Lead User Experience Researcher

Cisco Systems; Milpitas (CA); On-site; USD 172,000 - 245,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco is hiring a Lead UX Researcher to drive measurement for Cisco Cloud Control, AI Canvas, Studio and Marketplace. You will partner with Product, Design, Data Science and Engineering to define success metrics and measurement plans, baselining journey quality and translating data into actionable insights.

You will design both quantitative studies (surveys, SUS/CSAT/SEQ, A/B tests) and qualitative research (interviews, concept evaluations), guiding decisions across the platform and AI-powered

Qualifications

• 7+ years leading end-to-end UX research (discovery, planning, recruitment, execution, synthesis, analysis, presentation).
• Experience partnering with Product, Design, Data Science and Engineering to define success measures.
• Experience with SUS/CSAT/NPS and A/B/multivariate testing.
• Experience with qualitative methods: interviews, usability testing, journey mapping.
• Experience applying AI to augment research.

Responsibilities

• Define and track UX success metrics across priority journeys with cross-functional partners.
• Build and maintain measurement plans and align stakeholders on definitions of success.
• Baseline journey quality and monitor over time.
• Analyze and communicate quantitative findings to drive action.
• Qualitatively explore when signals are inconclusive to explain the data.
• Collaborate across business units to connect findings with broader platform.
• Design, execute, and analyze large-scale quantitative and qualitative studies.

Skills

UX research leadership

quantitative research

qualitative research

AI augmentation

stakeholder collaboration

surveys (SUS CSAT NPS)

A/B testing

Education

Bachelor's degree + 8 years OR Master's + 6 years OR PhD + 3 years

Tools

Amplitude

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 11/23/2026

Meet the Team

Cisco Cloud Control is a unified operations platform designed for AgenticOps, which brings every Cisco domain—including networking, security, compute, observability, and collaboration—into one consistent environment. It enables IT teams to proactively manage, govern, and operate their full IT estate from a single experience without replacing existing individual product dashboards.

A key part of this role will be platform measurement: defining, baselining, and tracking the UX metrics that tell us whether our most important Cisco Cloud Control platform journeys are delivering on customer outcomes. This is a quantitative-research heavy role. You'll partner closely with Product Management, Design, Data Science and Engineering to translate ambiguous questions into measurement plans, consume and interpret quantitative data (telemetry, surveys, benchmarks), and know when a number needs a human story behind it — flagging where qualitative follow-up is needed to explain what the data can't.

Your Impact

As a Lead UX Researcher, you’ll be part of the AI Software & Platform Team, working on Cisco Cloud Control, AI Canvas, Studio and Marketplace. In this role, you’ll drive a deep understanding of users to shape the future of Cisco’s user experiences across the platform and its AI-powered solutions. You will also:

• Define and track key UX success metrics across priority platform journeys, in partnership with Product Management, Design, Data Science and Engineering
• Build and maintain measurement plans; align partners on what's being measured, why, and how success is defined
• Baseline platform journey quality and track over time
• Analyze and communicate quantitative findings to partners in terms they can act on
• Identify where quantitative signals are inconclusive or surprising, and scope qualitative research to explain the "why" behind the data
• Work cross-functionally across business units, connecting measurement findings across the broader platform
• Design, execute, and analyze quantitative studies (large-scale surveys like SUS/CSAT/SEQ, benchmark studies, A/B tests) and qualitative studies (interviews, concept evaluations)

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelors + 8 years of related experience, or Masters + 6 years of related experience, or PhD + 3 years of related experience, or equivalent related work experience
• 7+ years leading end-to-end quantitative and qualitative UX research (discovery, planning, recruitment, execution, synthesis, analysis, presentation), ideally applying AI to augment and accelerate your research craft
• Experience partnering with Product, Design, Data Science and Engineering teams to define and execute user-centered success measures and measurement plans
• Experience using quantitative research skills e.g. surveys (SUS, CSAT, NPS, SEQ), statistical analysis, benchmarking, A/B and multivariant testing
• Experience with qualitative research e.g. user interviews, moderated and/or unmoderated usability testing, concept evaluations, journey mapping
• Experience applying AI to augment and accelerate your research craft

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Amplitude or other equivalent platforms
• Experience conducting research on AI software or related topics
• Ability to translate behavioral data into clear, decision-ready narratives
• Demonstrated experience building and owning UX measurement frameworks or success-metric programs, not just single studies
• Comfort working directly with product telemetry/instrumentation data
• Can easily navigate and bring clarity to ambiguity
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.
• Curiosity and confidence to ask questions that will uncover stakeholders’ true research needs
• Ability to challenge traditional assumptions about UX research – inventing, testing and sharing new approaches
• Experience in a B2B large enterprise environment a bonus

Why Cisco?

At Cisco, we’re revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era – and beyond. We’ve been innovating fearlessly for 40 years to create solutions that power how humans and technology work together across the physical and digital worlds. These solutions provide customers with unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across the entire digital footprint.

Fueled by the depth and breadth of our technology, we experiment and create meaningful solutions. Add to that our worldwide network of doers and experts, and you’ll see that the opportunities to grow and build are limitless. We work as a team, collaborating with empathy to make really big things happen on a global scale. Because our solutions are everywhere, our impact is everywhere.

We are Cisco, and our power starts with you.

Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada:

The starting salary range posted for this position is $171,600.00 to $245,000.00 and reflects the projected salary range for new hires in this position in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including incentive compensation*, equity, or benefits.

Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location, market conditions, job-related skillset, experience, qualifications, education, certifications, and/or training. The full salary range for certain locations is listed below. For locations not listed below, the recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.

U.S. employees are offered benefits, subject to Cisco’s plan eligibility rules, which include medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability coverage, and basic life insurance. Please see the Cisco careers site to discover more benefits and perks. Employees may be eligible to receive grants of Cisco restricted stock units, which vest following continued employment with Cisco for defined periods of time.

U.S. employees are eligible for paid time away as described below, subject to Cisco’s policies:

• 10 paid holidays per full calendar year, plus 1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees
• 1 paid day off for employee’s birthday, paid year-end holiday shutdown, and 4 paid days off for personal wellness determined by Cisco
• Non-exempt employees** receive 16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year, accrued at rate of 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees
• Exempt employees participate in Cisco’s flexible vacation time off program, which has no defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use (subject to availability and some business limitations)
• 80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter, and up to 80 hours of unused sick time carried forward from one calendar year to the next
• Additional paid time away may be requested to deal with critical or emergency issues for family members
• Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer

For non-sales roles, employees are also eligible to earn annual bonuses subject to Cisco’s policies.

Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components, subject to the applicable Cisco plan. For quota-based incentive pay, Cisco typically pays as follows:

• .75% of incentive target for each 1% of revenue attainment up to 50% of quota;
• 1.5% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 50% and 75%;
• 1% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 75% and 100%; and
• Once performance exceeds 100% attainment, incentive rates are at or above 1% for each 1% of attainment with no cap on incentive compensation.

For non-quota-based sales performance elements such as strategic sales objectives, Cisco may pay 0% up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.

The applicable full salary ranges for this position, by specific state, are listed below:

New York City Metro Area:

$171,600.00 - $281,800.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$151,300.00 - $250,900.00

• For quota-based sales roles on Cisco’s sales plan, the ranges provided in this posting include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined.

** Employees in Illinois, whether exempt or non-exempt, will participate in a unique time off program to meet local requirements.

Cisco is an Affid­ative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, genetic information, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis.

Cisco will consider for employment, on a case by case basis, qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.