User Researcher

Plaud; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Meaningful Ownership

High-Impact Environment

AI Tools Access

Top-spec equipment

Team Culture

Job summary

Plaud is building the real-world AI interface for professionals to amplify intelligence, elevate productivity and performance. This San Francisco-based team seeks a researcher who can lead hardware-focused studies, from planning through delivery, and translate findings into actions that shape product direction.

You will pair qualitative insights with quantitative signals, benchmark methods against best practices, and manage a research roadmap across Product, Growth, and Marketing to drive

Qualifications

• Hands-on research experience on hardware products or human–hardware interaction.
• End-to-end ownership of studies from design to delivery.
• Strong quantitative skills: survey design and statistical analysis.
• Strong qualitative skills: interviews, contextual inquiry, diary studies, usability testing.
• Track record of influencing product decisions through research outputs.

Responsibilities

• Design study plans, recruit participants, conduct in-context sessions, and deliver insights.
• Combine qualitative and quantitative signals to explain the 'why' behind behaviors.
• Benchmark Plaud's methods against state-of-the-art practices and close gaps.
• Manage a prioritized research roadmap across Product, Growth, and Marketing.
• Translate findings into clear, decision-ready outputs for cross-functional stakeholders.

Skills

Hardware research

End-to-end ownership

Quantitative analysis

Qualitative methods

Influence product decisions

Tools

SPSS

Python

R

Job description

About Plaud Inc.

Plaud is building the real-world AI interface for professionals to amplify intelligence, elevate productivity and performance, loved by over 2,000,000 users worldwide since 2023. With a mission to amplify human intelligence, Plaud captures, structures, and compounds the intelligence generated in conversations - so humans can think better, decide faster, and execute with clarity.

Plaud Inc. is a Delaware-incorporated, San Francisco-based company pushing the boundary of human-AI intelligence through a hardware-software combination. With full ISO 27001, ISO 27701, SOC 2, GDPR, EN18031, and HIPAA compliances, Plaud is committed to the highest standards of data security and privacy protection. To learn more about Plaud, please visit https://www.plaud.ai and follow along on Instagram, X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Why You Should Join Us

Plaud is building the next generation intelligence infrastructure and interfaces to capture, extract, and utilize intelligence from what people say, hear, see, and think.

• Plaud is a bootstrapped, skyrocketing, profitable company with a $250M revenue run rate achieved in just three years.

• Define the next-gen paradigm for human-AI interaction.

• Gain exposure to cutting-edge AI for Pro tools and play a direct role in our global expansion.

• Work with passionate teammates who value innovation, collaboration, and customer success.

• Grow your career in a culture that champions continuous learning and fast career development.

• Market-competitive compensation, global exposure, and a vibrant, creativity-fueled work atmosphere.

What you will do

• Execute research programs end-to-end: design the study plan, recruit participants, conduct in-context sessions (contextual inquiry, ergonomic evaluation, form factor assessment), synthesize findings, and deliver insights that directly inform product direction decisions on the timeline committed to Product.

• Run mixed-methods research pairing qualitative primary research (in-depth interviews, diary studies, usability testing) with quantitative signals (survey design, significance testing, driver analysis) to explain the 'why' behind behavioral data and validate whether product directions match real user needs.

• Benchmark Plaud's hardware research methods against SOTA practice at leading consumer electronics companies; identify methodology gaps and proactively close them.

• Manage a prioritized research roadmap across Product, Growth, and Marketing - shifting the team from reactive request fulfillment toward proactive identification of high-stakes decision points that need research input before they are made.

• Translate research findings into clear, decision-ready outputs for cross-functional stakeholders; track whether insights are acted on and follow through to confirm impact on product or growth decisions.

Skills, qualifications and experience we look for

• Hands-on experience researching hardware products or human-hardware interaction - consumer electronics, wearables, IoT, or comparable physical products - including in-context and ergonomic evaluation methods; this is a hard filter, not a nice-to-have.

• Demonstrated end-to-end ownership of user research studies from design through delivery, without requiring direction on methodology selection or study execution.

• Solid quantitative skillset: survey design, statistical analysis (significance testing, regression, driver analysis), and proficiency in SPSS, Python, or R.

• Strong command of qualitative methods: in-depth interviews, contextual inquiry, diary studies, and usability testing; proven ability to integrate qualitative findings with quantitative signals into a coherent, decision-ready insight.

• Track record of influencing product or design decisions directly through research output - not just delivering reports, but driving action.

What we offer

1. Meaningful Ownership An Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) that gives a real stake in Plaud's long-term success.

2. High-Impact Environment Work in a fast-moving, product-driven environment where your ideas directly shape the future of AI productivity.

3. Cutting-Edge AI Tools for Productivity Access to best-in-class AI tools, including Gemini, Claude Code, and other frontier AI systems to maximize engineering and execution efficiency.

4. Best-in-Class Equipment Choice of top-spec laptops, high-performance workstation setups, and cutting-edge Plaud devices for all new hires.

5. Team & Culture Annual company offsites, team events, and a culture that values craftsmanship, ownership, and velocity.

Disclaimer: Plaud is and will continue to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.