Work that matches your research skill level
We work with organizations that need experienced UX researchers — for embedded contracts, fractional roles, and permanent positions. If you're a senior researcher looking for meaningful work with organizations that take research seriously, we want to know you.
This isn't a job board
Most UX research work isn't posted on job boards — embedded contract roles, fractional engagements, and project-based consulting typically come through professional networks, referrals, and research staffing relationships. Timing is often unpredictable.
The resources on this page cover what strong research capability looks like, the kinds of work organizations typically structure, and what researchers who do this work well bring to it. Whether you're navigating the contract market, evaluating a fractional arrangement, or thinking about going independent — this is useful context.
The kinds of work common in the research contract market: embedded engagements (weeks to months), fractional roles (defined hours per week), project-based consulting, and direct hire into permanent positions across consumer tech, regulated industries, enterprise software, gaming, and more.
What we look for in researchers
We primarily work with senior researchers who can operate effectively in sophisticated product environments. Here's what that actually means.
Research ownership and independence
You can take a vague product question and turn it into a research plan that the team trusts. You don't need a research lead to define the work — you can drive the research agenda, run the study, synthesize the findings, and communicate them in a way that moves decisions.
Methodological depth and range
You know more than one or two methods. You can have a principled conversation about when to go qualitative versus quantitative, when a diary study is better than a round of interviews, and when the research question doesn't actually need another study.
Strong facilitation and synthesis
Your interviews are good. You elicit real answers rather than social-desirability answers. Your synthesis goes beyond themes — it surfaces the tensions, the mental models, the behaviors that actually matter for product decisions.
Ability to work in or create structure
In teams with mature research infrastructure, you work well within existing systems. In teams without it, you can build what you need without requiring everything to be perfect before you can do anything. Both matter.
Cross-functional communication
You can present findings to a VP who hasn't sat in on a study. You can explain methodological trade-offs to a PM without being condescending. You can write a findings report that design, engineering, and strategy all find useful.
Modern tooling and AI fluency
You're current. You use AI-assisted transcription and synthesis where it makes sense. You're familiar with modern research tooling — Dovetail, Notion, Maze, UserTesting, and what's relevant to your methods. You think clearly about where AI helps and where human judgment is irreplaceable.
Research quality, not credential theater
We're less interested in where you went to school than in the quality of your thinking. Research portfolios are often thin because the work is confidential — we know that. What we evaluate instead is professional history, the environments you've worked in, the problems you've owned, and how you reason about research decisions.
Senior research experience at respected product organizations carries weight — not because of the brand, but because of what it usually implies about the rigor, scale, and organizational sophistication someone has operated in.
We're also looking for things that don't always show up on CVs: professional attitude, honest self-assessment, the ability to set and meet expectations, and the kind of presence that instills confidence in the people you work with.
Domain experience matters
For clients in healthcare, financial services, or other regulated domains, direct industry experience can matter significantly — not just research chops. Familiarity with regulatory constraints, participant recruitment complexity, and institutional context is part of the match.
We account for this in how we match researchers to opportunities. If you have deep sector experience, that's a real asset — even if your portfolio doesn't show it prominently.
The kinds of opportunities we place researchers into
Embedded contract roles
You join a client's team for a defined period — often 3–6 months, sometimes longer. You work in their tools, attend their standups, participate in product conversations. Typically structured hourly through a staffing arrangement.
Fractional engagements
Defined hours per week or month with one or more clients. Works well for researchers who prefer variety, or who want to maintain their own projects alongside client work. Requires strong communication and the ability to manage context across clients.
Research consulting
A specific study, a research sprint, a synthesis project. Defined scope and deliverables. Good for researchers who prefer project structure over ongoing engagements.
Direct hire opportunities
When clients are looking for permanent hires, we introduce them to researchers we'd genuinely recommend. If you're open to the right permanent role, we can flag those opportunities as they arise.
Resources for UX researchers
The foundational pages cover the role, the skills, and how research capability is evaluated — useful whether you're navigating the job market, thinking about going fractional, or trying to understand how your practice is changing.