Principal UX Researcher

Constant Contact • Waltham, MA

13h • Hybrid

About The Position

At Constant Contact, we are seriously awesome people who take ownership and make an impact by operating with the mindset, integrity and courage of a small business owner. There’s something so profoundly rewarding about knowing that your work is empowering people everywhere to pursue their dreams. Here, we all play an integral part in helping business owners, entrepreneurs, non-profits and individuals to succeed by giving them all the help and tools they need to grow online. We’re energized by new challenges and new possibilities-and we’re just getting started!
We are looking for a Principal UX Researcher to evolve Constant Contact’s research function into an AI-driven insights engine. This role is about more than just leadership; it’s about architecting the organizational capability to produce high-velocity insights for an AI-native, mobile-first world. You will champion a culture where AI-augmented frameworks scale our understanding of small business needs, turning complex data into strategic product advantages faster than ever before.

Requirements

• Systems Architect: 8+ years of UX research experience, with a proven track record of not just doing research, but building the systems and "Insights Engines" that power SaaS organizations.
• AI-Native Researcher: You have hands-on experience implementing AI-driven tools to automate the research lifecycle. You view AI as a partner that handles the "drudge work" so you can focus on the "So What."
• The Coach & Consultant: You enjoy mentoring others and have experience democratizing research through "office hours" and standardized toolkits that help a product organization scale its own curiosity.
• Strategic Facilitator: You are an expert at turning raw data into a narrative. You can lead a room of engineers and executives through a synthesis workshop that results in a prioritized, actionable backlog.
• Privacy- First Thinker: You understand the nuances of PII and data privacy, especially as it relates to automated transcription and AI- based data processing.

Nice To Haves

• Repository Mastery: Direct experience building or managing a modern "Insights Commons" or repository with a focus on searchability and stakeholder self-service.
• AI Methodology Expertise: Experience with specific AI-research methods, such as evaluating AI trust or utilizing LLMs for thematic analysis of qualitative data.
• Operational Excellence: A background in Research Ops, with a focus on automating the "boring stuff" (recruitment, incentives, transcription) to increase team velocity.
• Advanced Degree: Master’s or PhD in HCI, Cognitive Psychology, or a related field, with a focus on human-computer-AI interaction.

Responsibilities

• High-Velocity Strategic Discovery: Spearhead end-to-end research for "big bet" initiatives, leveraging AI to compress the discovery-to-insight cycle. You will deliver high-impact artifacts—from AI-curated video highlight reels to actionable roadmap pivots—that drive executive-level decision-making at speed.
• Force Multiplier & Democratization: Scale our organizational research capability by coaching Product Managers and Designers on high-speed methodologies. You’ll architect a "Research-as-a-Service" model, providing office hours, self-service templates, and peer-review checklists that empower the broader team to move fast without sacrificing quality.
• AI-Enhanced Research Operations: Audit and re-engineer manual workflows—recruitment, transcription, and tagging—using AI-driven automation tools. Your mission is to eliminate operational "drudge work," allowing the team to focus 100% of their energy on high-level synthesis and strategy.
• The AI-Augmented "Insights Commons": Architect and maintain a centralized repository that utilizes LLM-based natural language querying. You will ensure our historical data is "alive," allowing any stakeholder to instantly surface past findings and cross-study patterns through a conversational interface.
• Governance & Operational Ethics: Establish the "Rules of the Road" for AI-augmented research. You’ll ensure all automated processes—from data collection to synthesis—comply with privacy standards and protect participant PII, maintaining a high-maturity culture of trust and ethical integrity.
• Cross-Functional Synthesis & Translation: Facilitate high-stakes post-research workshops that bridge the gap between raw findings and technical execution. You will translate user behavior into prioritized product requirements and design specs, ensuring research is a shared catalyst for Engineering and Product teams.

Benefits

• We celebrate one another’s differences. We are proud of our culture of diversity and inclusion, and we're always working hard to strengthen and improve this culture. We have programs in place that bring us together on important issues and provide educational opportunities for all employees.
• Join the experts. If you're passionate about supporting businesses and organizations, you won’t find a better spot to share your talent. We’re dedicated to improving the quality of our product from a customer standpoint and have a true desire to enable the success of businesses, non-profit organizations, and community groups.
• You’ll have opportunities to grow your career. We encourage and support our team members to learn different aspects of the business, take on stretch assignments, seek coaching opportunities and professional development opportunities.
• A generous paid time off policy and a competitive benefits package that supports the health and well-being of you and your family
• At Constant Contact, we’re all about work flexibility and are proud to serve our customers as a hybrid workforce. Our hybrid work model combines the convenience of remote work with access to our great office locations to collaborate in-person, participate in live trainings, and socialize with colleagues.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal