Lead Product Researcher, Wall Street Journal Newsroom Technology

Wall Street Journal•New York City, NY

2d•$110,000 - $135,000•Hybrid

About The Position

As the Wall Street Journal’s Lead Product Researcher, you will drive research for a new team that places the evolution of the reader experience at the heart of our newsroom. This role is in a cross-functional team embedded directly in the WSJ Newsroom, bridging technology and editorial to accelerate innovation in digital journalism. You will report to cross functional leadership within Dow Jones while being embedded within the newsroom. You will shape how we understand and serve our audiences; conducting rapid research that informs new storytelling formats, AI-powered experiences, and innovative publishing capabilities. You will establish research practices that move at the speed of news while maintaining methodological rigor and creating tight feedback loops between readers, journalists, and technologists. This is a unique opportunity to pioneer research methods for the future of journalism, understanding how readers engage with news and translating those insights into transformative product experiences. Your research will directly influence how millions consume and interact with WSJ content.

Requirements

7+ years’ product research experience , with significant time spent researching content experiences, media consumption, or reader behavior at scale
Proven track record of rapid research methods , including experience with design sprints, guerrilla research and quick-turn studies that inform immediate decisions
Deep expertise in content and media research , understanding how people consume, comprehend and share information across different formats and platforms
Experience bridging different organizational cultures , particularly between creative/editorial teams and product/technology groups, with ability to translate insights for diverse stakeholders
Strong mixed-methods expertise , combining qualitative insights about reader motivation with quantitative data about behavior and engagement
Excellence in research on emerging technologies , particularly AI/ML applications in content, with understanding of user trust and adoption patterns
Track record of influencing content strategy through research, with examples of how insights shaped editorial or product decisions
Experience with multimedia research , understanding how readers engage with video, audio, interactive graphics and other rich media formats
Passion for journalism and media , with understanding of news cycles, editorial processes and researching news consumption
Outstanding storytelling abilities , translating research findings into narratives that resonate with journalists, technologists and executives
Bachelor's degree -OR- equivalent work experience in Psychology, Human-Computer Interaction, Journalism, Communications, or related field

Responsibilities

Lead research that bridges newsroom and reader needs , establishing methods to rapidly test new storytelling formats, AI applications and content experiences
Create research programs that move at the pace of news while maintaining the rigor needed to inform strategic decisions
Pioneer rapid experimentation methods that enable quick validation of new concepts
Design research sprints that deliver actionable insights within newsroom timelines.
Establish reader feedback loops that inform editorial and product decisions in near real-time
Create systems for continuous learning about reader behavior , comprehension and engagement with different content formats.
Synthesize reader insights across platforms and formats , identifying patterns in how audiences consume news across text, audio, video and interactive experiences; your frameworks will guide how we evolve storytelling for modern readers
Partner directly with journalists and editors to understand editorial workflows and translate their vision into research questions, helping newsroom stakeholders understand reader data and make evidence-based decisions about content strategy
Influence product strategy through compelling research narratives that resonate with both editorial and technology leadership; translating complex findings into actionable insights that shape the WSJ roadmap.
Build research operations for newsroom innovation , creating lightweight but rigorous methods that work within editorial constraints: establishing practices that other newsroom-embedded teams can adopt
Measure the impact of innovation on reader engagement, comprehension and trust, establishing metrics that balance editorial goals with business objectives