Experience Research Manager

A home is the biggest investment most people make, and yet, it doesn't come with a manual. That's why we're building the only app homeowners need to effortlessly manage their homes - knowing what to do, when to do it, and who to hire. With Thumbtack, millions of people care for what matters most, and pros earn billions of dollars through our platform. And as one of the fastest-growing companies in a $500B industry - we must be doing something right.
We are driven by a common goal and the deep satisfaction that comes from knowing our work supports local economies, helps small businesses grow, and brings homeowners peace of mind. We're seeking people who continually put our purpose first: advocating for pros and customers, embracing change, and choosing teamwork every day.
At Thumbtack, we're creating a new era of home care. If making an impact and the chance to do good inspires you, join us. Imagine what we'll build together.
Thumbtack by the Numbers

• Available nationwide in all 3,143 U.S. counties
• 70 million projects started on Thumbtack
• More than 4 million customers in the last 12 months
• Pros earn billions on our platform
• More than 8 million 5-star reviews for our stellar pros
• 1000+ employees and $3.2 billion valuation (June, 2021)

About the Design Team
We're a tight-knit team of product designers, researchers, and product writers working closely with engineers and product managers to research, explore, and iterate on well-crafted user experiences that are innovative, engaging, and delightful. We collaborate regularly through design reviews, work sessions, and presentations to inspire and influence the direction of the product and company as a whole.
About the Role
Are you looking for an opportunity that will leverage your design leadership to empower a core team of researchers as they partner with product teams to better understand and advocate for their users? Are you looking for an organization where design and research are not only needed, but valued? If this sounds like you, we think you'll feel right at home as Thumbtack's Experience Research Manager.
Our Experience Researchers are embedded within cross-functional product teams where they collaborate on high impact initiatives while relentlessly focussing on user needs. We are seeking an Experience Research Manager who is familiar working in this type of environment so they can best guide researchers as they scope, manage, and execute research projects (often with overlapping timelines) while providing insights that drive key product decisions. While your focus is on qualitative research methodologies, you should also have a working knowledge of quantitative methodologies.
Responsibilities

• Manage and grow a team of researchers across multiple research disciplines and backgrounds and provide the 1-1 coaching that individuals require to be successful.

• Articulate strong vision and identify impactful insights and opportunities to design and product leadership while being an advocate for the role research plays in product development

• Work across company leadership to establish how the entire company should engage with research, including establishing processes, trainings, and best-practices.

• Collaborate closely as a trusted, strategic partner with a wide variety of cross-functional teams (product design, product management, engineering, analytics, data science, marketing and others) to identify and prioritize research opportunities in a fast-paced, rapidly changing environment.
• Ensure the team is effectively sharing research findings with functional teams and the company at-large by creating and distributing compelling, impactful reports, and presentations.

• Apply a pragmatic, structured approach to research while understanding and incorporating complex technical and business requirements into research priorities

• Work collaboratively within the Research team and across Analytics and Data Science to assess larger user trends and determine strategies for further investigation and/or synthesis

Must-Have Qualifications
If you don't think you meet all of the criteria below but still are interested in the job, please apply. Nobody checks every box, and we're looking for someone excited to join the team.

• 2-3+ years of experience managing high-performing UX researchers
• 3-5+ years in applied UX research in fast- paced, consumer-facing product organizations
• Success translating and influencing product and design decisions based on research insights with key stakeholders
• Knowledge of research principles, experiment design & facilitation, and using a mix of qualitative and quantitative methodologies
• Degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Cognitive Science, Experimental Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology, Information Science, Computer Science, related fields, or equivalent practical experience
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, negotiation, and collaboration skills

Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• MA/MS/PhD in one of the previously mentioned academic fields
• Experience coding, writing SQL queries, Python, or statistical analysis
• Experience collecting and analyzing user behavior through server logs, unmoderated experiments (A/B testing), benchmark studies, in-person studies, remote studies, accessibility studies, and surveys
• Experience using a variety of research tools and familiarity with recruiting and analytics suites

Thumbtack is a virtual-first company, meaning you can live and work from any one of our approved locations across the United States, Canada or the Philippines*. When it is safe to gather, we will begin to host in-person events on a regular basis. Remote employees will be expected to travel occasionally for these events to a Thumbtack library or offsite team-building location. In cities with 5+ employees, we are establishing local communities, where employees can gather for local events. Additionally, employees in the San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Toronto and Manila areas will have opt-in access to communal workspace at one of our Thumbtack libraries. We always prioritize the health and safety of our employees. Currently, participation in these events and Thumbtack library use are optional. Both require employees to be fully vaccinated.
#LI-remote
Benefits & Perks

• Virtual-first working model coupled with quarterly in-person events and Camp Thumbtack
• 20+ company-wide holidays including two week-long shutdowns
• Libraries (collaborative workspaces) in San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Toronto, and Manila
• Stipends for remote work support, home office set-up and internet
• Subscriptions and Employee Assistance Program for mental health and well-being
• Cell Phone Reimbursement, Thumbtack services (North America only)

Thumbtack embraces diversity. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and do not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, age, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, military or veteran status, genetic information, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, provincial, state, or local law. We also will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, consistent with applicable law. If you are a California resident, please review information regarding your rights under California privacy laws contained in Thumbtack's Privacy policy available at https://www.thumbtack.com/privacy/ .
Thumbtack is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation for a medical condition or disability during any part of the application process, please contact [email protected] .
*Currently, Thumbtackers can live anywhere in Ontario or British Columbia, Canada or the Philippines or in any of the following US states: AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, Washington DC. Our long term vision is to hire across all of the United States and Canada, but this expansion will take a few years.