UX Researcher

Kalshi; New York (NY); On-site; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Kalshi, based in New York, is seeking a Founding UX Researcher to lead research initiatives that enhance understanding of user needs and behaviors, shaping product development. This role offers a unique chance to define research functions in a rapidly growing financial market.

Responsibilities include conducting interviews, surveys, and usability studies, alongside data analysis to produce actionable insights for product strategy. Candidates should have over 5 years of UX research experience, with comfort in fast-paced environments and a strong focus on user satisfaction.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in UX research.
• Proficiency in both qualitative and quantitative research methods.
• Ability to synthesize qualitative data at scale.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute research across the product lifecycle.
• Manage longitudinal research programs and analyze data.
• Distill complex research into actionable insights for the team.

Skills

UX research

Qualitative methods

Quantitative methods

Data analysis

AI tools integration

Job description

What is Kalshi?

Kalshi has defined a new category: prediction markets. Kalshi allows people to trade on the outcome of any events and turn any question about the future into a financial asset. Kalshi fought for years and legalized prediction markets in the US for the first time in history, is currently the fastest growing financial market in America, and has thousands of markets across politics, economics, financials, weather, tech, AI, culture and more.

We believe prediction markets have the potential to be the largest financial market because they turn anything into a financial position.

• Our vision: well... build the largest financial market on the planet.

• Our mission: bring more truth to the world through the power of markets.

Our culture is simple: we hire really talented people, work really hard, and enjoy the climb. We are looking for ambitious and exceptional people to join our (relatively small) team to help us build the next generation of financial markets.

About the role

At Kalshi we strive to learn and understand our users’ needs, behaviors, and emotions to build the best product for them. As the founding UX Researcher at Kalshi, you will own the research function that helps us understand customers deeply and make better decisions. You will lead qualitative and quantitative research across the product lifecycle, from early problem framing through post-launch measurement, and bring the customer’s perspective into the room before direction is set. This is a rare opportunity to shape how a category‑defining financial company builds its research functions from the ground up.

What you’ll do

• End-to-end research: Design and execute quant + qual research across the product lifecycle: interviews, usability studies, surveys, journey mapping, and behavior analysis. You know when to run an interview, when to run a survey, and when the answer is already in the data.

• Design and manage longitudinal research programs, including survey design, CSAT or NPS measurement, and ongoing feedback loops.

• Comfortable with product analytics and data tools. You can build and interpret dashboards, define metrics, and work with quantitative data to complement qualitative insight.

• Distill complex research into clear, actionable narratives for product, policy, and leadership.

• Develop deep empathy for traders of all skill levels, institutions, and developers, understanding their workflows, motivations, and pain points across the lifecycle

What we’re looking for

• Experience: 5+ years doing UX research in industry

• Speed in execution: 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.

• Actively incorporates AI tools into your research workflow; using them to synthesize qualitative data at scale, surface patterns across large interview sets, accelerate analysis, and ask sharper questions faster.

• Care deeply about users: You are energized by talking to customers regularly and believe that understanding people is the highest-leverage thing a product team can invest in.

• Ownership mindset: You take initiative in a self‑directed environment, proactively identify what needs to be known, and drive research programs forward without waiting to be asked.

Our Culture

Meritocracy is at our core, and we value people who take ownership and figure (usually hard) things out. We dream big. We love our craft deeply and are proud of what we put out in the world. We are committed to our vision of building something big... but also useful: a product that brings more truth through the power of markets.

Kalshians are Kalshi's most important asset: we pick Kalshians carefully, so we trust them fully on day 1.

Commitment to Equal Opportunity

Kalshi is committed to creating a culture of inclusion and belonging, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We believe it is our collective responsibility to uphold these values and encourage candidates from all backgrounds to join us in our mission. All qualified applicants will be treated with respect and receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, uniform service, veteran status, age, or any other protected characteristic per federal, state, or local law. If you are passionate about what you do and want to use your talents to support our mission and values, we'd love to hear from you.