Senior Design Researcher - User Science

Join Us as a Senior Design Researcher - User Science

At Canonical, we are looking for a Senior Design Researcher to join our Design Team. In this role, you will focus on understanding user needs and integrating those insights into our development processes. Your work will help shape the future of our products and enhance our user experience.

About the Role

User Science is a growing area at Canonical. Our goal is to move beyond traditional UX research. We want to ensure user needs are considered throughout our development processes and quality standards. This role will report to the User Science Manager and is fully remote within the EMEA region.

What You'll Do

• Conduct user research: Develop insights in various formats and advocate for user needs across product areas.
• Share findings: Provide teams with clear research presentations and documentation.
• Promote a data-informed culture: Work with product and engineering teams to integrate user research into decision-making.
• Build research infrastructure: Own research operations to make methodologies accessible and repeatable.
• Foster a learning culture: Contribute to the definition of User Science through training and resource development.

What We're Looking For

• Strong academic background from high school and university.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Engineering, or a related field, or a compelling alternative path.
• Deep research expertise: Proficiency in qualitative and quantitative research methods, including user interviews, usability testing, A/B testing, surveys, and data analysis.
• Technical curiosity: Interest in open-source culture and ability to engage with technical subjects.
• Visual design skills: Ability to create strong visuals that make insights accessible and memorable.
• Storytelling and collaboration: Strong ability to explain research findings and connect with diverse audiences.
• Organizational skills: Ability to turn scattered findings into structured knowledge systems.
• Portfolio: A robust portfolio showcasing user research and/or design projects that demonstrate your impact on product design or organizational change.

What We Offer

Your base pay will depend on factors like your location, experience, and skills. We also offer additional benefits and rewards, including annual bonuses and sales incentives based on performance. Our goal is to ensure equity across our global workforce.

In addition to competitive pay, we provide the following benefits:

• Fully remote working environment - we’ve been remote since 2004!
• Personal learning and development budget of $2,000 per year.
• Annual compensation review.
• Recognition rewards.
• Annual holiday leave.
• Parental leave.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Opportunity to meet colleagues at 'sprints' in new locations.
• Priority Pass for travel and upgrades for long-haul company events.

About Canonical

Canonical is a leading tech company driving the global shift to open source. We publish Ubuntu, a key open source project for AI, IoT, and the cloud. We recruit globally and maintain high standards for our team members. Our remote-first approach since 2004 allows us to work flexibly and innovatively.

Canonical is an Equal Opportunity Employer

We are committed to creating a workplace free from discrimination. We believe that diverse experiences and perspectives lead to better products and a better work environment. We welcome applications from all identities.

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