Principal UX Researcher

BetterUp•Austin, TX

8d•$230,000 - $320,000•Remote

About The Position

BetterUp is seeking a Principal UX Researcher to be the most senior researcher on the Product Design team, reporting directly to the VP of Design. This role will define BetterUp’s research vision and practice, establishing methodologies, governance, and strategic frameworks to ensure user insights shape product decisions. The position involves partnering across Product, PMM, and the Labs behavioral insights team to connect foundational research to business outcomes, while also mentoring researchers and design partners. The company emphasizes a unique employer/employee relationship, offering more than just a paycheck, including personal coaching, development plans, and a focus on meaningful work in a fun, inventive, and soulful culture. This role is for individuals with a strong drive who are looking for a career-defining opportunity.

Requirements

12+ years of experience in UX research, design research, or a closely related field
6+ years operating at a senior or staff level of scope and impact
Deep expertise across the full spectrum of research methodologies—qualitative and quantitative, generative and evaluative, behavioral and attitudinal
Demonstrated track record of leading research that directly shaped product strategy and business outcomes at an organizational level
Experience defining and scaling a research practice, including establishing processes, tooling, governance, and research operations
Exceptional ability to synthesize complex data from multiple sources into clear, compelling narratives that drive executive-level decision-making
Strong cross-functional partnership skills, with experience influencing Product, Engineering, Marketing, and Data Science stakeholders
Experience mentoring and developing researchers at various career stages
Excellent communication and storytelling skills—you make research accessible, memorable, and actionable for any audience
AI fluency as a complement to craft, not a replacement for it.
Ability to share examples of how AI tools have been used in work (e.g., AI-powered analysis platforms, generative research tools, automated synthesis workflows).

Responsibilities

Define and evolve BetterUp’s UX research practice: establish research methodologies, quality standards, tooling, and governance frameworks that scale across the product organization
Drive strategic research that informs company-level product strategy, partnering directly with the VP of Design, Product leadership, and the executive team to identify high-leverage opportunities
Lead foundational and generative research programs that uncover unmet user needs, validate market opportunities, and shape multi-quarter product roadmaps
Partner cross-functionally with PMM, the Labs behavioral insights team, and Product to synthesize quantitative and qualitative data into actionable insights that influence go-to-market strategy and product direction
Represent UX Research as the discipline’s voice in executive forums, design reviews, and strategic planning sessions—ensuring research has a seat at the table for critical decisions
Build and scale research operations: evaluate and select research tools and vendors, define participant recruitment strategies, establish research repositories, and create self-serve research capabilities for the broader organization
Mentor and coach researchers and design partners across the team, raising the bar on research craft and building organizational research fluency
Establish governance frameworks and best practices for responsible AI usage in research processes, including AI-augmented analysis, synthesis, and participant experience
Mobilize and align multiple functions to retire low-value research practices, scale AI-enabled research workflows, and focus teams on the few moves that create outsized impact.
Serve as a trusted advisor to leadership on AI strategy for research, modeling resilience, cultivating change confidence, and positioning BetterUp as an industry pace-setter for continuous reinvention through AI.
Shape company-wide AI strategy for research in partnership with executive leadership, ensuring alignment with business objectives
Remove institutional barriers to AI adoption in research practices and drive cultural change that embraces continuous reinvention
Serve as BetterUp’s foremost expert in UX research, with recognized external influence on how AI transforms the research discipline