Salesforce) can be beneficial for understanding customer segmentation and engagement in an enterprise context.

• Automation Tools: Understanding how automation impacts user workflows or research processes can be an advantage.

📝 Enhancement Note: The specific tools will likely be flexible, as the role involves establishing the practice. However, familiarity with industry-standard tools for research management, synthesis, collaboration, and analytics is expected. The ability to recommend and implement new tools or processes is a key aspect of building the infrastructure.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Mission-Driven: A strong commitment to Cohere's mission: "to scale intelligence to serve humanity." This means research should align with and contribute to this overarching goal.

• Excellence & Craftsmanship: A dedication to high-quality work, being "one of the best in the world at what they do," and obsessing over the details of their craft.

• Customer Focus: A deep understanding and prioritization of customer needs, ensuring that products deliver significant value.

• Collaboration & Inclusivity: Valuing diverse perspectives and fostering an open, inclusive work environment where everyone can contribute their best.

• Agility & Speed: A culture that moves fast and iterates quickly, requiring research to be timely and actionable.

• Data-Driven: A reliance on evidence and data to inform decisions, with research playing a critical role in generating that evidence.

Collaboration Style:

• Partnership-Oriented: Researchers are expected to work as embedded partners with Design, PM, and Engineering teams, not as an isolated function.

• Consultative: The role involves consulting with other teams, guiding their research efforts, and ensuring quality and rigor across the board.

• Transparent & Open: Sharing findings, processes, and challenges openly to foster trust and facilitate effective collaboration.

• Proactive Engagement: Actively seeking opportunities to contribute insights and influence product direction, rather than waiting to be assigned tasks.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "building the research practice" means the successful candidate will need to embody and help foster these values through their actions and the processes they implement.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Building from Scratch: Establishing a comprehensive UX research practice, including infrastructure, processes, and engagement models, for a growing team requires significant initiative, strategic planning, and influence.

• Balancing Strategic vs. Tactical: Effectively managing both the strategic imperative of building scalable systems and the tactical need to deliver timely research insights for ongoing product development.

• Technical Complexity: Navigating the complexities of AI products and enterprise software to design effective research and translate findings into meaningful product improvements.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Ensuring consistent understanding and application of research insights across diverse teams with varying levels of research maturity.

• Defining ResearchOps: Developing and implementing Research Operations strategies that suit the evolving needs of a fast-growing tech company.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep AI Domain Expertise: Gaining in-depth knowledge of cutting-edge AI technologies, LLMs, and their applications in enterprise settings.

• ResearchOps Leadership: Developing skills in building and scaling research functions, including process optimization, tooling, and team enablement.

• Strategic Product Influence: Honing the ability to influence product strategy at a high level within a leading AI company.

• Mentorship & Skill Development: Opportunities to mentor others and continuously learn from world-class researchers, engineers, and product leaders.

• Industry Exposure: Engaging with the rapidly evolving field of AI and its impact on user experience and product development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary challenge is also the primary growth opportunity: building and shaping the UX research function. Success in this role will require strong problem-solving skills, adaptability, and a proactive approach to overcoming obstacles.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach building a research infrastructure for a new product team from the ground up?" (Focus on phases, key components, and prioritization.)

• "Describe a time you had to convince stakeholders to invest in UX research or change their product direction based on your findings. What was your strategy?" (Highlight persuasive communication and data-driven advocacy.)

• "Imagine a scenario where a key AI feature is seeing low adoption. How would you use UX research to diagnose the problem and propose solutions?" (Showcase diagnostic research skills and ability to connect research to product outcomes.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Cohere's mission and our work in AI?" (Demonstrate genuine interest and understanding of the company's goals.)

• "How do you foster a user-centered culture within product teams that may not have deep research experience?" (Focus on education, collaboration, and making research accessible.)

• "Describe your ideal working relationship with Product Managers and Designers." (Emphasize partnership, shared goals, and effective communication.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Use a clear narrative arc for each case study: Problem -> Your Role/Approach -> Methodology -> Findings -> Recommendations -> Impact/Outcome.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the success of your research and the changes it drove.

• Focus on Systems: If you have experience building processes or infrastructure, make sure to highlight this prominently, as it's a key requirement for this role.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your decision-making process, challenges faced, and how you handled ambiguity.

• Showcase Technical Acumen: Be ready to discuss your comfort level with complex technical products and how you approach understanding technically dense domains.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, systems-building capabilities, and a deep understanding of how to drive product impact through research in a technically complex, enterprise-focused AI environment.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Staff UX Researcher position at Cohere:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 1-2 of your most impactful projects that showcase your ability to conduct end-to-end research, your skills in building research infrastructure/processes, and your experience with enterprise/technical products. Ensure clear articulation of impact and outcomes.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight your 7+ years of UX research experience, specific examples of building research systems, experience with qualitative and quantitative methods, enterprise customer work, and technical literacy. Use keywords from the job description.

• Prepare for Presentation: Practice presenting your portfolio case studies, focusing on storytelling, clarity, impact quantification, and your specific contributions. Be ready to discuss your approach to building the research practice.

• Research Cohere: Understand Cohere's mission, products, and recent developments in the AI space. Familiarize yourself with their target audience and the challenges of enterprise AI adoption.

⚠️ 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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