Director of User Research

As the Director of User Research, you’ll be passionate about creating a deep understanding and empathy for our users and their organizations. You crave all the data—quantitative and qualitative—to identify our biggest opportunities resulting in visibly impactful improvements for Workiva. These insights are used to inform product development, design decisions, and shape the overall user experience (UX). The ideal candidate will have a passion for user-centric design, a strong background in user research methodologies, and a proven track record of delivering actionable insights that drive product innovation and business success.

You’re right for this role if you balance comprehensive longitudinal studies with lean UX; if you’ve previously built an effective research capability—operationalizing how a user research team efficiently functions; if you’re an amazing storyteller to influence others; if you’re humble and understand that there’s always more to learn; and if you can’t wait to lead our talent research team. 

What You’ll Do 

• Define the user research vision and roadmap, prioritizing initiatives that will drive the most impact and align with our company strategy

• Conduct qualitative and quantitative research studies, including usability testing, interviews, surveys, and analytics analysis

• Drive prioritization of research efforts in support of broader organizational goals and business needs

• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of talented user researchers, helping broaden their skills and support their career growth, conducting performance reviews, reviewing work, and recruiting top talent

• Be a highly respected senior partner and thought leader, working skillfully across departments (Engineering, Product, Marketing, etc.) to achieve unified solutions across the customer’s journey

• Build on our customer-centric culture by further integrating research into daily activities and coaching teams how to conduct their own studies to gain quality insights about their customers, when appropriate

• Champion and drive high-quality user experiences across Workiva’s ecosystem

• Proactively identify and contribute ideas as a catalyst for driving positive change

What You'll Need  Minimum Qualifications

• 10+ years’ experience repeatedly delivering high-quality research results

• 5+ years’ experience in building and coaching teams for high-impact results

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent combination of education and experience

• Portfolio/Strong case studies demonstrating measurable business impacts

Preferred Qualifications 

• Master's degree in a related degree field preferred

• Demonstrated experience in scaling highly functioning, well-regarded user research teams

• Experience in driving operational excellence for efficiency and effectiveness

• Deep understanding of qualitative and quantitative research methods, including when and how to apply them most effectively

• Proven experience in user research, preferably in the B2B SaaS industry, including proficiency in research tools, usability testing platforms, and data analysis software

• B.A./B.S. or M.A./M.S. degree in HCI, Human Factors, Psychology, etc. preferred

• Ability to influence others, tying insights to business impact

• Excellent interpersonal, presentation, and communication skills

• Expert knowledge of user research best practices, methodologies, and tools

• Strong management and leadership skills 

Travel Requirements and Working Conditions

• Up to 20% travel 

• Reliable internet access for any period of time working remotely, not in a Workiva office

How You’ll Be Rewarded

✅ Salary range in the US: $177,000.00 - $284,000.00

✅ A discretionary bonus typically paid annually

✅ Restricted Stock Units granted at time of hire

✅ 401(k) match and comprehensive employee benefits package

The salary range represents the low and high end of the salary range for this job in the US. Minimums and maximums may vary based on location. The actual salary offer will carefully consider a wide range of factors, including your skills, qualifications, experience and other relevant factors.

Workiva is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer.  We believe that great minds think differently.  We value diversity of backgrounds, beliefs, and interests, and we recognize diversity as an important source of intellectual thought, varied perspective, and innovation.  Employment decisions are made without regard to age, race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression genetic information, marital status, citizenship status or any other protected characteristic.  We strongly encourage and welcome people from historically marginalized groups to apply.

Workiva is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. To request assistance with the application process, please email talentacquisition@workiva.com.  

Workiva employees are required to undergo comprehensive security and privacy training tailored to their roles, ensuring adherence to company policies and regulatory standards.

Workiva supports employees in working where they work best - either from an office or remotely from any location within their country of employment.

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