Senior Experience Researcher

Thumbtack helps millions of people confidently care for their homes.

Thumbtack is the one app you need to take care of and improve your home — from personalized guidance to AI tools and a best-in-class hiring experience. Every day in every county of the U.S., people turn to Thumbtack to complete urgent repairs, seasonal maintenance and bigger improvements. We help homeowners know which projects to do, when to do them and who to hire from our growing community of 300,000 local service businesses. If making an impact inspires you, join us. Imagine what we’ll build together.

About the Research Team

We are a high-performing, tight-knit team of embedded researchers who work closely with cross-functional product partners to deliver outstanding experiences for our users. Our researchers tackle complex challenges, generating insights that shape both product strategy and user experience. We're a nimble, ever-evolving group that learns from one another and our collaborators to refine our methods, stay ahead of industry trends, and push the boundaries of what’s possible in UX.

About the Role

As a Senior UX Researcher on Thumbtack’s New Hiring Experiences team, you’ll be at the forefront of discovering what’s next—using creative, iterative research approaches to bring clarity to ambiguity and guide early-stage product direction. You won’t just conduct research; you’ll play a key role in shaping bold, strategic bets and influencing how we build dynamic, complex user experiences. You’ll collaborate closely with product, design, engineering, data science, and other disciplines to move quickly, learn deeply, and build with purpose. This role is essential to making sure our innovation efforts are not only fast and inspired—but grounded in real user needs.

What you'll do

• Lead fast-paced, mixed-method research to inform early-stage product strategy and uncover new opportunities.
• Translate ambiguous problem spaces into clear direction through sharp insights and strategic thinking.
• Partner closely with design, product, and engineering to rapidly test concepts, iterate on ideas, and shape MVPs.
• Synthesize findings into compelling stories that influence decisions and inspire bold innovation.
• Champion user needs across the team, ensuring both customers and pros are at the center of what we build.

In order to be successful, you must bring

• 8-10+ years of experience conducting user research in fast-paced, cross-functional product environments
• A strong foundation in both qualitative methods (mixed methods is a plus), with the ability to select the right approach for complex, evolving product questions
• A track record of shaping product strategy and influencing decisions through compelling, actionable insights
• Excellent communication and storytelling skills, with experience tailoring insights to diverse audiences including product, design, engineering, and leadership
• A creative, solutions-oriented mindset and the ability to operate independently in ambiguous, 0-to-1 product spaces
• Proficiency with industry-standard research tools (e.g., UserTesting, Qualtrics, Dscout) and comfort working alongside data science teams or conducting lightweight in-product surveys
• A degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Anthropology, or a related field—or equivalent practical experience in applied research.

Expected salary ranges

• For candidates living in San Francisco / Bay Area, San Jose, New York City, or Seattle metros, the expected salary range for the role is currently $178,500 - $231,000.
• For candidates living in Austin, TX or Washington DC metros or in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, or Washington states, the expected salary range for the role is currently $160,700- $207,900.
• For candidates living in all other US locations, the expected salary range for this role is currently $151,700 - $196,400.

Actual offered salaries will vary and will be based on various factors, such as calibrated job level, qualifications, skills, competencies, and proficiency for the role.

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