Senior Product/User Researcher (Contract)

Tilt Finance

2d•Remote

About The Position

We are hiring a senior Product/User Researcher to establish and lead research practices that meaningfully inform product development. Research today is conducted inconsistently and without formal methodology, and this role will define the philosophy, standards, and operating model required to bring rigor, clarity, and insight into product decision-making. This is a foundational hire reporting into product and design leadership, partnering closely with the Head of Design and the product design team. The role requires a highly autonomous researcher capable of building a research program from the ground up while operating as a hands-on practitioner. This is a product research role, not a market or consumer marketing research position.

Requirements

Senior-level experience in product/UX research within digital product organizations
Demonstrated ability to establish research practices in environments without mature research infrastructure
Strong mixed-methods expertise with clear judgment on methodology selection
Experience operating continuous or rolling research programs
Deep understanding of research rigor, bias mitigation, and insight synthesis
Ability to elevate organizational research literacy and coach non-researchers on best practices
Strong partnership with design and product leadership
Comfortable operating with high autonomy, ambiguity, and program ownership

Nice To Haves

Experience managing research vendors or agencies
Experience building research ops infrastructure or participant panels
Background working in design-led product organizations

Responsibilities

Establish research philosophy, standards, and best practices across the organization
Define frameworks, templates, and governance that improve rigor and mitigate bias in research execution
Educate product, design, and PM teams on research methodology, interpretation, and appropriate application
Build scalable research infrastructure including participant recruitment, insight synthesis, and knowledge management
Own and operate a continuous rolling research program enabling ongoing user feedback across product development
Partner with teams to intake research needs and translate them into structured, methodologically sound test plans
Recruit and facilitate participant sessions on an ongoing basis, adjusting cadence based on product priorities and research complexity
Synthesize findings into actionable insights that inform product direction and design decisions
Maintain a sustainable research rhythm that balances responsiveness with depth and methodological rigor
Determine and apply appropriate qualitative and quantitative methodologies across discovery and evaluative research
Conduct interviews, usability testing, concept validation, surveys, diary studies, and experiments
Ensure research rigor, bias mitigation, and methodological clarity across studies
Define and lead longer-term research programs to deepen understanding of users, behaviors, and mental models
Manage external research agencies for larger scoped studies (1–2 per quarter or half-year) with leadership approval
Drive synthesis across studies to develop durable user insights and profiles that guide product strategy