Principal, User Researcher

YOUR MISSION

As the Principal, User Researcher at Mural, you’ll start a UX research practice and lead foundational and strategic research that shapes how the company defines its next generation of experiences. You’ll partner across product, design, sales, marketing, and strategy to identify new opportunity spaces, clarify evolving user needs, and guide the organization toward long-term innovation.

This is a primarily individual-contributor role focused on uncovering deep human collaboration insights that drive strategy, innovation, and long-term vision. You’ll also help shape and scale the UXR discipline at Mural by mentoring designers to confidently run tactical usability studies, and establishing the frameworks and best practices that elevate research across the company. Think of it as being the first research leader at a fast-growing startup, with the reach and resources of a global platform.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Player Responsibilities (Individual Contributor Work):

• Lead mixed-methods research (qualitative and quantitative) that explores user needs, behaviors, and motivations across multiple product areas.

• Drive foundational studies that reveal how teams collaborate and what barriers exist in business collaboration, hybrid, and distributed work.

• Design and execute medium to large-scale studies that combine qualitative depth with quantitative rigor (surveys, logs analysis, segmentation, and concept testing).

• Develop a tempo where actionable insights are timely and urgently positioned to shape key product decisions.

• Translate ambiguous questions into clear learning plans and frameworks that guide product and strategy decisions.

• Build artifacts (archetypes, frameworks, journey maps, mental models) that make complex insights accessible and actionable across the company, leveraging Mural products.

• Present insights to an executive, cross-functional audience and provide strategic recommendations based on these insights.

Coach Responsibilities:

• Build the research practice: mentor designers, and product partners in research best practices, helping to scale a culture of curiosity and evidence-based decision making.

• Establish repeatable, high-quality research standards and methodologies across teams.

• Partner with design and product leadership to shape Mural’s long-term research vision and roadmap.

• Champion the role of research in early product strategy and company-wide initiatives.

Hybrid Responsibilities (Both Player & Coach):

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional leaders to prioritize research that informs Mural’s most critical next-generation bets.

• Facilitate workshops and storytelling sessions that bring insights to life and influence direction across product, design, and business strategy.

• Partner with Data Science and Market Research to integrate behavioral data, attitudinal insights, and business signals into cohesive, actionable narratives.

• Shape how research connects to strategy, innovation, and experimentation at every level of the company.

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

• 10+ years of UX Research experience, including deep expertise in both qualitative and quantitative methods. PhD optional.

• Proven track record leading foundational and strategic research that influenced product direction, vision, or long-term investments.

• Ability to design and execute mixed-methods research independently: from ethnographic and in-depth interviews to survey design and statistical analysis.

• Scale strategic insights: Experience driving organizational understanding through storytelling, synthesis, and actionable frameworks.

• Strong systems thinking skills, with an ability to connect human insight to product architecture and long-term design strategy.

• Experience shaping and scaling research practices in growing organizations.

• Comfortable working in ambiguity and helping cross-functional teams find clarity and alignment.

• Strong communicator who can engage both executive and hands-on audiences with empathy, clarity, and conviction.