Product Research Lead: Shape AI‑Driven Product Direction

Rippling; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 145,000 - 285,000; Full time

Job summary

Rippling, Inc. is seeking a Product Research Lead to shape the company’s product direction across HR, IT, and Finance with AI-native approaches.

You will personally lead research, write for product and company leaders, and collaborate with product, design, engineering, and data partners to guide strategy. This lead-level IC role emphasizes independence, mentorship, and building a trusted research practice while identifying critical customer jobs and translating insights into actionable

Qualifications

• Experience with complex products or organizations and influencing product direction.
• Strong qualitative research skills with judgment on when to use quantitative or market evidence.
• Independent planning: recruit participants and carry work from question to conclusion.
• Curiosity about how AI can reshape business operations and customer trust.

Responsibilities

• Frame research questions that guide roadmap decisions and design studies to inform them.
• Learn how companies operate: people, systems, rules, incentives, and workarounds.
• Recruit participants, screen, and conduct rigorous qualitative research with data-backed insights.
• Identify customer jobs and translate insights into opportunities and product direction.
• Present clear main judgments with concrete evidence and communicate with leadership.

Skills

Applied research

Qualitative research

Inductive thinking

Product judgment

Storytelling and writing

Job description

Rippling, Inc. is seeking a Product Research Lead to shape the company’s product direction across HR, IT, and Finance with AI-native approaches.

You will personally lead research, write for product and company leaders, and collaborate with product, design, engineering, and data partners to guide strategy. This lead-level IC role emphasizes independence, mentorship, and building a trusted research practice while identifying critical customer jobs and translating insights into actionable