Staff UX Researcher San Francisco, CA; New York, NY (San Francisco)

Remember the uncertainty of searching for your first job? First internship, second job? Does anyone slide seamlessly into the start of their careers? Most of us dont; for millions of students every year, it feels like a mission fraught with invisible traps, no map, and the looming prospect of bills to pay. Access to help is not evenly distributed: not to connections nor to information on what's even possible out there.

That's where Handshake comes in. Our mission is to democratize access to opportunity: to help every student find the right job, no matter where they're from or who they know. Were the career network for Gen Z, with over 15M+ job seekers, almost 1M employers, and 1500+ career centers coming together on our platform. Students need jobs and career guidance and nascent professional community, employers want to find and make great student hires, and career centers help us help everyone, ensuring it's not just students in-the-know who get in our doors. Were seeking you and your user researcher chops to help make it the best experience for all those involved!

Come help make our research team world-class to tackle this very tangible, incentives-aligned, real-world problem. You'll be helping making what we do rigorous, impactful, and joyful because, well, life is short. Let's do work that matters, together, and enjoy it as we go.

Your role

• Develop and monitor key user growth segments
• Extract quantitative data from external and internal sources
• Deliver insights from content trends that inform content strategy for the feed
• Plan and run evaluative research on design concepts pre and post launch
• Deliver fast actionable insights to the team that lead to measurable outcomes
• Recruit their own participants for research
• Deliver timely reports and maintain a repository of insights and recommendations
• Track recommendations and how those recommendations ladder up to OKRs, MAU, DAU, and revenue
• Develop and maintain strong partnerships with key stakeholders across the company by bridging user needs with measurable meaningful business outcomes
• Lead and help drive user-centered practices across the company by helping teams stay centered on user needs and user goals

Your experience

• Previous experience conducting user research on consumer-facing products, including social media platforms
• Previous experience using user research to inform content strategy
• Well-versed in conducting speedy UX research and helping teams speed up their development process
• Well-versed in design and understand how UX research impacts design
• Ability to produce quick actionable insights from research; Insights in days not weeks
• Ability to work well with various cross-functional teams including product management, design, engineering, and marketing
• Ability to understand product analytics and marry that with qualitative UX research insights
• Proven track record of developing and maintaining key business partnerships that lead to growth
• Proven track record of working with stakeholders to help ground teams in user needs, user problems, and design principles backed by research

Compensation range

$176,000 - $220,000

What we offer

• At Handshake, we'll give you the tools to feel healthy, happy and secure.
• Benefits below apply to US employees in full-time positions.
• Equity and ownership in a fast-growing company.
• 16 Weeks of paid parental leave for birth giving parents & 10 weeks of paid parental leave for non-birth giving parents.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision policies including LGBTQ+ Coverage. We also provide resources for Mental Health Assistance, Employee Assistance Programs and counseling support.
• Generous learning & development opportunities and an annual $2,000 stipend for you to grow your skills and career.
• Financial coaching through Origin to help you through your financial journey.
• Monthly internet stipend and a brand new MacBook to allow you to do your best work.
• Monthly commuter stipend for you to expense your travel to the office (for office-based employees).
• Free lunch provided 5x a week in office.
• Free gym access in San Francisco office building.
• Referral bonus to reward you when you bring great talent to Handshake.
• Team outings throughout the year to stay connected to each other.
• 401k Match: Handshake offers a dollar-for-dollar match on 1% of deferred salary, up to a maximum of $1,200 per year.
• All full-time US-based Handshakers are eligible for our flexible time off policy to get out and see the world. In addition, we offer 13 standardized holidays, and 2 additional days of flexible holiday time off. Lastly, we have a Winter #ShakeBreak, a one-week period of Collective Time Off.
• Handshake offers $500 home office stipend for you to spend during your first 3 months to create a productive and comfortable workspace at home.
• Family support: Parental leave coaching and support provided by Parentaly. We partner with Maven Clinic to provide a lifetime coverage up to $15K for expenses related to fertility and family forming!
• Lifestyle Savings Account: We offer you an annual stipend of $500 to use for purchases such as fitness classes, gym memberships, work-from-home setup, and more.
• Handshake is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or reasonable accommodation, please let your recruiter know during initial communications.