Lead UX Researcher

Role Overview

Lead UX Researcher (Senior IC) at Descript, shaping product decisions and how UX research is practiced across the organization. You will own ambiguous problem spaces end-to-end while scaling research influence through tools, systems, and coaching.

Responsibilities

• Drive UX and product research end-to-end across large, ambiguous problem spaces
• Define research questions and methods by identifying key unknowns that inform product decisions
• Conduct exploratory, evaluative, and longitudinal research, including:
  • Ethnography
  • Usability research
  • Concept testing
• Partner closely with PMs, designers, product marketing, data science, customer support, sales, and engineering to connect research to decision-making and user feedback loops
• Understand users and shape product direction:
  • Study how people create content (inside and outside Descript)
  • Map and maintain libraries of workflows, mental models, and friction points
• Synthesize insights into clear, actionable outputs (e.g., frameworks, highlight reels, journey maps)
• Scale UX research across the org by:
  • Coaching PMs and designers to run their own high-quality research
  • Managing and improving research operations (participant recruitment, feedback management, insight sharing)
  • Introducing new methods, tools, and rituals
  • Bringing employees closer to the voice of the customer
• Host/manage “Insight Safari”, a weekly company gathering for discussing user research footage

Requirements

• 5+ years of UX research experience
• Experience working closely with product and design teams (not purely agency work)
• Built and scaled a collaborative research practice within a product org; mentored or trained others
• Built and maintained research operations systems (participant management, feedback, recordings, and insights)
• Demonstrated ability to influence product and strategic decisions

Nice to Have

• Experience scaling research practice using AI tools while preserving research integrity
• Strong quantitative and qualitative research skills (including customer facilitation and unmoderated studies)