Principal UX Researcher

Summary

Join Viator's research team as a Principal UX Researcher and champion user-centered design, leading complex research initiatives using qualitative and quantitative methodologies. You will uncover deep user insights to shape the product vision, translate behaviors into actionable recommendations, and influence design and product strategy. Collaborate with cross-functional partners, challenge business assumptions, and define product roadmaps informed by data and customer understanding. The ideal candidate possesses 8+ years of applied research experience, mastery of various research methodologies, and exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills. You will mentor other researchers and contribute to optimizing research processes. Viator offers competitive compensation, flexible work arrangements, and various benefits.

Requirements

• Minimum BA/BSc degree in psychology, HCI, design, communication, statistics or other related field
• 8+ years of professional applied research experience, demonstrating the ability to tackle the most ambiguous and high-risk strategic business problems, bringing clarity through critical thinking
• Mastery of a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, including advanced techniques (e.g., ethnographic studies, complex survey design, diary studies, statistical analysis interpretation)
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to influence the product leadership team and both ask and answer meaningful and impactful questions
• Superior stakeholder management and influencing skills, capable of constructively challenging stakeholder direction, while still balancing business priorities
• A flexible, confident, and tenacious attitude, capable of resolving conflicts autonomously and demonstrating resilience and positivity
• Experience leveraging research tools like UserTesting, dscout, and others, along with the adaptability to learn and utilize new tools as needed

Responsibilities

• Strategic research leadership: Rigorously designing and executing high-impact research studies across large, complex and ambiguous problem spaces
• Problem definition and scoping: Excelling at synthesizing and triangulating a wide variety of data inputs (analytics, VoC, user research, market research, competitive intelligence) to inform problem definition and shape the most critical questions to answer to drive strategic growth
• Impactful insights and innovation: Generating transformative insights that challenge core business assumptions. You will uncover deep, systemic issues and underlying drivers of user behavior, often revealing interconnected problems and opportunities
• Influential communication and presentation: Using creative storytelling techniques and compelling narratives to write clear, succinct, influential, and impactful research deliverables with a clear takeaway and a strong "so what" for the business (aligned to business goals)
• Cross-functional collaboration: Working with multiple stakeholders across product, design, analytics, Voice of Customer and engineering, including senior leaders, to understand priorities and motivations, ensuring research output addresses their questions
• Process optimization and efficiency: Making critical decisions swiftly to keep projects on track and aligned with broader product and business goals. You will contribute to how we develop our research practice by identifying opportunities to optimize research processes at an organizational level, advocating for improvements and putting ideas into action
• Advocacy: You will employ customer-advocacy strategies to keep the user top of mind for the business and influence the work of stakeholders
• Mentorship: Providing mentorship and coaching to other researchers, actively guiding them in their professional growth and research execution

Benefits

• Competitive compensation packages (routinely benchmarked against the latest industry data), including base salary, annual bonus, and equity
• "Work your way" with flexibility to suit your lifestyle. Viator takes a remote-friendly approach to collaboration across a worldwide team, with the option to join on-site as often as you’d like
• Flexible schedule. Work-life balance is ingrained in our culture by design. Trust and accountability make it work
• Donation matching. Give back? Give more! We match qualifying charitable donations annually
• Tuition assistance. Want to level up your career? We love to hear it! Receive annual support for qualified programs
• Lifestyle benefit. An annual benefit to spend on yourself. Use it on travel, wellness, or whatever suits you
• Travel perks. We believe that travel is employee development, so we provide discounts and more
• Employee assistance program. We’re here for you with resources and programs to help you through life’s challenges
• Health benefits. We offer great coverage and competitive premiums