Senior User Researcher

AfterShip; San Francisco (CA); Remote; USD 134,000 - 179,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Remote-first work

Healthcare from day 1

Company match 401k

Unlimited PTO

Learning & wellness benefit

Book perk monthly

Career progression

Lunch & commuter benefits

Job summary

AfterShip, a post-purchase SaaS company, is seeking a Senior User Researcher to own end-to-end research for one or more post-purchase product areas, translating how merchants and shoppers actually work into clear direction for product, design, and leadership. You will operate with a high degree of independence, collaborating with Product, Design, Product Marketing, and Engineering.

This remote-first role prefers US-based candidates and may require working outside regular business hours 2-3 times

Qualifications

• 5 years of applied UX research experience in SaaS or ecommerce.
• Ownership of research for a product area with minimal oversight.
• Strong storytelling and stakeholder-management skills.
• Portfolio or work samples demonstrating insights and impact on product decisions.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end research for one or more post-purchase product areas.
• Design and execute primary research using a wide variety of methods.
• Manage and prioritize research plans in ambiguous, fast-changing environments.
• Communicate results and recommendations to product teams and leadership.
• Define and track the impact of your research on product outcomes.

Skills

UX research

Qualitative methods

Quantitative methods

Stakeholder management

Mentoring

Education

HCI/ Psychology degree

Job description

About Us

AfterShip, a Great Place to Work Certified company, is transforming the global eCommerce landscape. Founded in 2012, AfterShip is a post-purchase SaaS company on a mission to build the world s leading automation platform for ecommerce merchants.

AfterShip unifies shipping & labels, order tracking, AI predictive delivery, and returns management into one system - giving merchants a single place to manage and automate everything that happens after checkout. By centralizing these workflows, AfterShip enables merchants to reduce customer support inquiries, deliver a more reliable and engaging customer experience, and unlock incremental revenue at every post-purchase touchpoint.

AfterShip integrates seamlessly with eCommerce platforms including Shopify and TikTok Shop, and connects with more than 1,400 carriers worldwide. Today, over 20,000 businesses—including Samsung, Gymshark, Mejuri, Dr. Squatch, and Alo Yoga - rely on AfterShip to turn every post-purchase moment into an opportunity to build trust, reduce costs, and drive repeat purchases.

Built for a global market from day one, AfterShip operates with an engineering-driven, internationally distributed team. The company employs more than 450 people across 8 offices, spanning North America, Europe, and Asia, and representing over 20 cities worldwide.

Your Mission:

As a Senior User Researcher, you will own end-to-end research for one or more of AfterShip s post-purchase product areas - translating how merchants and their shoppers actually work into clear, actionable direction for product, design, and leadership. You will operate with a high degree of independence - turning ambiguous business questions into well-scoped research and shaping the decisions that follow.

You will partner closely with Product, Design, Product Marketing, and Engineering, and report to the Manager of User Research. This is a remote position, with a preference for candidates in the United States. This role requires collaboration with teams located in Asia and Europe, which may require working outside of regular business hours 2-3 times/week.

What You Will Do:

• Work closely with product, design, marketing, and engineering teams to identify the research topics that matter most, and own research for one or more post-purchase product areas end-to-end with minimal oversight.
• Design and execute custom primary research using a wide variety of methods - studies that address both user behavior and attitudes, and that generate insights to both fuel ideation and evaluate designs.
• Effectively manage and prioritize research plans through ambiguous, fast-changing environments, working with a large group of stakeholders to align and efficiently execute on critical insights.
• Communicate results and illustrate recommendations in compelling, actionable ways, and present them to product teams and leadership to build alignment.
• Define and track the impact of your research on product and business outcomes.

Who We’re Looking For:

• 5 years of applied UX/user research experience, with depth in both generative and evaluative methods (SaaS and/or e-commerce a plus).
• A track record of owning research for a product area with minimal oversight.
• Strong command of multiple qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Ability to synthesize research into clear, actionable insights and recommendations that inform product decisions, evidenced by a portfolio or work samples.
• Strong storytelling and stakeholder-management skills.
• Experience mentoring researchers and raising team standards.
• Bachelor's or Master's in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Design, or a related field - or equivalent practical experience.
• Comfortable working autonomously in a remote-first, distributed team.
• Mandarin proficiency is strongly preferred.

At AfterShip, we know great talent does not always fit every requirement. If you are passionate about our mission and believe you can make an impact, we encourage you to apply.

Why You Should Join Us:

• Great Place to Work Certified: We've been recognized for our inclusive, values-driven culture that celebrates diversity and collaboration.
• Innovative & Inclusive Culture: Started by our software engineer-turned-CEO, AfterShip is built on curiosity, creativity, and collaboration. We're a passionate, global team of problem solvers who put egos aside to innovate together. We take immense pride in fostering a culture that’s inclusive, which has allowed us to surround ourselves with the industry’s most talented professionals.
• Ambitious Mission with Real Impact: Join us in transforming eCommerce by making buying and selling easier for everyone. It's one of the most dynamic spaces in tech, with limitless opportunities to innovate and grow.
• Thrive & Grow: There's no ceiling to what you can achieve or learn here. We're committed to empowering your career while advancing together as a company.
• Flexible Work Setup : We're a remote-first team, meaning by default that employees work from home or on a hybrid-flexible basis in our hub locations. You're empowered to choose a work setup that works best for you and your team. With flexible hours depending on your time zone, you'll be able to have a schedule that fits your working style and the requirements of your role.

Perks:

• Competitive compensation
• Remote-first/hybrid-flexible work setups
• Healthcare coverage offered from day 1
• Retirement plans including company match
• Unlimited PTO
• Annual learning & wellness benefit
• Monthly book perk
• Career progression & professional development
• In-office lunch and commuter benefits for those located in our hub locations

Base salary range for this role:

USD$134,000 - $179,000 / CAD$123,000 - 160,000

We are an equal opportunity employer and provide accommodations upon request throughout the recruitment process, in accordance with local legislation. Please let us know if you require any support, and we'll work with you to meet your needs. We believe in hiring right over hiring fast. While timelines may vary, we're looking to fill this role as soon as possible. Our hiring process uses AI to help with initial resume screening and to support interview note-taking. These tools help our team stay organized and fair, but all hiring decisions are made by people.