UX Researcher

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: UX Researcher

Company: Clair

Location: New York, New York, United States (Hybrid) / Remote (North America)

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: User Experience Research / Product Operations

Date Posted: 2026-09-14

Experience Level: 5+ Years

Remote Status: Hybrid (3 days in office, New York City) or Remote (North America)

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the establishment and evolution of Clair's user research practice, encompassing processes, tools, and methodologies to drive product strategy and decision-making.

• Conduct comprehensive qualitative and quantitative research across the entire product development lifecycle, from early discovery to post-launch evaluation.

• Partner closely with Product Managers and Product Designers to translate user needs, behaviors, and pain points into actionable insights that shape product roadmaps and features.

• Leverage strong product design and prototyping skills, particularly with Figma, to test concepts and iterate rapidly based on user feedback.

• Build and maintain a robust research repository and scalable processes for user recruitment and engagement, ensuring customer insights are consistently incorporated into business strategy.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a foundational hire for user research, requiring a blend of strategic thinking and hands-on execution. The emphasis on building processes from the ground up, coupled with the need for strong collaboration with Product and Design, positions this as a key contributor to Clair's GTM and product development strategy. The explicit mention of fintech/financial services experience as a strong preference indicates a critical need for understanding sensitive user data and complex financial decision-making.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Establish and mature Clair's user research practice, including defining research processes, selecting appropriate tools, and developing a strategic research approach.

• Develop and maintain a comprehensive research roadmap, balancing foundational user understanding with immediate product team needs and strategic business objectives.

• Design and execute a variety of research studies, including user interviews, usability testing, concept testing, prototype validation, surveys, and diary studies, selecting the most appropriate methodology for each research question.

• Collaborate with Product and Design teams to identify critical user questions, uncover new opportunities, and inform product strategy and prioritization.

• Synthesize complex research findings into clear, compelling, and actionable insights, effectively communicating "the why" behind user behaviors to drive product decisions.

• Build and manage scalable processes for recruiting and engaging target user segments, ensuring a diverse and representative participant pool.

• Champion a customer-centric approach by ensuring user insights are consistently captured, synthesized, and shared across the organization, fostering a culture of data-driven decision-making.

• Work directly with product designers to test prototypes in Figma, providing rapid feedback for iterative design improvements.

• Conduct both proactive, generative research to inform long-term strategy and tactical research to support near-term product development decisions.

• Tell compelling stories with research data that influence product strategy, prioritization, and execution, becoming a trusted voice for the customer.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a "build it and they will come" mentality for the research function. The emphasis on "turning insights into action" and "driving action" underscores the expectation for this role to not just gather data, but to actively influence product direction and business outcomes. The need to "identify unanswered questions" and "uncover opportunities" points to a proactive, strategic element beyond reactive research requests.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Computer Science, or a related field is typically expected for senior UX research roles. Equivalent practical experience will be strongly considered.

Experience: 5+ years of progressive experience in User Research, UX Research, Product Research, or a closely related discipline, with a proven track record in fast-paced technology or startup environments.

Required Skills:

• Extensive experience conducting qualitative research methodologies (e.g., user interviews, usability testing, concept testing, ethnographic studies).

• Proficiency in quantitative research methods, including survey design, statistical analysis of user data, and other scalable research techniques.

• Strong command of product design and prototyping tools, with hands-on experience in Figma for evaluating and testing concepts and prototypes.

• Proven ability to partner effectively with Product Managers and Product Designers throughout the product development lifecycle.

• Demonstrated success in translating research findings into clear, actionable recommendations that influence product strategy and decision-making.

• Experience building and scaling research processes, operating effectively in ambiguous environments, and establishing new functions.

• Excellent communication, storytelling, and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate complex insights compellingly to diverse stakeholders.

• Experience conducting research across the full product development lifecycle, from early discovery and generative research to usability testing and post-launch evaluation. Preferred Skills:

• Specific experience researching users in the fintech, banking, or broader financial services industry.

• Familiarity with products involving sensitive personal information, financial decision-making, or complex user behaviors related to money.

• Experience with advanced analytics tools and techniques for analyzing large user datasets.

• A strategic mindset for developing research roadmaps and identifying opportunities for impact.

• Ability to work independently and proactively identify research needs without explicit direction.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "5+ years of experience" combined with the expectation to "build" and "evolve" the research practice suggests this role is for a seasoned researcher who can operate independently and strategically. The preference for fintech experience is a significant qualifier, indicating a need for domain-specific understanding of user psychology around finance.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of 2-3 detailed case studies demonstrating end-to-end UX research projects from inception to impact.

• Each case study should clearly articulate the research problem, the chosen methodology (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods), the research process followed, key findings, and the resulting product or strategic recommendations.

• Explicitly highlight how your research influenced product decisions, led to measurable improvements in user experience, or contributed to business outcomes (e.g., increased conversion, reduced churn, improved engagement).

• Include examples of your work with prototypes and your ability to collaborate with designers, demonstrating how you tested and iterated on designs using tools like Figma.

• Provide evidence of your ability to build research processes, manage research roadmaps, and synthesize insights into actionable recommendations for product teams. Process Documentation:

• Examples of how you have documented research plans, discussion guides, survey instruments, and synthesis frameworks.

• Demonstrations of how you have established centralized systems for capturing, storing, and sharing research insights across an organization.

• Artifacts showcasing your experience in creating research roadmaps and prioritizing research initiatives based on business needs and strategic goals.

• Evidence of how you have operationalized user insights to ensure they are consistently integrated into product strategy, prioritization, and decision-making processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a foundational role like this, the portfolio should emphasize the candidate's ability to not only do research but also to build the framework for research within a company. This includes demonstrating strategic planning, process definition, and the ability to influence product strategy through research.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $150,000 - $160,000 USD per year.

Explanation: This range is provided directly by the employer and is based on factors such as education, skills, experience, and the company's Series stage and size. It is a competitive offering for a Senior UX Researcher in the New York City metropolitan area, aligning with industry benchmarks for similar roles in fintech and tech startups.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage, with options to extend to family members.

• Fully-paid Parental Leave.

• Company-sponsored 401k plan.

• Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) options.

• Unlimited vacation policy for salaried roles.

• Work-from-home setup allowance to ensure a productive remote or hybrid workspace.

• Daily access to earned wages through the Clair platform.

• Company-sponsored Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance.

Working Hours: This role is considered full-time, typically aligning with standard business hours (e.g., 40 hours per week). The company offers flexibility, with hybrid employees expected in the NYC office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and remote candidates needing to align with North American time zones.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is explicitly stated and competitive for a senior-level UX Researcher in a major tech hub like NYC. The benefits package is robust, emphasizing employee well-being, financial health, and work-life balance, which are attractive to experienced professionals. The hybrid/remote flexibility is a key differentiator.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Fintech, Digital Banking, Financial Services. Clair operates at the intersection of financial technology and employment services, aiming to disrupt traditional payroll cycles by embedding financial solutions directly into workforce management systems. This context means a focus on user trust, data security, and understanding the financial realities of everyday workers.

Company Size: Clair is a growing startup, indicated by its Series stage and focus on building foundational functions like user research. This implies a dynamic, fast-paced environment where individual contributions have a significant impact. The company is actively scaling its operations and product offerings.

Founded: Clair was founded with a mission to create financial freedom for American workers by enabling faster access to earned wages. Its history is rooted in challenging the status quo of traditional payroll and banking systems.

Team Structure:

• The UX Researcher will be a key part of the Product and Design organization, working closely with Product Managers, Product Designers, and potentially Data Analysts.

• This role is positioned to build and lead the user research function, suggesting initial collaboration will be tight with a small, core product team.

• Cross-functional collaboration is essential, extending to engineering, marketing, and potentially operations teams to ensure a holistic understanding of the user and business needs. Methodology:

• Clair's approach is rooted in innovation and a deep understanding of user needs, particularly for underserved workers.

• The company likely employs agile methodologies for product development, requiring research to be iterative and responsive.

• A data-driven approach is implied, with the UX Researcher expected to provide quantitative and qualitative insights to complement data analysis from the Data team.

Company Website: https://getclair.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's mission to provide financial freedom to workers is a strong cultural driver. The startup environment means the UX Researcher will have significant influence but also needs to be comfortable with ambiguity and the need to build processes from scratch. The emphasis on "meeting Americans at their place of work" suggests a focus on practical, accessible financial solutions.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Senior UX Researcher, likely the first dedicated researcher responsible for establishing and leading the user research practice. It offers the opportunity to define the direction of research at Clair.

Reporting Structure: While not explicitly stated, a Senior UX Researcher typically reports to a Head of Product, VP of Product, or Head of Design. This role will work very closely with Product Managers and Product Designers.

Operations Impact: The UX Researcher will have a direct and significant impact on Clair's product strategy, design decisions, and overall user experience. By grounding product development in deep user understanding, this role will be instrumental in ensuring Clair's offerings resonate with its target audience, drive adoption, and contribute to the company's mission and business objectives. Success in this role directly translates to improved customer satisfaction, product-market fit, and ultimately, revenue growth.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: Opportunity to build and lead the user research function, potentially growing into a Research Manager or Director role as the company scales.

• Skill Expansion: Deepen expertise in fintech user research, complex financial decision-making, and potentially explore quantitative research leadership.

• Strategic Influence: Become a key strategic partner to Product and Design leadership, shaping the long-term product vision and company strategy.

• Cross-Functional Learning: Gain exposure to various aspects of a fast-growing fintech startup, including product management, engineering, data science, and marketing.

• Impactful Contribution: Directly contribute to a mission-driven company that aims to make a significant positive impact on the financial lives of millions of workers.

📝 Enhancement Note: This is a high-impact, foundational role with significant growth potential. The ability to define and build a research function from the ground up is a unique opportunity for career advancement and leadership experience within a mission-driven fintech startup.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Clair offers a hybrid work model, with a primary office in New York City. Employees are expected to be in the office at least three days a week (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays) for in-person collaboration, with occasional additional days for client meetings. Remote candidates based in North America are also considered.

Office Location(s): New York City, New York. Specific office details, such as amenities and accessibility, are not provided but would typically be expected in a larger metropolitan area.

Workspace Context:

• The hybrid model facilitates in-person collaboration, team building, and spontaneous idea generation, particularly valuable for design and product discussions.

• The option for remote work provides flexibility and access to talent across North America.

• The company provides a "Work from home setup allowance," indicating support for ergonomic and productive home office environments.

• Access to earned wages on the Clair platform is a unique perk that fosters a strong connection to the company's core product and mission.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time business hours (approximately 40 hours per week) are expected. While specific daily schedules can be flexible, collaboration with teams across different time zones (especially for remote candidates) will require effective time management and communication.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model in NYC, coupled with the remote option for North American candidates, offers a balanced approach to work. The emphasis on specific in-office days suggests a deliberate strategy for fostering in-person collaboration and team cohesion.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter will likely conduct an initial screening to assess general fit, experience, and interest.

• Hiring Manager Interview: An interview with the hiring manager (likely Head of Product or Design) to dive deeper into your experience, research philosophy, and strategic approach.

• Portfolio Presentation: A key stage involving a presentation of your work. You will be expected to walk through 2-3 detailed case studies from your portfolio, demonstrating your research process, insights, and impact. Be prepared to discuss your role, methodology choices, and how your work influenced product decisions.

• Team Interviews: Interviews with key stakeholders, including Product Managers and Product Designers, to assess collaboration style, communication skills, and ability to integrate into the team.

• Skills Assessment/Challenge: Potentially a small research-related challenge or a discussion about how you would approach a specific research problem relevant to Clair's business.

• Final Round: May involve senior leadership to assess overall fit and strategic alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: Clearly articulate the business or product impact of your research. Use metrics where possible to demonstrate ROI.

• Showcase Process: Detail your methodology, reasoning behind choices, and how you navigated challenges.

• Highlight Collaboration: Demonstrate how you partnered with Product and Design teams. Show examples of Figma prototype testing.

• Tell a Story: Structure your case studies as narratives with a clear beginning, middle, and end, highlighting your problem-solving skills.

• Tailor to Clair: If possible, subtly tailor your examples to highlight experience relevant to fintech or financial decision-making.

• Be Prepared for Questions: Anticipate questions about your decision-making process, how you handle ambiguity, and how you influence stakeholders.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand Clair's Business: Research Clair's mission, products, and target users. Think about the key financial challenges their users face.

• Anticipate Research Questions: Consider what critical questions Clair might need answers to regarding their product and users.

• Practice Your Pitch: Rehearse your portfolio presentation to ensure it's concise, compelling, and within any time limits.

• Prepare for Figma Discussion: Be ready to discuss your experience evaluating and testing prototypes in Figma, and how you provide feedback to designers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio presentation is a critical component. Candidates should prepare to demonstrate not only their research skills but also their ability to translate those skills into tangible business outcomes and influence product strategy within a startup context. The emphasis on Figma and product design fluency is a key differentiator.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for reviewing, understanding, and testing product concepts and prototypes. Proficiency in navigating and providing feedback within Figma is a must.

• User Research Platforms: Experience with platforms for participant recruitment, scheduling, and remote usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze, Dovetail).

• Survey Tools: Proficiency in designing and deploying surveys (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Typeform, Google Forms).

• Data Analysis Tools: Familiarity with tools for analyzing qualitative data (e.g., Dovetail, NVivo) and potentially quantitative data analysis tools (e.g., Excel, Google Sheets, SQL basics, or statistical software).

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not directly a data analyst role, understanding how to leverage product analytics data (e.g., from Amplitude, Mixpanel, Google Analytics) to inform research questions and validate findings will be beneficial.

• Experience in synthesizing research findings into clear, digestible reports and presentations for various stakeholders. CRM & Automation:

• Familiarity with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) may be helpful for understanding customer data and segmentation, though not a primary requirement.

• Experience with project management tools (e.g., Asana, Jira, Trello) for managing research projects and timelines.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is explicitly mentioned as a key tool, highlighting the close collaboration with the design team and the iterative nature of product development at Clair. The need for tools to manage recruitment, conduct testing, and synthesize data is standard for a UX Researcher.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

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

• Action-Oriented: A drive to not just discover insights, but to translate them into concrete actions that improve the product and user experience. Research is seen as a catalyst for change.

• Collaboration: A belief in working closely with Product, Design, Engineering, and other teams to foster a shared understanding of the customer and drive collective success.

• Innovation & Agility: Embracing a startup mindset that values rapid iteration, experimentation, and continuous learning. Being comfortable with ambiguity and adapting to changing priorities.

• Mission-Driven: A passion for Clair's mission of creating financial freedom for workers, understanding the social impact of the product.

Collaboration Style:

• Partnership with Product & Design: The UX Researcher will function as a strategic partner, working hand-in-hand with Product Managers and Designers throughout the product lifecycle.

• Cross-Functional Integration: Actively engaging with engineering, data, marketing, and other departments to share insights and ensure a unified customer perspective.

• Open Communication: Fostering an environment of open feedback and constructive dialogue, where research findings are discussed transparently and debated constructively.

• Knowledge Sharing: A commitment to documenting and disseminating research findings broadly to ensure insights are accessible and utilized across the company.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on being "both a strategist and a doer" and wanting to "see your work shape products" clearly defines the desired culture fit. This role is for someone who thrives on impact and collaboration in a mission-driven startup.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Building a Research Function: Establishing research processes, tools, and a repository from the ground up in a fast-paced startup environment. This requires strong organizational and strategic planning skills.

• Working with Sensitive Data: Researching users' financial lives requires a high degree of empathy, ethical consideration, and understanding of privacy concerns within the fintech space.

• Balancing Foundational vs. Tactical Research: Managing a research roadmap that addresses both long-term strategic questions and immediate product development needs.

• Driving Action from Insights: Ensuring that research findings are not just delivered but actively incorporated into product decisions and strategy, overcoming potential resistance or competing priorities.

• Ambiguity and Rapid Change: Navigating the inherent uncertainties and shifting priorities common in a startup environment.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Fintech Specialization: Deepen expertise in user behavior, motivations, and challenges within the financial services and fintech sectors.

• Foundational Role Leadership: Gain invaluable experience in establishing and scaling a critical function within a growing company, developing leadership and strategic planning skills.

• Cross-Disciplinary Exposure: Work closely with product management, design, engineering, and data teams, broadening understanding of product development and business operations.

• Impactful Product Development: Contribute directly to a product that aims to solve significant financial challenges for a large segment of the workforce.

• Advanced Methodologies: Opportunity to explore and implement a wider range of qualitative and quantitative research techniques as the company and research needs evolve.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary challenge is building out the research practice itself, which also represents the greatest growth opportunity. Candidates should be prepared to articulate how they would approach these challenges and leverage them for professional development.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach building a user research practice at a startup like Clair from scratch?" (Focus on process, roadmap, stakeholder buy-in.)

• "Describe a time when your research findings directly led to a significant change in product strategy or design. What was the outcome?" (Highlight impact, storytelling, and influence.)

• "Given Clair's mission to provide financial freedom to workers, what are some key user research questions you would prioritize exploring in your first 90 days?" (Demonstrate understanding of the business and user needs.)

• "How do you balance the need for deep, qualitative insights with the demand for quick, tactical research in a fast-paced environment?" (Showcase adaptability and methodological flexibility.)

• "Tell me about a time you had to advocate for user needs when they conflicted with business goals or stakeholder opinions." (Assess stakeholder management and advocacy skills.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Clair's mission and its approach to financial services?" (Show genuine interest and alignment with the company's purpose.)

• "How do you envision your role contributing to Clair's culture and its customer-centric approach?" (Connect your values and work style to the company's culture.)

• "Describe your experience working in a startup or fast-paced tech environment. What are the key differences and challenges compared to larger organizations?" (Demonstrate adaptability and understanding of startup dynamics.)

• "How do you build trust and strong working relationships with Product Managers and Designers?" (Highlight collaboration and communication skills.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Case Studies: For each case study, clearly outline: Problem, Your Role, Research Methodology, Process, Key Findings, Recommendations, and Impact/Outcome.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the business value of your research (e.g., "led to a 15% increase in feature adoption," "identified usability issues that were resolved, reducing support tickets by X%").

• Highlight Figma Collaboration: Be ready to discuss specific instances where you worked with Figma prototypes, how you tested them, and how your feedback informed design iterations.

• Tell a Compelling Narrative: Make your presentation engaging. Explain the "why" behind your decisions and the story behind the user insights.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about your specific contributions, methodological choices, and how you synthesized findings. Practice answering questions about your work concisely and thoroughly.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should prepare to demonstrate their ability to "build" and "evolve" the research function, not just execute research. Emphasize strategic thinking, process creation, and demonstrable impact on product and business outcomes.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this UX Researcher position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight keywords and experiences directly relevant to UX research, fintech, product development lifecycle, Figma, and building research functions. Quantify achievements whenever possible.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 strong case studies that best showcase your end-to-end research process, strategic thinking, collaboration with design/product, and demonstrable impact. Ensure your portfolio clearly articulates your role and the outcomes of your work.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice delivering your portfolio presentation, focusing on clarity, conciseness, and storytelling. Be ready to discuss your methodology and the impact of your research in detail.

• Research Clair: Thoroughly understand Clair's mission, products, target audience, and the financial challenges they aim to solve. This will help you tailor your application and prepare for interview questions.

⚠️ 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.