User Researcher

Number of roles: 3 Start date: ASAP Duration: 12 months, with potential extension to 18 months Location: East Coast US, Stockholm (on-site) or remote-friendly. The team offers flexibility to work where contractors work best, with some in-person collaboration expected. Contract User Researcher The user research team, a small specialized group within R&D, is looking to hire three contract resources for 12 to 18 months. This need arises due to four upcoming parental leaves, which will create a significant capacity gap. The contract roles will be flexible, supporting projects aligned with business priorities, including AI-based features and potentially “Wrapped.” Team Context The user research team is the largest within the company, with around 14 individual contributors (ICs) focused on the experience mission. Their work spans the full product development lifecycle—from early explorations to supporting features about to launch in A/B testing. Contractor Skill Set Contractors should have deep expertise in research toolkits and mixed methods, with preference for candidates from consumer-facing tech or consulting backgrounds. Contractors should be well-rounded in research, even though each may focus on their specific area of expertise. The hiring manager prefers experienced contractors, who have worked in consumer-facing product research and have deep knowledge of mixed methods, including surveys and various types of interviews. Required Soft Skills and Prior Experience Beyond research methodology, the ideal candidate is an excellent stakeholder manager, able to navigate environments where user feedback is not always the top priority. Successful candidates are diplomatic and supportive, focusing on sharing insights rather than “fighting on behalf of users.” Candidates from consumer-facing tech (e.g., Uber, Google, Meta) or consulting (e.g., Deloitte, Bain, McKinsey) are preferred for their ability to work quickly, handle difficult stakeholders, and focus on strategic decision-making. Job Description Contract Senior User Researcher — CoreX Delivering the best Spotify experience, everywhere and every time. Spotify is seeking a Senior User Researcher to join the CoreX team on a fixed-term basis, providing senior research capacity across high-priority company bets. This is an opportunity to contribute to some of Spotify's most consequential product work— bringing deep research craft, strong judgment, and the ability to hit the ground running in a fast-moving team. In this role, you will work across high priority company bets within the mobile experience where research capacity is needed most. You'll be expected to operate with a high degree of autonomy, bringing structure to ambiguous problems and delivering insights that shape product direction. What You'll Do Define, plan, and conduct research across mobile experience initiatives, covering the full range of methods from generative to evaluative Deliver evidence-based insights that guide product strategy and UX direction in fast-moving, high-stakes bets Collaborate cross-functionally with Product, Design, Data Science, and Engineering to ensure work is human-centred and grounded in real user needs Represent research with senior stakeholders— bringing findings to life through clear storytelling, workshops, and live discussion Synthesise across projects where relevant, connecting insights to build a coherent picture of user needs Contribute to the health and capability of the broader UR team Who You Are An expert researcher with extensive industry experience and a degree or equivalent in Human-Computer Interaction, Cognitive Psychology, or a Social Science Comfortable adapting quickly to shifting workflows as AI UR capabilities increase and improve Skilled across a wide range of User Research methods— ethnography, contextual inquiry, usability testing, concept testing — and comfortable blending them with quantitative or behavioural data Able to hit the ground running in a new environment, quickly building context and trust with cross-functional partners Comfortable navigating ambiguity and breaking down unstructured challenges into actionable learning plans An excellent communicator, confident with senior audiences and at ease in dynamic discussion, debate, and live reasoning A strong systems thinker with deep UX expertise, able to influence scalable, cohesive experiences