Staff User Experience Researcher, Foundations and Enablement

Khan Academy•Mountain View, CA

17h•Remote

About The Position

We’re looking for a Staff UX Researcher to join our Design team. The heart of this role is not just conducting research, but building the high-performance engine that powers user understanding across our entire product. You will be the architect of our "People Who Do Research" (PWDR) program, empowering our Design team to conduct their own tactical research while you provide the methodological rigor, technical guardrails, and strategic oversight. We are looking for an expert who can lead our transition into AI-enhanced research operations—acting as the essential "Human-in-the-Loop" to ensure that as we accelerate our workflows, our insights remain grounded, ethical, and highly actionable. You will play a vital role in scaling our impact, serving as a coach and consultant to product teams as they navigate the complexities of U.S. school districts. By building the playbooks and knowledge systems that turn raw data into institutional wisdom, you will help us fulfill the mission of the organization: to provide a free, world-class education to anyone, anywhere.

Requirements

Mastery of research methods and rigor: 12+ years of UX research experience in complex enterprise software or SaaS environments. You have a deep command of the craft that allows you to spot flaws in research design or AI-generated summaries.
Coaching skills: Proven experience in mentorship, coaching, or building "Research Ops" programs. You find as much professional fulfillment in enabling others to do great as you do in conducting the research yourself.
Responsible AI fluency: Deep technical curiosity regarding GenAI and LLMs, with a practical understanding of their limitations. You know how to leverage AI for speed while acting as the ultimate guardrail for quality and ethics.
Operational architecture: A track record of building scalable systems, templates, and workflows that have successfully improved the velocity and quality of a design organization.
Design and product fluency: A sophisticated understanding of the product development lifecycle (PDLC) and software development lifecycle (SDLC), enabling you to integrate research checkpoints into the existing workflows of designers and engineers seamlessly.
Communication and influence: Exceptional communication skills and "executive presence," with the ability to convince cross-functional leaders of the value of democratized (yet governed) research.
Motivated by the Khan Academy mission “to provide a free world-class education for anyone, anywhere."
Proven cross-cultural competency skills demonstrating self-awareness, awareness of other, and the ability to adopt inclusive perspectives, attitudes, and behaviors to drive inclusion and belonging throughout the organization.
Introspective, mature, low-ego, and emotionally intelligent
Growth mindset, willingness to learn and to teach others
Proactively seek out the people and info you need to move work forward and unblock yourself
High comfort level working within a strong top-down product vision led by our CEO, Sal Khan
Able to balance the immediate tactical needs of helping deliver and ship features with scouting ahead for what’s next
Comfortable with ever-shifting priorities and ambiguous situations, like you’d experience in a startup
Willing to roll your sleeves up and pitch in when a project goes off-script
Excited about education and engaging learning experiences, deeply curious about how and why people learn

Responsibilities

PWDR Program leadership and enablement: Refine and scale our "People Who Do Research" program. You will empower designers and product triads to conduct high-quality tactical UXR research (both qual and quant) by providing the playbooks, training, and mentorship necessary to maintain rigorous standards across the team.
AI strategy and research operations: Design, propose, and manage a research tech stack (including Dovetail) powered by responsible AI. You will implement automated workflows for recruiting, synthesis, and insight distribution, serving as the UXR "Human-in-the-Loop" authority to ensure AI-generated outputs are grounded, ethical, and accurate.
Cross-product research, synthesis, and leadership: Act as the Design Leadership Team’s expert on customer and user profiles, end-to-end user journeys, and forward-looking research. You will synthesize insights that span multiple product surface areas to identify "connective tissue," strategic gaps, and opportunities that go beyond the scope of individual embedded researchers or designers on product teams.
Strategic advisory and methodological governance: Serve as a high-level internal consultant, guiding teams on the selection of lean vs. rigorous methodologies. You will lead or co-facilitate complex mixed-method studies when business needs require, providing the foundational frameworks (blueprints, journey maps) that keep teams aligned with the "big picture."
Support the design team with on-site research in schools, providing guidance and ethical scaffolding, and ensuring legal compliance. U.S. based travel up to 20%.
Responsibilities may change as business and team needs evolve.

Benefits

Competitive salaries
Ample paid time off as needed – Your well-being is a priority
8 pre-scheduled Wellness Days in 2026 occurring on a Monday or a Friday for a 3-day weekend boost
Remote-first culture - that caters to your time zone, with open flexibility as needed, at times
Generous parental leave
An exceptional team that trusts you and gives you the freedom to do your best
The chance to put your talents towards a deeply meaningful mission and the opportunity to work on high-impact products that are already defining the future of education
Opportunities to connect through affinity, ally, and social groups
And we offer all those other typical benefits as well: 401(k) + 4% matching & comprehensive insurance, including medical, dental, vision, and life

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