Senior/Staff User Researcher

About the role

At Skylight, user researchers play a critical role in planning, designing, and carrying out research activities with users to help teams gain a deep understanding of the people that use government services. This research informs policy, service, content, and interaction design so that government services work well for users and achieve policy intent. You'll join a contract supporting a federal agency in the health and civilian space. The systems involved handle sensitive personal data that millions of people rely on, so getting them right means treating that data with care while keeping the experience clear and humane. As a senior or staff researcher on this team, you'll set research direction across the engagement - scoping studies, running generative and evaluative research with the people who use these services and the staff who support them, and turning what you learn into findings that shape product, policy, and design.

Responsibilities

• Develop research plans (e.g., what methods to use) in alignment with the strategic context of the project
• Find and connect with good user research participants
• Apply a mix of quantitative and qualitative user research techniques (e.g., user interviews, contextual inquiry) to gain a greater understanding of user needs
• Find and connect with research participants, including in a context shaped by privacy and security constraints around federal tax information
• Translate research findings into service and product design hypotheses, then validate them through usability testing
• Clearly communicate findings to internal and external collaborators, and maintain organized, well-written documentation throughout the research process
• Guide the direction of the service, continually advocate for users, and help raise the research bar and mentor others across the team

Requirements

• Ability to align user research activities with organizational strategy and objectives
• Can correctly apply a wide range of user research methods at different stages of the product life cycle
• Understand how to include all kinds of users in appropriate research activities to help teams deliver accessible services
• Can turn research data into clear findings that inform decisions
• Ability to lead research on a cross-functional, agile team and influence product, design, and policy direction
• Experience setting research direction across multiple workstreams and mentoring other researchers (staff level)
• Ability to work successfully within a professional services environment (e.g., can communicate effectively with clients)
• Passionate about creating better public outcomes through great government services
• A mindset and work approach that aligns with our core values
• Ability to travel for work from time to time
• Nice-to-have qualifications
• Experience researching services that handle sensitive personal data (e.g., tax, financial, or benefits information)
• Prior experience working in the civic tech space
• Experience working in a remote-team environment
• Don't meet every qualification but think you can do the job? We'd still love to hear from you. If you're excited about the role, apply. We consider candidates with a range of backgrounds and experiences.
• Other requirements
• All work must be conducted within the U.S., excluding U.S. territories.
• You must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. now and in the future without sponsorship.
• As a government contractor, you may be required to obtain a public trust or security clearance.
• You must complete a company background check successfully.
• Some of our available roles are on federal contracts that require a degree or additional years of experience as a substitute.
• Position type
• This is a full-time, exempt position.
• Location
• This is a fully remote position.
• Care package
• Salary
• Associate User Researcher: $90,000-$125,000
• User Researcher I: $120,000-$140,000
• User Researcher II: $135,000-$160,000
• Senior User Researcher: $150,000-$185,000
• Staff User Researcher: $170,000-$203,000
• Principal User Researcher: $180,000-$230,000

Benefits

Additional Information

About Skylight Skylight is a digital consultancy using design and technology to help government agencies deliver better public services. We're at the forefront of a civic movement to reinvent how all levels of government serve families, patients, and many others in today's digital world. If you want to play a part in driving this critical movement forward, we'd love for you to join our growing team of public interest technologists. The work we do matters.

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