Sr. UX Researcher

Rakuten Rewards•San Mateo, CA

About The Position

Rakuten International is a division of Rakuten Group, Inc., a Japanese global technology leader in services that empower individuals, communities, businesses and society. Headquartered in San Mateo, California with more than 4,000 employees worldwide, the Rakuten International business portfolio includes market leaders in e-commerce, digital marketing, advertising, communications and entertainment. We create products and services that provide exceptional value by aligning members and the businesses that want to engage them in a shared community. Rakuten is the most rewarding way to shop, giving millions of members Cash Back when they buy from their favorite brands. As a leading shopping platform, Rakuten partners with thousands of top brands across apparel, beauty and wellness, grocery, travel, on-demand services, subscriptions, and dining, helping members save on everyday purchases. Since 1999, Rakuten members have earned more than $4.6 billion in Cash Back, making it the largest Cash Back platform of its kind. Learn more at Rakuten.com. Job Summary: We are seeking a senior, hands-on UX Researcher who can independently own research initiatives end-to-end and directly influence product strategy and direction. This role leads research tied to real product decisions across acquisition, conversion, and engagement, ensuring member experiences are informed by high-quality evidence. You will translate ambiguous business problems into focused research plans, execute qualitative and quantitative studies, and synthesize findings into actionable recommendations that reduce risk and accelerate decision-making. This role partners closely with Product, Design, Engineering, and Marketing and reports to the Director of Research within the Product Design team.

Requirements

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
5+ years of UX research experience in consumer-focused technology companies
Expertise in qualitative and quantitative methods across discovery, evaluation, and optimization
Ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, fast-paced environments
Proven ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders without direct authority
Strong synthesis skills and ability to translate findings into actionable insights
Excellent communication and storytelling skills
Sound judgment balancing rigor with speed
Ability to independently scope and execute research initiatives
5–7 years

Nice To Haves

Ecommerce or consumer product experience
Experience conducting market research or competitive analysis
Familiarity with analytics and data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau)

Responsibilities

Lead UX research end-to-end, from problem framing through synthesis and recommendation
Translate ambiguous business questions into structured research plans aligned to product goals
Design and execute qualitative and quantitative research across discovery, evaluation, and optimization
Synthesize research, analytics, and market signals into actionable product insights
Deliver evidence-based recommendations that inform product direction, risks, and tradeoffs
Present findings clearly and confidently to senior and cross-functional stakeholders
Build strong partnerships with Product, Design, Engineering, and Marketing
Influence prioritization and roadmap decisions through research-backed storytelling
Contribute to research standards and improve research literacy across teams