ABOUT EARNIN

As one of the first pioneers of earned wage access, our passion at EarnIn is building products that deliver real-time financial flexibility for those with the unique needs of living paycheck to paycheck. Our community members access their earnings as they earn them, with options to spend, save, and grow their money without mandatory fees, interest rates, or credit checks.

We’re fortunate to have an incredibly experienced leadership team, combined with world-class funding partners like A16Z, Matrix Partners, DST, Ribbit Capital, and a very healthy core business with a tremendous runway. We’re growing fast and are excited to continue bringing world-class talent onboard to help shape the next chapter of our growth journey.

ROLE SUMMARY

As a qualitative UX Researcher at EarnIn, you’ll be the qualitative individual contributor on EarnIn’s research team, responsible for uncovering unmet customer needs and emerging trends. You will drive the entire research cycle—from recruiting and building relationships with participants to delivering high-impact insights that shape our product roadmap. 

In this role, you’ll collaborate across design, product, and engineering to integrate user insights early in product ideation, becoming a key voice in how we innovate and differentiate our offerings.

The US base salary range for this full-time position is $220,900 - $269,900 + equity + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. This role is hybrid with the expectation of working from our Mountain View office at least 2 days per week. If you’re passionate about spotlighting underserved user needs, championing research-driven innovation, and shaping the future of EarnIn’s consumer products, we encourage you to apply.

WHAT YOU'll DO

• Communicate Customer Insights: Craft concise, compelling narratives and reports that translate user stories into actionable insights, inspiring stakeholders to champion customer-centric decisions.
• Discover New Opportunities: Lead generative research (e.g. interviews, field studies, diary studies) to expose product and feature opportunities driven by user pain points and market gaps.
• Drive Strategic Insights: Analyze qualitative and quantitative data to inform product vision, roadmap, and long-term strategy.
• Influence Product Direction: Present research findings and recommendations to product managers and executives, shaping EarnIn’s roadmap decisions.
• Collaborate Cross-Functionally: Work with designers, product managers, and engineers to embed research insights into product planning and design iterations.
• Champion User-Centric Innovation: Foster a culture focused on uncovering fresh opportunities rather than just addressing usability challenges.
• Maintain Research Excellence: Balance exploratory research with usability and evaluative studies to validate new ideas and ensure top-notch user experiences. (Note: This role does not include direct staff management but involves mentoring and guiding teams.)

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR 

• 8+ years conducting user or product research (including generative work) for digital consumer products.
• Persuasive Storyteller: Skilled at blending evidence and emotion in concise, impactful communications suitable for diverse audiences.
• Resourceful Customer Outreach: Proven creativity in finding and connecting with working customers who may be hard to pin down. Comfort with occasional evenings/weekends to meet them where they are.
• Videography Skills: Capable of filming user interviews with strong lighting, audio, and minimal camera movement; able to edit, narrate, and caption.
• Mixed-Methods Expertise: Adept at qualitative approaches (interviews, ethnography) and comfortable using quantitative methods (surveys, analytics) when needed.
• Strategic Mindset: Experienced at linking research to strategic product opportunities, uncovering not just usability gaps but untapped market potential.
• Excellent Communication: Superior written and verbal skills; able to deliver clear, data-driven stories and recommendations.
• Collaboration & Influence: Success working cross-functionally; skilled at building partnerships, aligning teams, and embedding research insights in product planning.
• Analytical & Curious: Familiar with consumer behavior trends, eager to validate qualitative findings with data, and up-to-date on industry best practices.
• Bachelor’s degree (Master’s/PhD a plus) in Psychology, HCI, Sociology, Business, or related; or equivalent hands-on research experience.

At EarnIn, we believe that the best way to build a financial system that works for everyday people is by hiring a team that represents our diverse community. Our team is diverse not only in background and experience but also in perspective. We celebrate our diversity and strive to create a culture of belonging. EarnIn does not unlawfully discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, legally protected medical condition, family care status, military or veteran status, marital status, registered domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other basis protected by local, state, or federal laws. EarnIn is an E-Verify participant. 

EarnIn does not accept unsolicited resumes from individual recruiters or third-party recruiting agencies in response to job postings. No fee will be paid to third parties who submit unsolicited candidates directly to our hiring managers or HR team.