Staff User Experience Researcher

The Staff User Experience (UX) Researcher is responsible for empowering product and user experience decision-makers with the insights to make data-driven decisions. This role will manage a research program for a tier of Workiva product teams or key opportunities. The Staff UX Researcher will also plan, conduct, analyze, and communicate results from qualitative, quantitative, and experimental studies that investigate users, their needs, motivations, and behaviors. The insights gleaned from these studies will inform Product Managers, User Experience Designers, and Software Engineers, enabling them to build and optimize innovative, user-friendly products.

What You’ll Do

Team Leadership:

• Drive strategy and execution of research across groups of product teams

• Partners with product leadership to ensure best practices of research and evidence backed decision making are followed

• Provides research leadership to set of products or opportunities of vital importance to Workiva strategy

• Mentors researchers and members of the user experience team

Designs and Conducts Research:

• Reviews research plans and offers consulting on best practices of research

• Provides leadership and ownership of the collection of analytics and communicating insights across multiple teams

• Coordinates research studies by, planning, collecting evidence, analyzing, and communicating insights across multiple teams as well as executives

• Collaborates with designers, product managers and engineers to discover and prioritize opportunities with new and existing products, in a fast paced, rapidly changing environment

• Enforces consistency in the development and management of research plans and scheduled for product teams by helping set best practices

• Leverages a broad range of research techniques to develop a deeper understanding of our customers, users and the ways they work

• Delegates tasks in collaboration with team management to distribute work effectively

• Leverages evaluation techniques to identify key usability needs, and to help refine previously implemented features

Interprets and Presents insights: 

• Organizes, interprets and presents evidence clearly and serves as a point of contact for key decision makers

• Leads team members and key collaborators to explore new approaches that will provide optimal feedback

• Analyzes, synthesizes and communicates test/research results advocates for user centered product improvements

• Partners with leadership to inform and influence product strategy and tie business outcomes to reliable insights

What You’ll Need

Minimum Qualifications 

• Minimum of 5-7 years of professional experience conducting user research in a product development environment  

• A strong portfolio demonstrating a range of research methodologies, data analysis techniques, and the tangible impact of research on product design and development

• Undergraduate degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Sociology, Anthropology, Design, Computer Science, or a related field 

• Demonstrated expertise in designing, conducting, and analyzing mixed methods research studies, effectively integrating qualitative and quantitative data

• Proficiency in a variety of qualitative research methods (e.g., usability testing, contextual inquiry, interviews, focus groups) and quantitative research methods (e.g., surveys, data analytics) and associated tools

• Experience in developing and implementing data management strategies for UX research projects, including data cleaning, organization, and storage

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex research findings and recommendations clearly and persuasively to diverse audiences 

• Outstanding interpersonal and collaboration skills, with a proven ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams

Preferred Qualifications 

• Experience in the SaaS industry or a related technology domain

• Proven experience working as a UX Researcher within Agile development teams

• Experience in planning and conducting JTBD-focused research activities, including job interviews and the analysis of user stories

• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to utilize statistical analysis techniques and software to interpret quantitative data

• Experience with SQL

• Familiarity with specific UX research tools (e.g., UserTesting, UserZoom)

• Experience with data visualization tools (e.g., QuickSights)

• Experience mentoring junior UX researchers

• Advanced degree (Master's or PhD) in a relevant field

• Experience conducting global research studies

Travel Requirements and Working Conditions

• Willingness to travel less than 15% for team and corporate meetings

• Reliable internet access for any period of time working remotely, as we embrace flexible work arrangements

How You’ll Be Rewarded

✅ Salary range in the US: $129,000.00 - $210,000.00✅ A discretionary bonus typically paid annually

✅ Restricted Stock Units granted at time of hire

✅ 401(k) match and comprehensive employee benefits package

The salary range represents the low and high end of the salary range for this job in the US. Minimums and maximums may vary based on location. The actual salary offer will carefully consider a wide range of factors, including your skills, qualifications, experience and other relevant factors.

Why Join Workiva

Workiva is the platform designed to bring confidence, control, and a competitive edge to the world’s most complex organizations. Our AI-powered platform unifies finance, risk, and sustainability on a single, secure foundation—ensuring data is trusted, traceable, and ready to act on. With an unbroken path from source to output, leaders gain confidence in their numbers, visibility into current and emerging risks, and the ability to move with speed and precision in a constantly changing world.

At Workiva, you’ll bring technology to market that executives, boards, and regulators depend on. The work you do here helps organizations navigate uncertainty, maintain trust, and make decisions that stand up to scrutiny. If you’re energized by meaningful challenges, inspired by collaborative teams, and motivated to help organizations turn uncertainty into advantage, we’d love to meet you.

Employment decisions are made without regard to age, race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, citizenship status or any other protected characteristic.

Workiva is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. To request assistance with the application process, please email talentacquisition@workiva.com.  

Workiva employees are required to undergo comprehensive security and privacy training tailored to their roles, ensuring adherence to company policies and regulatory standards.

Workiva supports employees in working where they work best - either from an office or remotely from any location within their country of employment.

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