Senior / Staff / Principal UX Researcher — Generative Research & Product Discovery

Location: Atlanta, GA onsite highly preferred 

Employment Type: W2 Contract opportunity

About the Opportunity

We're looking for an experienced Senior, Staff, or Principal UX Researcher to help shape the future of large-scale consumer digital experiences.

This role is focused on generative research, ethnographic research, and early-stage product discovery. We're looking for someone who can uncover unmet customer needs, identify opportunities, and translate research insights into meaningful product and business decisions.

The ideal candidate brings strong research expertise, strategic thinking, and the ability to influence cross-functional teams and senior leadership. This is an opportunity to go beyond executing research studies and play an important role in shaping product direction.

What You'll Do

• Lead generative, exploratory, and ethnographic research initiatives to uncover customer behaviors, motivations, and unmet needs.

• Identify research opportunities and help define the right questions to inform product strategy.

• Plan and execute qualitative and mixed-methods research, including customer interviews, contextual inquiry, field studies, and observational research.

• Apply Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) and other discovery frameworks to understand customer needs and decision-making.

• Synthesize complex findings into actionable insights that influence product roadmaps and experience strategy.

• Partner closely with Product Managers, UX Designers, and business stakeholders to guide product decisions.

• Present research findings and strategic recommendations to senior leadership.

• Balance research rigor with the speed and priorities of a large enterprise environment.

• Help elevate research practices, methodologies, and strategic influence across the organization.

• At the Staff and Principal levels, provide research leadership across multiple initiatives and help shape broader research direction.

What We're Looking For

• Senior, Staff, or Principal-level experience in UX Research, Design Research, or a closely related discipline.

• Extensive hands-on experience conducting generative, ethnographic, and discovery research.

• Strong understanding of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies.

• Experience with Jobs-to-be-Done, contextual inquiry, customer journey research, or similar frameworks.

• Proven ability to translate research findings into product opportunities and strategic recommendations.

• Experience working within complex digital product organizations, preferably enterprise or large-scale consumer environments.

• Strong stakeholder management, storytelling, and presentation skills.

• Ability to independently lead research initiatives and influence cross-functional decision-making.

• Comfortable navigating ambiguity, shifting priorities, and fast-paced product development environments.

• Strong business acumen and an understanding of how research supports customer experience and business outcomes.

Nice to Have

• Experience researching e-commerce, retail, consumer technology, or other large-scale digital platforms.

• Experience influencing product strategy at the Staff or Principal level.

• Background conducting in-field or ethnographic research.

• Experience establishing research frameworks or mentoring other researchers.

• Experience working across multiple product teams or complex customer journeys.

What Will Make You Stand Out

• You've led research that directly influenced product strategy or changed business direction.

• You're equally comfortable conducting hands-on research and presenting insights to executives.

• You know when to go deep with research and when to move quickly to support business decisions.

• You can tell a compelling story with research findings and drive stakeholders toward action.

• You proactively identify opportunities rather than waiting for research requests.

We're open to Senior, Staff, and Principal-level candidates, with the scope of responsibility aligned to experience. We're especially interested in researchers who bring a combination of strong methodology, strategic influence, and practical experience operating within complex product organizations.

The hourly pay range for this position (dependent on factors including but not limited to client requirements, experience, statutory considerations, and location) is $55.00 to $80.00/hr.  Benefits available to full-time employees: medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, 401k and commuter benefits.
 
Synergis is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.  We value diversity and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, age, gender, gender identity, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, military/veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.
 
Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including but not limited to, the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.
 
For immediate consideration, please forward your resume to kbuckner@synergishr.com
 
If you require assistance or an accommodation in the application or employment process, please contact us at kbuckner@synergishr.com.

Synergis is a workforce solutions partner serving thousands of businesses and job seekers nationwide. Our digital world has accelerated the need for businesses to build IT ecosystems that enable growth and innovation along with enhancing the Total Experience (TX). Synergis partners with our clients at the intersection of talent and transformation to scale their balanced teams of tech, digital and creative professionals. Learn more about Synergis at www.synergishr.com.