Senior User Experience (UX) Researcher

Senior User Experience (UX) Researcher

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Product - Product Management /

Full Time /

Hybrid

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Smith Micro Software is seeking an experienced Senior User Experience Researcher & Customer Insights Lead to drive high-impact research and customer insights program that shape product direction, inform roadmaps, and improve the customer experience across multiple products and customer solutions.

In this role, you will serve as an advocate for our users, leading UX Research, Voice of the Customer (VoC), and User Education efforts across the product lifecycle from early discovery and concept validation through usability testing, launch, and continuous customer feedback. You will bring together insights from UX research, surveys, app reviews, NPS, product analytics, and other customer signals to build a holistic understanding of the customer experience and translate those insights into clear, actionable recommendations.

You will operate with a high degree of autonomy, proactively identifying research and customer experience opportunities and partnering closely with Product, Design, Engineering, Marketing, leadership, and carrier/customer partners to ensure user needs are embedded in how products and experiences are defined, prioritized, and improved, while balancing end-user needs, customer requirements, and business priorities in a B2B2C environment.

Responsibilities:

1. UX Research

• Own and lead end-to-end UX research across multiple products, customers, and stages of the product lifecycle, including research planning, participant recruitment, moderation, analysis, synthesis, presentation, and recommendations.
• Conduct generative and evaluative research using methods such as user interviews, concept testing, usability testing, surveys, competitive analysis, behavioral analysis, and other qualitative and quantitative methods as appropriate, including but not limited to:
• Discovery research for new products, user segments, use cases, and market opportunities, helping teams understand unmet user needs and evaluate opportunities before significant product investment.
• Usability testing for new features, product improvements, and early concepts, translating findings into actionable product recommendations.
• Competitive analysis of direct and indirect competitors to identify opportunities and inform product prioritization and design decisions.
• Partner closely with Product Managers, Product leadership, Designers, Copywriters, Sales and other stakeholders to identify research questions and priorities, bring user insights into the product development process, review concepts, workflows, information architecture, prototypes, and UX copy, and provide recommendations based on user needs. Identify knowledge gaps and initiate additional research when existing evidence is insufficient to support product or design decisions.
• Proactively identify and prioritize research opportunities based on user feedback, business priorities, customer/carrier needs, product data, market signals, and recurring customer pain points. Balance research priorities based on potential business and customer impact.
• Synthesize research findings into compelling narratives, insights, and recommendations that clearly communicate what users need, why it matters, and what the team or company should do next.
• Apply deep research rigor, strategic thinking, and business context to guide experience and product decisions.
• Maintain research documentation and repositories so findings, reports, and historical research can be easily accessed and reused across the organization.

2. Voice of the Customer (VoC) & Customer Insights

• Own the end-to-end Voice of the Customer program across supported products from launching feedback mechanisms and gathering customer feedback through data management, analysis, reporting, and stakeholder action.
• Manage ongoing and ad-hoc customer feedback programs, integrating signals from surveys, app reviews, NPS, in-app feedback, cancellation feedback, UX research, and other customer channels into a unified view of the customer experience.
• Monitor, manage, and optimize app ratings and NPS, including optimizing Love Dialog targeting, triggers, timing, and audience criteria to improve rating and feedback mechanisms. Track customer sentiment and surface key pain points, emerging trends, and product gaps.
• Partner with Product Managers and relevant stakeholders to turn VoC insights into action, prioritizing customer pain points, advocating for customer needs, and providing recommendations that inform product and roadmap priorities, deeper research, and user education.
• Communicate customer insights and recommendations across a range of audiences, from cross-functional product teams to leadership and carrier/customer partners, with clarity and a strong point of view on where and how the organization should act.
• Continuously improve feedback mechanisms, surveys, and measurement approaches to ensure the organization is collecting useful and actionable customer insights.

3. User Education & Communication

• Use UX research and VoC insights to identify opportunities where proactive communication and education can improve the customer experience, reduce confusion, and increase awareness of product capabilities.
• Develop and manage targeted in-app communications and educational campaigns using Firebase and Apptentive/Alchemer, including:
• Feature announcements to introduce new features and capabilities.
• "Did You Know?" education to address common questions, recurring confusion, and underutilized features.
• Individual communications to respond to specific user feedback or provide targeted guidance.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to develop messaging and define the appropriate audience, targeting, timing, and delivery approach.
• Monitor campaign performance, sharing insights and recommendations with relevant stakeholders to continuously improve communications.
• Maintain and evolve self-service educational resources, including Tips & Tricks and Digital Wellness content, to provide users with ongoing product guidance.

Qualifications:

• 5+ years of experience in UX Research, Customer Insights, Human-Centered Design, or a related field, with demonstrated experience influencing product strategy and design through research.
• Bachelor's or master's degree in human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Anthropology, Behavioral Science, Design, Statistics, Economics, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience leading end-to-end UX research, including research planning, participant recruitment, moderation, analysis, synthesis, and translating findings into actionable recommendations.
• Experience managing Voice of the Customer (VoC) programs, including surveys, NPS, app reviews, and other qualitative and quantitative customer feedback.
• Strong ability to synthesize research and user data into insights that directly inform product direction and business decision making.
• Demonstrated ownership mentality, with a track record of proactively identifying problems, driving solutions, and effectively prioritizing when capacity is limited.
• Ability to balance tactical execution with strategic objectives while managing multiple products, customer accounts, research initiatives, and recurring responsibilities.
• Comfortable working in an ambiguous and fast-changing environment, challenging assumptions when evidence points in another direction.
• Demonstrated ability to influence without authority in cross functional, Agile environments.
• Experience presenting research and customer insights to cross-functional teams, senior leadership, and external customers/partners, with the ability to translate complex findings into compelling narratives and drive action.
• Experience with tools such as Figma/FigJam, UserTesting, Apptentive/Alchemer, Firebase Messaging, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, and product analytics platforms is preferred.
• Proficient in English (written and verbal).

$115,000 - $140,000 a year

Smith Micro is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

WORK ENVIRONMENT/PHYSICAL DEMANDS SUMMARY:

The incumbent typically works in an office environment and uses a computer, telephone and other office equipment as needed to perform duties. The noise level in the work environment is typical of that of an office. Incumbent may encounter frequent interruptions throughout the workday.

The employee is regularly required to sit, talk, or hear; frequently required to use repetitive hand motion, handle or feel, and to stand, walk, reach, bend or lift up to 20 pounds.

The physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by an employee occupying this position. Employees may be required to perform other related duties as assigned, to ensure workload coverage. Employees are required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by their

supervisor.

This job description does NOT constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the organizational needs and requirements of the job change. The job specification requirements stated are representative of minimum levels of knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform this job successfully. Any satisfactory equivalent combination of experience and training which ensures the ability to perform the work may substitute for the above so that the employee will possess the abilities or aptitudes to perform each duty proficiently.

We seek innovative individuals who possess an entrepreneurial mindset. We don't simply hire anyone; we're looking for exceptional individuals like yourself-those who are motivated, laser-focused, and intrigued by the dynamic world of technology.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

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