Appfire is an enterprise collaboration software company that enables teams to plan and deliver their best work. Since launching in 2005 as one of the original Atlassian ecosystem partners, Appfire has built a portfolio of top-selling apps for more than 30,000 customers - including 55% of Fortune 500 companies. As a product-led company, Appfire identifies gaps in industries serving developers and client support teams and then builds solutions that drive productivity and efficiency.

Appfire continues to grow exponentially, with teams spanning 20+ countries. We are financially strong, continuously meeting or exceeding revenue targets, and we invest heavily in strengthening the foundation of our organization. Being philanthropic is integral to operating our business, so we donate 1% of employee time, product, profit, and equity as part of our Pledge 1% commitment.

Come join our team!

Job Purpose and Overview

Appfire is looking for a highly skilled and experienced Senior Manager, Customer and UX Research. As the Senior Manager, you will play a critical role in shaping the customer/user experience of our products and services through insightful research and data-driven insights. You will lead a team of talented researchers, guiding their efforts to understand customer behaviors, motivations and preferences and create exceptional user experiences that align with our business objectives.

What You Will Do

Provide strategic leadership and guidance to a team of customer and user researchers, fostering a collaborative and high-performing environment. Set clear goals, utilize appropriate research methodologies, and ensure the team's work meets approved quality standards and delivers timely, data-driven insights that influence strategic business and product decisions.
Build and grow a top-performing research team by attracting, recruiting, and retaining talented individuals. Collaborate with HR and the senior leadership team to develop hiring strategies, conduct interviews, and make informed hiring decisions. Foster a diverse and inclusive team culture that values collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning.
Foster the growth and development of the research team by providing mentorship, coaching, and performance feedback. Encourage a culture of continuous learning and support individual career aspirations. Stay up to date with the latest research methodologies, tools, and industry trends. Continuously evaluate and improve research practices, ensuring the team is equipped with the right resources and techniques to deliver impactful results.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including product managers, designers, engineers, product marketing and other stakeholders to develop a comprehensive research strategy aligned with business goals. Identify research opportunities, prioritize initiatives, and create roadmaps for executing research studies. Act as a strategic partner, providing valuable insights and recommendations throughout the product development lifecycle. Oversee and participate in all phases of the research process, including recruitment, study design, data collection, analysis, and reporting. Utilize various qualitative and quantitative research methods and monitor social media, support calls, product feedback, and other metrics to gain deep insights into customer/user needs and behaviors.
Work closely with all other teams in Appfire including the Channel Partner team, Marketing, Data Research & Analysis, Product Management, and Engineering to evangelize the value of customer and UX research within Appfire and build strong research methodologies to be used for all customer and partner engagements.
Work with UX leadership and other stakeholders to produce and maintain personas, journey maps, and other artifacts that help Appfire better understand their customers/users.
Collaborate with Product Operations and other stakeholders to develop and manage the research budget effectively. Optimize resource allocation to ensure research activities are conducted efficiently and within allocated budgets. Evolve ResearchOps methods and tools.
Supervise both in-house and externally hosted tests, maintaining positive relationships with key vendor partners.

What We Would Like to See

Bachelor's degree in UX, HCI, psychology/sociology, a related field, or equivalent experience
10+ years of experience in both qualitative and quantitative research methods, including usability testing, surveys, interviews, and ethnographic research.
5+ years experience leading research teams
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Solid understanding of user-centered design principles and methodologies.
Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to convey complex research findings to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional teams and drive user-centric design decisions.
Strong presentation and storytelling skills (verbal and written), time and project management skills
Ability to lead and communicate across multiple fields of business
Experience managing, mitigating, and resolving risks
Ability to understand market dynamics and translate customer insights into differentiation strategies to drive business growth
Highly organized, self-directed, and collaborative and capable of instilling these characteristics in others
Ability to thrive in ambiguity and constantly practice experimental approach of test, iterate and learn.
Outstanding at building trust and partnerships with key stakeholders.

What We Offer

Every Appfire employee is eligible for company equity
10 paid holidays + Flexible PTO - no set number of days that you must take in a year
100% company-paid health insurance
50/50 split dental and vision insurance
Flexible Spending Accounts
Mobile phone and Internet stipend
401(k) Matching Component

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