Lead User Experience Researcher

About the role

We are looking for a talented and passionate Lead User Experience Behavioral Scientist to drive the development of UKG AI product experiences. You will manage user behavior and sentiment analysis programs, and weave data together to give deeper insights into the UKG experience. You'll play a leadership role in the UX Research team and the larger UX organization and report to the head of UX Research. This opportunity is a hybrid position ( 3 days in the office)

Responsibilities

• Conduct quantitative and behavioral research using product telemetry, log data, and user sentiment to model adoption, reliance (follow/verify/override), intent, and outcome patterns that improve how UKG's AI products deliver value to customers and end users.
• Develop predictive and descriptive behavioral insights that identify drivers of adoption, friction, hesitation, and abandonment across user segments and roles.
• Design and operationalize behavioral telemetry and measurement frameworks-instrumenting user interactions, workflows, and touchpoints to generate leading indicators of trust, reliance, and value realization.
• Partner with Product, Data Science, and Product Operations to build scalable systems for behavioral data collection, experimentation, and continuous insight generation.
• Lead causal and experimental research (e.g., A/B tests, quasi-experiments) to evaluate the impact of features, nudges, defaults, and automation levels on user behavior and business outcomes.
• Translate behavioral data into actionable insights and decision frameworks that inform product strategy, including how to optimize time-to-value, confidence-to-action, and appropriate AI reliance.
• Establish and evolve metrics that go beyond sentiment and usability to quantify behavioral outcomes-such as adoption, trust calibration, sustained usage, and intervention effectiveness.
• Provide thought leadership on AI adoption and behavioral science, shaping product direction and influencing senior stakeholders with a clear, evidence-based perspective.
• Elevate the team's capabilities in quantitative, behavioral, and data science methods; mentor others in applying advanced analytics, experimentation, and behavioral frameworks to product development.
• Raise the methodological bar within the User Research team and mentor other team members on quantitative methods and data science methods.
• About you,
• 7+ years of experience in behavioral research, behavioral analytics, data science, or a related field, driving measurable business and user outcomes in digital product environments.
• Passionate about hands-on behavioral research and analytics, including building research data infrastructure, instrumentation, reporting frameworks, and dashboards within fast-moving AI-first product organizations.
• Experience delivering AI-assisted and conversational experiences, including ML or NLP familiarity, conversational analytics, and journey or intent modeling.
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex behavioral and product data into actionable recommendations and partner cross-functionally with Product, Product Operations, Data Science, Engineering, and UX teams to influence product strategy, experimentation, onboarding, and AI experience optimization.
• Experience with enterprise SaaS, workforce technology, HR technology, or AI-enabled productivity platforms strongly preferred.

Additional Information

Why UKG: At UKG, the work you do matters. The code you ship, the decisions you make, and the care you show a customer all add up to real impact. Today, tens of millions of workers start and end their days with our workforce operating platform. Helping people get paid, grow in their careers, and shape the future of their industries. That's what we do. We never stop learning. We never stop challenging the norm. We push for better, and we celebrate the wins along the way. Here, you'll get flexibility that's real, benefits you can count on, and a team that succeeds together. Because at UKG, your work matters-and so do you. At UKG, we are building an AI-first suite that inspires every organization to become a great place to work through HR, pay, workforce management, and culture technology built for all. We have a strong people-focused culture and are bringing innovative, AI-enhanced technology to empower the 80,000+ organizations who use our products.

Your Match

How well this role fits your profile.

Company Intel

What employees say

Worked at UKG? Share your experience