Lead UX Researcher (Mixed Methods)

Job Description

At Zendesk, we know that delivering great customer service experiences is the key to running a successful business.  Our goal is to make customer service better by building software that brings companies and their customers closer together, sets companies up for success, and keeps businesses in sync.

We believe in collaborative working relationships, curiosity about our customers, insight-informed design, and delivering solutions that solve real problems for our customers. 

UX Researchers are an integral part of our Product Development organization! In this role, you will craft and execute sophisticated research projects which require an in-depth evaluation of variable factors.  Your research will contribute to designs for Zendesk products that are powerful and easy to use.

As a Lead User Experience Researcher, you will use a variety of research methodologies to help define the vision for the user experience of our software. You will lead end-to-end research critical to the success of Zendesk by ensuring we meet our customers’ needs, set our customers up for success, and keep our customers’ businesses in sync. 

Location Requirement: Hybrid role based in San Francisco

Who we're looking for:

This opportunity is for a Lead User Experience Researcher with demonstrated ability partnering with cross-functional teams (e.g., design, product, data analytics, marketing) to build strategic research plans that deliver insights that help them make decisions. Successful candidates will have expertise with a variety of remote and face-to-face research methods, a gift for mentoring colleagues, a drive to lead department and org-wide initiatives, and a passion for the user experience. 

What our researchers get to do every single day

As a Lead UX Researcher at Zendesk, you will focus on understanding the needs and behaviors of our customers. Your research will directly inform how we design content and features, ensuring customers can easily identify, set up, and engage with our products.

You will: 

• Work collaboratively with designers, product managers, marketing and engineering teams to provide customer insights that fuel our product development efforts.

• Participate in and lead weekly huddles and standup meetings with product, design, and research teams.

• Select appropriate research methods to turn open questions and curiosities into formal research plans, and execute those plans to inform product and design strategy.

• Partner with product management, data analysts and other UX Researchers to craft coordinated research strategies and insights, triangulating data from different sources and methods to find opportunities for improving the customer journey.

• Use workflows, scenarios, profiles and reports to document customer behavior, and articulate the goals, behavior and preferences of Zendesk customers.

• Translate insights into meaningful recommendations for design and product partners.

• Assist in the creation and evolution of user personas, our research training materials, and our Research & Insight Center.

• Share research insights across the organization to generate empathy and inspire action on behalf of Zendesk’s users, customers and prospects.

What You Bring to the Role:

• A portfolio showcasing expertise in diverse research methods, particularly mixed methods (e.g., moderated/unmoderated testing, ethnographic research, survey design) and their impact on customer experience and business strategy.

• Experience in B2B or enterprise SaaS environments is a plus, particularly in researching complex workflows and business user needs.

• Expertise in designing and drafting questionnaires, focusing on structure, length, logical flow, question types, best practices, and strategies for addressing sampling and bias.Proficiency in applied statistics, with a solid understanding of descriptive statistics.

• Experience working in a fast-paced, experimental environment, showcasing your ability to conduct research quickly, analyze findings, and iterate on recommendations based on user feedback.

• Excellent communication skills for presenting insights that support decision-making.

• Leadership capabilities to align research programs (e.g., benchmarking, UX measurement) with product strategy.

• Strong collaboration skills to build relationships across the UX Research team, product teams, and cross-functional partners.

• Apply a pragmatic research approach, balancing business goals with departmental constraints.

• Proactive and self-motivated, comfortable navigating ambiguity and capable of collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams.

• Creative problem-solving skills to develop innovative solutions to complex business challenges.

• Flexibility to meet remotely across time zones and occasional travel when safe.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the research strategy and execute projects using qualitative and quantitative methods.

• Present insights compellingly to foster an informed organization.

• Proactive knowledge-sharing within the UX Research team and Product Development organization.

• Mentor the research team to enhance skills and maintain research standards.

• Collaborate with Product Designers, Product Managers, and crossfunctional stakeholders to prioritize research projects.

• Advocate for user-centered design principles and analyze findings for actionable insights.

• Stay updated on industry trends and emerging research methodologies.

Requirements and Preferred Qualifications:

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

• At least 8 - 10 years of applied product research experience, ideally supporting design teams in B2B, B2C, SaaS, or mobile contexts.

• Familiarity with various research methodologies, both in-person and remote.

• Strong initiative in identifying research opportunities and managing multiple projects simultaneously.

• Detail-oriented with strong analytical and organizational skills.

• Enthusiastic about working in a collaborative team environment.

• Experience with usability testing, A/B testing, and user journey mapping.

• Knowledge of analytics tools and accessibility standards.

The US annualized base salary range for this position is $178,000.00-$268,000.00. This position may also be eligible for bonus, benefits, or related incentives. While this range reflects the minimum and maximum value for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations, the offer for the successful candidate for this position will be based on job related capabilities, applicable experience, and other factors such as work location. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only (or OTE for commissions based roles), and do not include bonus, benefits, or related incentives.

Hybrid: In this role, our hybrid experience is designed at the team level to give you a rich onsite experience packed with connection, collaboration, learning, and celebration - while also giving you flexibility to work remotely for part of the week. This role must attend our local office for part of the week. The specific in-office schedule is to be determined by the hiring manager.

The intelligent heart of customer experience

Zendesk software was built to bring a sense of calm to the chaotic world of customer service. Today we power billions of conversations with brands you know and love.

Zendesk believes in offering our people a fulfilling and inclusive experience. Our hybrid way of working, enables us to purposefully come together in person, at one of our many Zendesk offices around the world, to connect, collaborate and learn whilst also giving our people the flexibility to work remotely for part of the week.

Zendesk is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re proud of our ongoing efforts to foster global diversity, equity, & inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment and employees at Zendesk are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are an AA/EEO/Veterans/Disabled employer. If you are based in the United States and would like more information about your EEO rights under the law, please click here.

Zendesk endeavors to make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities and disabled veterans pursuant to applicable federal and state law. If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to submit this application, complete any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participate in the employee selection process, please send an e-mail to [email protected] with your specific accommodation request.