Staff User Researcher

AfterShip; San Francisco (CA); Remote; USD 165,000 - 233,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Remote-first

Healthcare from day 1

Retirement plan

Unlimited PTO

Learning & wellness benefit

Book perk

Career progression

Job summary

AfterShip is seeking a Staff User Researcher to own the research agenda across multiple product areas, shaping post-purchase strategy. You will partner with Product, Design, Data Science, Engineering, and Product Marketing to drive insights and influence leadership decisions.

The role requires leading research initiatives across global teams, mentoring researchers, and elevating the function. Remote-first with some time zones aligning global collaboration.

Qualifications

• 8 years of applied UX/user research experience, including leading research across multiple product areas or a business domain (SaaS and/or e-commerce a plus).
• Proven ability to lead research strategy and roadmap independently.
• Deep, comprehensive expertise across qualitative and quantitative methods; recognized as a subject-matter expert who can set standards for others.

Responsibilities

• Identify, prioritize, lead, and execute on research that generates insights to inform product strategy across the company - leading your own roadmap independently and helping shape the broader team's.
• Define, design, execute, and socialize a range of research studies that build a strong understanding of existing and future merchants and shoppers, and their experiences around the world.
• Partner with cross-functional teams - Product, Design, Data Science, Engineering, and Product Marketing - to proactively develop research initiatives.
• Translate research into a product and business perspective, and align cross-functional leadership - including Directors and VPs - on key strategic questions across domains.
• Set the quality standard for the research team: mentor researchers, build repeatable practices, and serve as a subject-matter expert.
• Identify best practices in existing and emerging research methodologies.
• Proactively identify new areas of user and business opportunity.

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 Staff User Researcher, you'll set and own the research agenda across multiple AfterShip product areas and systems, shaping post-purchase strategy at the organizational level. You'll proactively identify the questions and new opportunities that matter most and translate findings into a product and business perspective that leadership acts on. You'll also raise the bar for the research function as a whole: setting quality standards, mentoring researchers, and providing input into others' roadmaps.

You'll partner with cross-functional leadership across Product, Design, Product Marketing, Engineering, and Data, 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’ll Do

• Identify, prioritize, lead, and execute on research that generates insights to inform product strategy across the company - leading your own roadmap independently and helping shape the broader team's.
• Define, design, execute, and socialize a range of research studies that build a strong understanding of existing and future merchants and shoppers, and their experiences around the world.
• Partner with cross-functional teams - Product, Design, Data Science, Engineering, and Product Marketing - to proactively develop research initiatives.
• Translate research into a product and business perspective, and align cross-functional leadership - including Directors and VPs - on key strategic questions across domains.
• Set the quality standard for the research team: mentor researchers, build repeatable practices, and serve as a subject-matter expert.
• Identify best practices in existing and emerging research methodologies.
• Proactively identify new areas of user and business opportunity.

Who We're Looking For

• 8 years of applied UX/user research experience, including leading research across multiple product areas or a business domain (SaaS and/or e-commerce a plus).
• Proven ability to lead research strategy and roadmap independently.
• Deep, comprehensive expertise across qualitative and quantitative methods; recognized as a subject-matter expert who can set standards for others.
• A track record of influencing at the executive level and aligning leadership on strategic questions.
• Strong synthesis and storytelling - turning complex research into clear, actionable recommendations that drive decisions, evidenced by a portfolio or work samples.
• Experience mentoring researchers and elevating a team's craft.
• Bachelor's or Master's in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Design, or a related field - or equivalent practical experience.
• Thrives with full autonomy in a remote-first, distributed organization.
• Mandarin proficiency is strongly preferred.

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 is 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$165,000 - $232,500/ CAD$151,000 - 200,000

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.