Staff Design Researcher

Headspace•San Francisco, CA

1d•$140,400 - $190,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Research is how Headspace's mission becomes real for the people we serve. Our Design team sits at the intersection of evidence, empathy, and product execution, driving the insights that shape how millions of members experience mental health support every day. We combine evidence-based content, clinical care, and innovative technology, and our researchers are the connective tissue that ensures every product decision is grounded in a deep understanding of human need. We are seeking a Staff Design Researcher to lead product-transforming and service-defining qualitative research. This person operates with autonomy across qualitative and quantitative methods, brings clinical and behavioral health context into every research engagement, and actively raises the quality and rigor of research practice across the team. You will work closely with Product, Design, Clinical, and Engineering partners to ensure member insights are not just gathered, but acted on. The insights you discover and communicate will help the business create supportive, transformative experiences that shape what the future of mental healthcare can look like. This role shapes the roadmap and influences product strategy. Your findings will reach executive and clinical leadership directly. In addition you will build and scale research infrastructure to assist the entire organization.

Requirements

5+ years of experience in design research, UX research, or a related field, with demonstrated ability to independently lead complex, multi-method research programs.
Strong mixed-methods fluency with expertise in both qualitative approaches (interviews, diary studies, contextual inquiry, usability testing) and quantitative methods (surveys, NPS, attitudinal measurement, statistical analysis).
Hands-on experience with research and survey platforms including Qualtrics, DScout, UserTesting, User Interviews, or comparable tools.
Demonstrated experience designing and analyzing NPS programs and member satisfaction studies, including experience translating survey data into product strategy.
Exceptional ability to synthesize complex findings into compelling narratives and present to cross-functional and senior stakeholders with clarity and confidence.
Strong cross-functional collaboration skills with experience partnering across Product, Design, Engineering, and Clinical functions.
Rigorous approach to research ethics, participant privacy, and inclusive recruitment practices.

Nice To Haves

Healthcare or digital health background strongly preferred, with meaningful experience conducting research with clinical, behavioral health, or wellness-oriented user populations; understanding of the sensitivity, ethics, and nuance required when researching members in vulnerable states.
Experience with ResearchOps infrastructure, including participant panels, tagging systems, insight repositories, and research tooling evaluation.
Familiarity with behavioral design principles and experience applying them to research design in health, wellness, or behavior change contexts.
Experience with AI tools in research workflows, including AI-assisted synthesis and analysis platforms.
Experience conducting IRB-adjacent or ethically sensitive research involving vulnerable populations, including mental health, chronic illness, or underserved communities.
Proficiency with data visualization and storytelling tools (Dovetail, Aurelius, Miro, or similar) to socialize insights broadly.
Background in human-computer interaction, cognitive psychology, public health, anthropology, or a related discipline.

Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end mixed-methods research programs across generative, evaluative, and continuous discovery phases, including in-depth interviews, contextual inquiry, diary studies, concept testing, and large-scale quantitative studies.
Design and execute quantitative research initiatives including NPS surveys, attitudinal studies, segmentation, and benchmarking, using platforms such as Qualtrics and DScout to surface member sentiment at scale.
Translate research findings into clear, actionable insights and product-shaping recommendations; develop exec-ready deliverables including frameworks, journey maps, personas, and strategic briefs.
Partner with Product, Design, and Clinical teams to define research agendas, scope studies, and embed member insights early in the product development lifecycle.
Serve as the research authority on member populations navigating mental health challenges, applying healthcare and behavioral science context to study design, recruitment, and ethical considerations.
Drive research operations best practices including participant recruitment, incentive compliance, consent processes, and repository management to support a scalable, high-quality research function.
Mentor and consult with designers and cross-functional partners on research methods, helping build research fluency across the broader Design Studios team.
Advocate for member needs across diverse populations including clinical, coaching, and wellness users in roadmap discussions and strategic planning.
Use AI-assisted synthesis tools to accelerate insight generation and scale research ops.
Help establish governance and best practices for AI use in research workflows.