Staff Researcher, Agentic Commerce

The Agentic Commerce team at Etsy is focused on building a future where AI agents participate in commerce—helping buyers discover, evaluate, and purchase, and enabling sellers to automate operations and scale their businesses. We explore questions like:

• How do users build trust in autonomous purchasing decisions?
• What does “control” look like when agents act on a user’s behalf?
• How do customer expectations for product information change when AI agents are evaluating options on their behalf?
• What new behaviors and risks emerge in agent-mediated marketplaces?

About the role

We are seeking a Staff Researcher, Agentic Commerce to help define the next generation of intelligent, autonomous shopping and selling experiences. As a Staff Researcher, you will operate at the intersection of AI agents, marketplaces, and human-centered design, understanding the seam between agent-assisted experiences and how people collaborate with, and trust agentic systems in commerce.

Responsibilities

• Set the research agenda: Define and lead a portfolio of foundational and evaluative research
• Passionate about agentic interactions, trust, and automation in commerce
• Compose product and business direction: Translate insights into clear strategic recommendations that influence roadmaps and UX patterns
• Investigate human-agent interaction: Conduct studies with buyers and sellers interacting with AI agents — and the experiential moments that follow
• Data triangulation: Draw from behavioral data, consumer trends, and primary research — designing creative approaches to arrive at a clear point of view
• Drive cross-functional alignment: Partner with Product, Design, Engineering, and partner teams to ensure user needs are central to decision-making
• Connect findings across research: Work with researchers in adjacent spaces to build a coherent picture of how AI is shaping the customer experience across the platform
• Mentor and elevate craft: Support other researchers and give to a culture of high-quality, forward-thinking research

Requirements

Deep expertise and creativity in UX research methods, with a track record of leading sophisticated, ambiguous problem spaces

POV on human-agent interaction—trust, clarity, and what it means to delegate decisions to an intelligent system across multi-turn experiences

Understands how consumer trust and adoption of AI are evolving— and brings those external signals into research planning and recommendations

Comfortable operating at multiple altitudes— from hands-on execution to shaping org-level direction

Developed a research roadmap, not just a study plan— you can sequence areas of inquiry and explain the prioritization to partners

Skilled communicator who can influence senior collaborators and communicate research as decisions, not just findings

Passion for exploring the future of commerce and reimagining how humans and intelligent systems collaborate

Qualifications

Master’s degree in Computer Science, Psychology, Cognitive Science, or related field

Minimum 7 years of relevant experience in UX research, preferably in a tech company setting

Experience with qualitative and quantitative research methods, including usability testing, surveys, interviews, and observational studies

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Ability to work independently and as part of a team

Experience with machine learning and natural language processing is a plus

Skills

Expertise in UX research methods

Understanding of human-agent interaction and trust

Experience with AI and machine learning

Ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams

Benefits

Competitive salary range: $165,000.00 - $215,000.00

Annual performance bonus

Equity package

Comprehensive benefits package

Flexible work schedule

Work-from-home option

Health, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Employee assistance program

Professional development opportunities

Regular team-building activities

Workplace safety policies

Equal opportunity employer

Visa sponsorship available