Principal UX Researcher

Job Summary

This role serves as the most senior researcher on the Product Design team, reporting directly to the VP of Design. The role defines BetterUp's research vision and practice, establishes methodologies, governance, and strategic frameworks that ensure user insights shape product decisions at every level.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and evolve BetterUp’s UX research practice: establish research methodologies, quality standards, tooling, and governance frameworks that scale across the product organization
• Drive strategic research that informs company-level product strategy, partnering directly with the VP of Design, Product leadership, and the executive team to identify high-leverage opportunities
• Lead foundational and generative research programs that uncover unmet user needs, validate market opportunities, and shape multi-quarter product roadmaps
• Partner cross-functionally with PMM, the Labs behavioral insights team, and Product to synthesize quantitative and qualitative data into actionable insights that influence go-to-market strategy and product direction
• Represent UX Research as the discipline’s voice in executive forums, design reviews, and strategic planning sessions—ensuring research has a seat at the table for critical decisions
• Build and scale research operations: evaluate and select research tools and vendors, define participant recruitment strategies, establish research repositories, and create self-serve research capabilities for the broader organization
• Mentor and coach researchers and design partners across the team, raising the bar on research craft and building organizational research fluency
• Establish governance frameworks and best practices for responsible AI usage in research processes, including AI-augmented analysis, synthesis, and participant experience

Requirements

• 12+ years of experience in UX research, design research, or a closely related field, with 6+ years operating at a senior or staff level of scope and impact
• Deep expertise across the full spectrum of research methodologies—qualitative and quantitative, generative and evaluative, behavioral and attitudinal
• Demonstrated track record of leading research that directly shaped product strategy and business outcomes at an organizational level
• Experience defining and scaling a research practice, including establishing processes, tooling, governance, and research operations
• Exceptional ability to synthesize complex data from multiple sources into clear, compelling narratives that drive executive-level decision-making
• Strong cross-functional partnership skills, with experience influencing Product, Engineering, Marketing, and Data Science stakeholders
• Experience mentoring and developing researchers at various career stages
• Excellent communication and storytelling skills—you make research accessible, memorable, and actionable for any audience

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience integrating AI into research processes
• Experience working in an AI-forward company

Company Culture

At BetterUp, we believe that a company whose mission is human transformation deserves some fresh thinking about the employer/employee relationship. Our candidate experience is different, and so is our work. We offer a personal BetterUp Coach, a development plan, a trained and coached manager, the most amazing team you've ever met, and most importantly, work that matters. This makes for a remarkably focused and fulfilling work experience.