UX Research Specialist

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: UX Research Specialist

Company: Jobgether (Partner Company)

Location: United States

Job Type: Full-time

Category: User Experience (UX) Research / Product Research

Date Posted: May 29, 2026

Experience Level: 4-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid (Primarily Remote-First with occasional in-person research)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead comprehensive, end-to-end UX research initiatives that directly influence product strategy and design decisions for digital and physical products.

• Employ a diverse range of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to uncover deep user insights and validate product concepts.

• Act as a collaborative partner within agile and design sprint environments, integrating research findings seamlessly into the product development lifecycle.

• Develop critical user artifacts such as personas, journey maps, and workflow analyses to provide a foundational understanding of user needs and behaviors.

• Translate complex research data into clear, actionable recommendations for diverse stakeholders, including executive leadership.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is being posted by Jobgether on behalf of a partner company. The "Hybrid" work arrangement implies a strong emphasis on remote collaboration, balanced with the necessity for occasional in-person fieldwork or team gatherings, a common setup for specialized research roles requiring direct user interaction in various environments.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Independently design, execute, and synthesize end-to-end UX research studies, including usability testing, contextual inquiries, interviews, surveys, diary studies, card sorting, tree testing, and ethnographic research.

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams (Designers, Product Managers, Engineers) during design sprints to define user problems, validate concepts, and iterate on solutions in real-time.

• Develop and maintain user personas, journey maps, workflow analyses, and detailed user requirement definitions to inform product discovery and ongoing optimization efforts.

• Translate complex research findings into clear, concise, and actionable insights and recommendations, effectively communicating them to stakeholders at all organizational levels.

• Support both in-person and remote research fielding, including testing of software and hardware products in real-world environments to ensure practical usability.

• Contribute to the development of overarching research strategies, guide methodology selection, and drive continuous improvement of UX research practices within the organization.

• Act as a strategic partner throughout the product development lifecycle, ensuring user-centricity is maintained from ideation to launch and beyond.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a high degree of autonomy and end-to-end ownership for research projects, typical for a specialist role with 4+ years of experience. The mention of "digital products and sometimes physical hardware" indicates a breadth of application for research skills, requiring adaptability and a diverse methodological toolkit.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Human Factors, Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology, Industrial Engineering, Marketing Research, Statistics, or a related field.

Experience:

• Minimum of 4 years of dedicated experience in UX research.

• 5+ years of experience is preferred, demonstrating a strong preference for candidates with extensive practical application and a proven track record.

Required Skills:

• Strong command and practical application of a wide range of qualitative research methods (e.g., usability testing, contextual inquiries, in-depth interviews, ethnographic research).

• Proficiency in quantitative research methods and tools (e.g., surveys, card sorting, tree testing, A/B testing analysis).

• Demonstrated ability to independently manage research projects from initial planning and design through execution, analysis, and insightful reporting.

• Experience working directly with product teams in agile development or design sprint environments, acting as an embedded research partner.

• Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and presentation skills, with a proven ability to influence product strategy and design decisions.

• Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving capabilities, and meticulous attention to detail in both behavioral and data-driven research analysis.

Preferred Skills:

• Expertise with specific UX research tools such as Qualtrics, Optimal Workshop, and UserZoom.

• Experience in conducting research for both software and hardware products.

• Proven ability to develop and utilize behavioral personas, journey maps, and workflow analyses.

• Experience with statistical analysis tools and techniques for quantitative data interpretation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The preference for a Master's degree and 5+ years of experience suggests this role requires a deep understanding of research theory and a significant level of practical application and strategic thinking, moving beyond execution to influence. The mention of specific tools (Qualtrics, Optimal Workshop, UserZoom) highlights the technical proficiency expected.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A curated collection of UX research projects demonstrating end-to-end ownership, from problem definition to actionable insights and impact.

• Case studies showcasing diverse research methodologies (qualitative and quantitative) applied to real-world product challenges.

• Evidence of translating complex research findings into clear, compelling narratives and actionable recommendations for stakeholders.

• Examples of how your research directly influenced product design, strategy, or feature development, ideally with measurable outcomes.

Process Documentation:

• Showcase your structured approach to research planning, including defining research objectives, selecting appropriate methodologies, and developing research instruments (e.g., interview guides, survey questionnaires).

• Illustrate your process for synthesizing research data, identifying key themes, and deriving meaningful insights.

• Provide examples of how you document and communicate research findings to various audiences, using formats such as reports, presentations, or workshops.

• Detail your experience in iterating on research processes and methodologies to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a UX Research Specialist, the portfolio is paramount. It should not just present completed projects but also articulate the process and thinking behind each study. Focus on demonstrating the ability to impact product decisions through rigorous, well-communicated research.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Benefits:

• Competitive compensation aligned with experience and industry benchmarks.

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage.

• Life insurance and supplemental insurance options, including disability coverage.

• 401(k) retirement plan eligibility after one year of employment, with potential company match.

• Generous paid time off (PTO) including vacation days, sick leave, and company holidays.

• Flexible remote-first work environment, promoting work-life balance and autonomy.

• Opportunities for professional growth and development within a learning-oriented culture.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time hours are expected, typically around 40 hours per week. The role emphasizes flexibility due to its remote-first nature, allowing for adaptation around core collaboration hours and research fieldwork requirements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate based on common US-based UX Research Specialist compensation data for the specified experience level. Actual compensation will be determined by the hiring company based on their internal compensation structure, the candidate's qualifications, and market conditions. The benefits package is comprehensive, reflecting standard offerings for full-time roles in the US tech/product industry.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: The partner company operates within the technology sector, likely focusing on product development, software solutions, or potentially digital services, given the emphasis on UX research. The context of working with "Fortune 500 clients" suggests a B2B or enterprise-focused business model, requiring research that addresses complex user needs within established organizations.

Company Size: The description implies a company that works with large clients but doesn't explicitly state its own size. However, the emphasis on "fast-paced," "agile environments," and "cross-functional collaboration" suggests a dynamic organization, potentially a mid-sized to large tech company or a specialized consultancy.

Founded: Not specified, but the focus on modern product development practices (agile, design sprints) indicates a company that is likely established with contemporary operational structures.

Team Structure:

• The UX Research Specialist will likely be part of a Product or Design team, reporting