Senior User Researcher

About the role

The Product Development team is seeking a Senior User Researcher to lead end-to-end research (generative, evaluative and mixed methods, desk research and analytics) on the cross-functional SPEED team. The Senior User Researcher will provide clear and actionable recommendations for the product team to deliver systems that will shorten new construction permitting.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end research (generative, evaluative, and mixed methods synthesized with desk research and analytics)
• Translate qualitative and quantitative research into clear and actionable recommendations for product development team and project stakeholders
• Represent user research to leadership, external stakeholders and technical teammates in plain language
• Recruit and conduct research directly with the New Yorkers who use government services, many of whom face language, disability, or digital-access barriers that require thoughtful, accessible research design
• Establish and maintain research operations: a participant recruitment pipeline appropriate for a government context, and reusable methods/templates the wider design team can use
• Serve as the team's methodological quality bar: review other researchers' and designers' study designs and conclusions, catch these failure modes before they reach decision-makers, and codify guardrails into shared standards
• Define methodological standard to ensure mixed-methods approaches are rigorous enough to inform decisions
• Handle special projects and initiatives as assigned

Minimum Qualifications

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college in computer science, engineering, human computer interaction, interactive media, digital and graphics design, data visualization, communication or a related field, and four years of satisfactory full-time experience related to the area(s) required by the particular position and a specialization in a relevant technology, process, methodology and/or domain
• or An associate degree from an accredited college in computer science, engineering, human computer interaction, interactive media, digital and graphics design, data visualization, communication or a related field, and six years of satisfactory full-time experience related to the area(s) required by the particular position and a specialization in a relevant technology, process, methodology and/or domain
• or A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college, and eight years of satisfactory full-time experience related to the area(s) required by the particular position and a specialization in a relevant technology, process, methodology and/or domain
• or Education and/or experience which is equivalent to the above

Preferred Skills

• 10+ years of user research experience, including senior research roles on cross-functional product teams
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to address complex challenges
• Fast and accurate learner with ability to manage multiple research projects
• Deep fluency across research methods (interviews, contextual inquiry, diary studies, usability testing, surveys, and quantitative/behavioral analysis) with ability to cross check against desk research and analytics
• Experience creating visual artifacts such as journey maps, service blueprints and systems maps
• Experience researching with vulnerable, low-income, or historically underserved populations, with genuine command of accessible and equitable research practices (multilingual research, low-digital-literacy participants, trauma-informed methods)
• Experience building team research practice for an early-stage research team, including recruitment pipelines, repositories, research operations, rather than only working within an already-mature research org
• Best-in-class attention to detail with strong written and verbal communication skills in plain language
• Understanding of statistical principles to evaluate data
• Exemplifies diverse representation and accessibility in research practice and past projects
• Experience researching multi-sided systems (e.g., applicants and caseworkers, or residents and developers) where different user groups have competing needs is a plus
• Certification in evaluation practice (e.g., The Evaluators’ Institute (TEI)) or equivalent education is a plus