Research Associate

Whatnot; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 135,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Work From Home support

Home office setup allowance

Monthly internet & cell phone stipend

Wellness allowance

Childcare allowance

401k with employer match

Parental leave 16 weeks

Job summary

Whatnot is seeking a Research Associate to drive strategic decisions through rigorous research studies, data analysis, and actionable insights. You will collaborate with Product, Trust & Risk, Strategy & Ops, and other teams to understand user behaviors and seller/buyer needs in our growing marketplace.

You will design studies, collect and analyze data, and produce compelling reports and visuals to inform product and policy decisions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in related field or equivalent experience.
• Experience with qualitative and quantitative research methods.
• Proficiency with Excel; familiarity with Qualtrics or SurveyMonkey.
• SQL and data visualization tools are a plus.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Attention to detail and project management skills.
• Fluency with generative AI tools to support research synthesis and reporting.
• Familiarity with e-commerce or marketplace dynamics is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Support design and execution of research initiatives (competitive deep dives, market research, surveys, interviews, user feedback).
• Collect and analyze data to interpret trends and inform decisions.
• Produce clear reports, visuals, and presentations for product, policy, and strategy.
• Collaborate with Trust & Risk, Product, and Operations to translate insights into impact.
• Conduct literature reviews to contextualize findings within market trends.
• Develop research plans, measurement frameworks, and retrospectives.
• Ensure ethical standards and data integrity in research processes.
• Own research projects end-to-end and deliver high-quality results.

Skills

Qualitative research

Quantitative research

Research methods

Data analytics

Market insights

Product research

Communication skills

AI tools familiarity

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Excel

Qualtrics

SurveyMonkey

SQL

Tableau

Looker

Job description

Whatnot is the largest live shopping platform in North America and Europe to buy, sell, and discover the things you love. Whether it's trading cards, fashion, electronics, or live plants, our sellers are building real businesses across hundreds of categories. We’re building live commerce at a scale that’s never been done in the West, and there’s no playbook to copy. The people here are shaping how an entirely new industry develops. As a remote co-located team, we’re inspired by our values and anchored in hubs across the US, UK, Ireland, Poland, Germany, and Australia. We move fast, stay close to our users, and focus on the work that drives the most impact. We’re one of the fastest growing marketplaces and were recently named the #1 Best Startup Employer in America by Forbes. Check out the latest Whatnot updates on our news and engineering blogs and join us as we enable anyone to turn their passion into a business and bring people together through commerce.

Role

We’re seeking a Research Associate who will help drive strategic decisions by conducting rigorous research studies, analyzing data, and delivering actionable insights. You’ll collaborate with Product, Trust & Risk, Strategy & Ops, and other cross‑functional partners to understand user behaviors, uncover seller and buyer needs, and support innovation in our rapidly growing marketplace.

You Will

• Support design and execution of research initiatives: competitive deep dives, market research, surveys, interviews, and user feedback studies.
• Collect and analyze data to interpret trends and help clarify community and business problems.
• Produce clear, compelling reports, visualizations, and presentations to inform product, policy, and strategy.
• Partner cross-functionally with teams such as Trust & Risk, Product, and Operations to ensure insights translate into impact.
• Conduct literature reviews and secondary research to contextualize findings within broader market or industry trends.
• Assist with development of research plans, measurement frameworks, and post‑study retrospectives.
• Ensure research processes meet ethical standards and data integrity best practices.
• Own research projects end‑to‑end by taking initiative, iterating quickly, and delivering with quality.

We offer flexibility to work from home or from one of our global office hubs, and we value in‑person time for planning, problem‑solving, and connection. Team members in this role must live within commuting distance of our SF, LA, SEA, or NY hub.

You

People who do well at Whatnot tend to be comfortable figuring things out as they go, biased toward action, and genuinely curious about what they’re building. They care more about outcomes than credit and stay close to the product and the people using it.

As Our Next Research Associate, You Should Have 1–3 Years Of Experience In Research, Data Analytics, Market Insights, Product Research, Or a Related Field, Plus

• A bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent experience. An advanced degree is welcome.
• Experience with qualitative and quantitative research methods, such as survey design, interview moderation, and analyzing customer or market data.
• Proficiency with Excel and familiarity with research platforms like Qualtrics or SurveyMonkey. SQL and visualization tools like Tableau or Looker are a plus.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to turn complex findings into clear, useful insights.
• Excellent attention to detail, organization, and project management skills.
• Fluency with generative AI tools to support research synthesis, competitive analysis, and reporting, along with the judgment to verify outputs.
• Familiarity with e‑commerce, livestream shopping, or marketplace dynamics is a plus.

Benefits

• Generous Holiday and Time off Policy
• Health Insurance options including Medical, Dental, Vision
• Work From Home Support
  • Home office setup allowance
  • Monthly allowance for cell phone and internet
• Care benefits
  • Monthly allowance for wellness
  • Annual allowance towards Childcare
  • Lifetime benefit for family planning, such as adoption or fertility expenses
• Retirement; 401k offering for Traditional and Roth accounts in the US (employer match up to 4% of base salary) and Pension plans internationally
• Monthly allowance to dogfood the app
  • All Whatnauts are expected to develop a deep understanding of our product. We’re passionate about building the best user experience, and all employees are expected to use Whatnot as both a buyer and a seller as part of their job (our dogfooding budget makes this fun and easy!).
• Parental Leave
  • 16 weeks of paid parental leave + one month gradual return to work *company leave allowances run concurrently with country leave requirements which take precedence.

Please note: Whatnot will only contact you through official @whatnot.com email addresses. If you see an email impersonating a Whatnot recruiter, please disregard and report it as spam.

EOE

Whatnot is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value diversity, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, parental status, disability status, or any other status protected by local law. We believe that our work is better and our company culture is improved when we encourage, support, and respect the different skills and experiences represented within our workforce.

Compensation Range: $135K - $150K