About Our Team    

At PayPal, user research is more than just interviewing people or testing screens—it’s about the systematic investigation of our users and their relationship with our product. Focused on the Small Business Segment, this team is driven to make a positive impact on people and their businesses. Our team's responsibility is to the user—to understand what they need or want and what their goals are. It is also our responsibility to translate those needs to our design, product, and engineering partners and help drive the development of products that have a meaningful impact on the lives and financial health of our business customers. 

What You Need to Know About the Role     

We’re looking for a curious and empathetic Senior Researcher who is passionate about understanding user needs. Joining the Merchant Insights Team in the Small Business Segment, you’ll play a vital role in uncovering deep insights that inform the creation of user-centered experiences. Through a variety of research methods, you’ll help us build trust and security into our products, while also contributing to a positive brand experience for our target audience. Your strong communication and collaboration skills will be essential for effectively sharing your findings and influencing stakeholders in the design process.  

At PayPal, UX Researchers influence teams to make customer-centric decisions across the product development lifecycle. This includes early research to understand customer needs and problems, and continues through design definition and prototyping, to post-launch research that informs future iterations. Our studies employ a variety of qualitative or mixed methods research approaches; card sorting, tree tests, diary studies, surveys, interviews, unmoderated and moderated usability testing and concept evaluations. We start by asking the right questions and end with targeted deliverables and story telling that bring our stakeholders closer to our customers. UX Researchers focus on impact of research and are tireless advocates for our customers. As a UX Researcher you will be the voice of the customer. You will craft research programs that bring team members answers to their most important questions, and help to define new research questions and initiatives.     

Your Day to Day     

• Be a proactive member of a cross-functional product team(s) by identifying research opportunities that drive product and design strategy, scoping project requirements, and clearly communicating the value of UX research to stakeholders.  

• Independently execute research studies from beginning to end: identify the right research questions, define the participant sample, choose the best methodology, design the study, and execute with attention to detail and quality.  

• Present compelling insights and recommendations to multiple teams and leaders across the organization, adeptly negotiating for user needs and driving customer-centric decision-making.  

• Have a clear understanding of how various research functions and data sources (e.g. market research, product marketing, analytics, etc.) contribute to the product development lifecycle, and how to integrate them into your own work. 

• Act as a vital liaison between design, product management, and marketing teams, facilitating effective collaboration and communication across all stakeholders.  

• Actively contribute to and facilitate workshop/design sprint activities by surfacing relevant findings, pitching research opportunities, and influencing the evolution of our product and design strategy. 

• Shape our thriving Experience Design community: support strategic change initiatives, advocate for user-centric approaches, pilot new workflows, and explore best practices that evolve our craft.  

• Demonstrate a growth mindset by actively seeking and providing feedback, experimenting with new approaches, working to expand your skillset, and leveraging your strengths to help others grow.  

What You Need to Bring     

• Bachelor’s + 5-7 or more years and/or Master’s Degree +4-5 ore more years in the study of user experience, design, research or related fields; for example, Design, Information Architecture, Human Factors/HCI, Psychology, Cognitive or Social Sciences OR alternative equivalent project/portfolio experience.      

• Experience across digital products and platforms, financial services and/or ecommerce expertise  an advantage.  

• Experience in B2B or business-to-business environments. Specifically in navigating the unique challenges of recruiting and scheduling research sessions with business users. 

• Experience with a variety of research methods and approaches in remote, field, and lab settings: card sort, tree test, diary study, in-depth interview, unmoderated and moderated usability, concept testing.  

• Experience using leveraging research tools like UserZoom, UserTesting, Dscout, etc. and adaptability to learn and utilize new tools as needed to meet the evolving needs.