DeWinter Group is hiring: Staff Design Researcher in San Francisco

Job Title: Staff Design Researcher

Contract Length: October 14, 2025 through End of Year

Target Start Date: October 14, 2025

Work Location/Structure: Remote

About the Opportunity

Our client, a leader in SaaS platforms, is seeking a Staff Design Researcher for a contract engagement. This pivotal role will shape the product and organizational strategy for one of the company's most ambitious projects. You will lead strategic research initiatives to identify new problem spaces, define long-term vision, and inspire product innovation. A key focus will be expanding the value, adoption, and scalability of this client's platform, especially its AI-powered experiences. This is a high-impact role requiring a self-motivated professional to deliver results quickly.

Key Responsibilities & Deliverables

• Leading complex, multi-quarter research initiatives that directly influence product and business strategy.
• Driving strategic thinking across product, design, and leadership teams to shape vision and goals for the product.
• Identifying foundational and emergent research opportunities that are highly aligned with company priorities.
• Evolving research practices, actively mentoring other researchers, and elevating the overall quality of research output.
• Delivering high-signal insights through rigorous triangulation of qualitative, quantitative, and behavioral data.
• Influencing executive and cross-functional leadership through compelling synthesis and narrative.
• Building enduring partnerships across product, design, engineering, sales, and marketing teams.

Required Skills & Experience

• 10+ years of experience in UX Research, with a proven track record of driving strategic decisions.
• Deep fluency in a broad range of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies across the entire product lifecycle.
• Demonstrated experience shaping product vision within complex product ecosystems or B2B/enterprise environments.
• Skilled at operating effectively in 0->1 contexts, rapidly synthesizing ambiguity into clarity.
• Strong executive presence and storytelling ability, capable of influencing diverse stakeholder groups.
• Ability to actively mentor peers, contribute to team rituals, and foster a collaborative research culture.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in HCI, Cognitive Science, Psychology, or a related field.
• Familiarity with emerging research practices (e.g., AI-integrated research).
• Experience building research functions or leading strategy in fast-scaling organizations.
• Background in AI, knowledge management, SaaS platforms, or data systems.