Rapid User Researcher

Notion; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 164,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Notion is seeking an experienced User Researcher to enhance AI-powered experiences through in-depth research. The role involves executing various research methods to evaluate how users interact with AI features and requires robust communication and data fluency.

Located in San Francisco or New York City, the ideal candidate will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams. A highly competitive salary ranging from $164,000 to $190,000 per year is offered.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of UX research experience in industry.
• Expertise in both qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and prioritize research.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute research across the AI product lifecycle.
• Evaluate collaboration in user workflows for AI products.
• Integrate research with product development and decision-making.

Skills

AI fluency

Systems thinking

Pragmatism

Research craft

Data fluency

Experience (3+ years in UX research)

Education

Master's or PhD in relevant field

Tools

AI research tools (Outset, Listen Labs, Dovetail)

Job description

About the Role

We’re seeking an experienced User Researcher to deliver insights that improve Notion’s AI-powered experiences. This role will focus on how people discover, build, and use AI features—like Notion Agent and Chat—across diverse use cases in the product. It requires a unique mix of research craft, strategic foresight, and technical fluency in AI and AI product development. This role can be based in either San Francisco or New York City. We work from our offices on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays (Anchor Days) because we do our best thinking and building together in person, and we’re looking for someone who’s excited to work alongside the team during those days.

What You’ll Achieve

• End-to-end research: Design and execute quantitative and qualitative research across the AI product lifecycle—foundational discovery, concept testing, prototype/usability testing, and post-ship evaluation—with clear recommendations that drive product decisions.
• Human–AI workflow understanding: Evaluate collaboration in real workflows—how users set goals, delegate tasks, review/accept outputs, and stay oriented as the product takes more initiative.
• Cross-functional partnership: Build strong relationships with Design, Product, Engineering, and Data Science to integrate research and user feedback into different phases of the product development process.
• Communication: Tailor storytelling to different audiences and find effective, creative ways to share insights (e.g., videos, podcasts, workshops).
• Business-minded impact: Connect research to business outcomes—articulating why an insight matters, making it actionable, and doing the hands‑on work to drive real change after research is delivered.

Skills You’ll Need To Bring

• AI fluency: You’re curious and hands‑on with AI products—and can reason about how model behavior, uncertainty, and system constraints shape product experiences.
• Systems thinking: You can quickly understand complex user journeys and identify where experiences break down across the system—from inputs, to model behavior, to UI, to governance and guardrails.
• Pragmatism: You excel at prioritizing research in fast‑moving 0→1 environments and are comfortable navigating ambiguity, taking initiative, and knowing when to be scrappy vs. when to go deep.
• Research craft: You know the right methodological approach for the question at hand, and you’re an expert in both qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Data fluency: You excel at using behavioral and business data to sharpen research questions, interpret results, and connect insights to measurable outcomes. Triangulating across data sources is a standard part of the work you deliver.
• Experience: 3+ years doing UX research in industry.

Nice to Haves

• Experience researching AI-enabled products (especially agentic/workflow automation) and B2B products.
• Expertise conducting research with AI research tools (Outset, Listen Labs, Dovetail, etc.).
• Experience communicating research to executive stakeholders.
• Master’s or PhD degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Behavioral Economics, Anthropology, Sociology, or a related field.
• You’re familiar with the work of computing heroes like Douglas Engelbart, Alan Kay, Bret Victor, etc. — and understand why we’re big fans.

Compensation

Notion is committed to providing highly competitive cash compensation, equity, and benefits. The compensation offered for this role will be based on multiple factors such as location, the role’s scope and complexity, and the candidate’s experience and expertise, and may vary from the range provided below. For roles based in San Francisco or New York City, the estimated base salary range for this role is $164,000–$190,000 per year.

Equal Opportunity & Accommodations

We hire talented people from a wide range of backgrounds. If you’re excited about this role but don’t meet every bullet, we still encourage you to apply. Notion is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any legally protected characteristic. Consistent with applicable law, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Notion provides reasonable accommodations during the application process; if you need one, please let your recruiter know. Notion is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or any employment decision based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. Notion considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Notion is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please let your recruiter know.