Senior Qualitative UX Researcher

Job Title: Senior Qualitative UX Researcher

Location: Hybrid (San Francisco, CA)

Duration: 3 months (with potential extension)

Team: Google – College Retail Ads

Role Summary

The Google College Retail Ads team is seeking a Senior Qualitative UX Researcher to cover a temporary leave on a high-performing UX team. This role focuses exclusively on evaluative qualitative research, requiring someone who can independently manage end-to-end research projects, collaborate closely with stakeholders, and deliver impactful insights to support product development and strategic decisions.

Key Responsibilities

• Plan and execute end-to-end evaluative qualitative research studies, including:
• In-depth interviews (IDIs)
• Usability testing
• Concept testing
• Diary studies
• Independently manage all aspects of research: planning, recruitment, moderation, analysis, and delivery.
• Create and deliver clear, polished, and concise documentation and presentations of insights.
• Collaborate closely with product stakeholders and other researchers to align research with business goals.
• Draft a comprehensive research plan within the first week and deliver one full study per month.

Key Qualifications

• 7–10+ years of experience in qualitative UX research (PhD counts as ~2 years of experience).
• Demonstrated ability to conduct a range of qualitative methods independently.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; able to present findings in well-structured, polished formats (e.g., slides, reports).
• Strong critical thinking skills to define study goals, assess constraints, and craft methodologically sound research designs.
• Comfort with tools such as Google Docs, Slides, Gmail; familiarity with research platforms or participant recruitment tools is a plus.

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in ads, shopping, or retail tech is a plus (not required).
• Experience with quantitative research is nice to have but not expected.
• Prior experience at Google or with AR/VR projects may be considered favorably.

Additional Notes

• Primary focus: Evaluative research
• Candidate must be self-sufficient and able to own their projects independently

Qualifications

• 7–10+ years of experience in qualitative UX research (PhD counts as ~2 years of experience)
• Demonstrated ability to conduct a range of qualitative methods independently
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; able to present findings in well-structured, polished formats (e.g., slides, reports)
• Strong critical thinking skills to define study goals, assess constraints, and craft methodologically sound research designs
• Primary focus: Evaluative research
• Candidate must be self-sufficient and able to own their projects independently

Responsibilities

• This role focuses exclusively on evaluative qualitative research, requiring someone who can independently manage end-to-end research projects, collaborate closely with stakeholders, and deliver impactful insights to support product development and strategic decisions
• Plan and execute end-to-end evaluative qualitative research studies, including:
• In-depth interviews (IDIs)
• Usability testing
• Concept testing
• Diary studies
• Independently manage all aspects of research: planning, recruitment, moderation, analysis, and delivery
• Create and deliver clear, polished, and concise documentation and presentations of insights
• Collaborate closely with product stakeholders and other researchers to align research with business goals
• Draft a comprehensive research plan within the first week and deliver one full study per month