Researcher (contract)

Role overview

Researcher (Contract) supporting user research efforts for teams building products across Azure Data—focused on Real-Time Intelligence, Fabric IQ, and Observability. The researcher will help the team understand the needs, behaviors, and workflows of data professionals and other technical users.

Responsibilities

• Plan and execute qualitative research studies, including in-depth interviews to understand user workflows, unmet needs, and experience gaps.
• Conduct qualitative research activities such as:
  • Interview moderation
  • Usability testing
  • Synthesis of open-ended feedback to produce actionable insights.
• Use research methods including semi-structured interviews, contextual inquiry, and usability studies to identify friction points and product needs.
• Support participant recruitment and study logistics (scheduling, note-taking, and operational execution).
• Analyze and summarize findings into deliverables such as:
  • Notes, themes, presentations
  • Summary reports
• Maintain organized research documentation and repositories so insights can be shared and reused.
• Support multiple concurrent research projects to ensure quality and timely execution.
• Identify patterns in user feedback and surface insights to inform product and design decisions.
• Conduct research in compliance with privacy, consent, and applicable requirements.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., HCI, Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Information Science, Market Research) or equivalent practical experience.
• 4–6 years of experience in user research, UX research, market research, or related work.
• Strong communication skills (verbal and written).
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently, manage time effectively, and support multiple studies at once.
• Experience with core methods: interviews, usability testing, surveys, and qualitative synthesis.
• Ability to clearly document findings and produce well-structured research deliverables.
• Comfort working in technical product spaces and learning complex domains quickly.
• Interest in data/analytics and technical user workflows.

Nice to have

• Experience researching enterprise, technical, or data-focused products.
• Familiarity with enterprise software, cloud technologies, analytics platforms, or developer-focused tools.