Senior Researcher

Koru is a first of its kind venture studio funded by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, partnered with OTPP portfolio companies to build and invest in businesses with a clear right to win.

Founded in 2019, Koru's mission is to drive value creation aimed at growing the overall value of OTPP’s portfolio companies by partnering with them to identify, validate, build and oversee new disruptive businesses. Going from 0-1, building ventures that address customer frictions head-on — and leveraging corporate partnerships to gain unfair advantages in the market. 

Koru offers a unique balance of risk and reward where startup talent can build with the backing of a $250B pension plan and the ability to impact portfolio companies all around the world, explore disruptive new opportunities and share in the upside of every business that's put into the market. Koru promotes a truly entrepreneurial mindset and a culture of fearless reinvention.

You will have a unique opportunity to be exposed to a wide array of industries, and be a vital voice when it comes to research, but also around all areas of the businesses you’ll launch. Since 2019, Koru has launched 11 ventures across a broad array of industries and problem spaces. Take a look at their portfolio of ventures to see for yourself. 

As a Senior Researcher at Koru, you will collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, partners, and enterprise organizations to address complex challenges. You’ll shape research goals, design and execute studies, and translate insights into strategies that guide ventures, products, and operations.

Key Responsibilities

Shape Research Strategy

• Partner with Venture Leadership, Product, Growth, and Operations to define research needs, goals, and methods.

• Prioritize critical hypotheses and assumptions relative to venture objectives.

Design & Execute Research

• Plan and conduct qualitative and quantitative studies, including participant recruitment, field research, interviews, surveys, usability studies, and prototype testing.

• Analyze user behaviour and market data to validate or invalidate venture hypotheses.

• Iteratively test and refine product and service concepts to ensure problem-solution fit.

Synthesize & Communicate Insights

• Translate research findings into actionable strategy, product direction, and operational decisions.

• Create and share compelling deliverables (personas, journeys, frameworks, system maps, scenarios).

• Facilitate workshops (problem framing, ideation, co-creation, prioritization) with internal and client teams.

• Advocate research findings to diverse audiences, demonstrating their impact and significance in de-risking venture decisions.

Requirements:

• 5+ years of research experience within a product organization, consultancy, or agency.

• A proven ability to lead research end-to-end: scoping, execution, synthesis, and translation into strategy.

• Strong facilitation and communication skills, with comfort adapting approaches in dynamic environments.

• Experience across sectors or multi-stakeholder contexts.

• Hands-on experience with participant recruitment and UXR tools (e.g., UserInterviews, UserTesting, PollFish, Dovetail, FigJam).

• A portfolio demonstrating design and leadership of qualitative research projects.

Nice to have:

• Experience identifying user and market needs that informed new venture creation.

• Familiarity with statistical analysis and measuring significance of findings.

• A track record of shaping new products, services, or business strategies through research.

What happens next?

Once your application is reviewed, if Koru would like to move you forward in the process, here’s what you can expect:

Step 1: Interview with the Hiring Lead (Virtual, 30 minutes)

Step 2: Interview with a cohort team member (Virtual, 30 minutes)

Step 3: Practical Challenge ( ~3-4 hours preparation + Virtual, 60 minutes)

Step 4: 3:1:Team Interview (Virtual, 45 minutes)

Step 5: 1:1 Interview with a Partner (Virtual, 30 minutes)

Step 6: Offer 

What does Koru offer you?

The total rewards package is balanced, flexible, inclusive, and fair which makes it a key part of the employer value proposition. Total rewards are regularly reviewed and updated, taking into account best practices, industry trends, and feedback from the team. Currently, the total rewards package is inclusive of:

• Cash compensation made up of 1) competitive base salary 2) annual bonus 3) company-matched RRSP

• Comprehensive health benefits, including:  Group insurance & a flexible healthcare spending account; Fitness & Mindfulness benefits.

• Generous paid time off including vacation, sick, and a parental leave top-up.

• Other benefits include, mobile phone reimbursement and education benefit.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Diversity of perspectives and experience is at the core of how disruption and innovation are approached. At Koru, belief in fostering an environment where team members of all backgrounds can feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to work every day is very important, aiming to ensure all employees work in an environment that makes them feel valued, heard and supported while they strive towards career pursuits and their personal and professional growth.