Senior UX Researcher

In Microsoft Security UX, we are a team of product designers, UX researchers, and content designers. Together with our PM and Engineering partners, we design product experiences that are trusted, human-centered, and easy to use, enabling our users to manage, protect and secure their digital environments with peace of mind. 

Security represents the most critical priorities for our customers in a world awash in digital threats, regulatory scrutiny, and estate complexity. Microsoft Security aspires to make the world a safer place for all. We want to reshape security and empower every user, customer, and developer with a security cloud that protects them with end to end, simplified solutions. The Microsoft Security organization accelerates Microsoft’s mission and bold ambitions to ensure that our company and industry is securing digital technology platforms, devices, and clouds in our customers’ heterogeneous environments, as well as ensuring the security of our own internal estate. Our culture is centered on embracing a growth mindset, a theme of inspiring excellence, and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day. In doing so, we create life-changing innovations that impact billions of lives around the world.  

Our team has a culture of innovation and creativity with many opportunities to influence and grow professionally. In this role you will work closely with an interdisciplinary research, design, and engineering team to define, and ultimately deliver future experiences for Microsoft Security. 

Required/Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Human Factors Engineering, Computer Science, Technical Communications, Information Science, Information Architecture, User Experience Design, Behavioral Science, Social Sciences, or related field AND 4+ years User Experience Research experience  
  • OR Master's Degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Human Factors Engineering, Computer Science, Technical Communications, Information Science, Information Architecture, User Experience Design, Behavioral Science, Social Sciences, or related field AND 3+ years User Experience Research experience 
  • OR Doctorate in Human-Computer Interaction, Human Factors Engineering, Computer Science, Technical Communications, Information Science, Information Architecture, User Experience Design, Behavioral Science, Social Sciences, or related field AND 1+ year(s) User Experience Research experience 
  • OR equivalent experience. 
• 1+ year(s) of experience in applied user experience research, design research, product research or the equivalent product research in industry. 

Other Eequirements:

• Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings: Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• High level research skills across methods, qualitative and quantitative (i.e. a Mixed Methods researcher).

• Effective communication and presentation / storytelling skills, with the ability to energize and activate teams.   

• Skill in observing and understanding human behavior and insights – fundamentally translating ideas, needs, and requests into researchable questions in a rigorous and valid way. 

• Commitment to creating inclusive experiences and working in a manner that demonstrates respect for diversity and equality. 

• Knowledge in distilling research into actionable narratives through creative and compelling frameworks and using engaging storytelling with cross-functional partners to drive impact. 
• Able to collaborate well across Microsoft and diverse stakeholders, possess technical research skills, have an aptitude and interest in creating data-driven strategy, be interested in creating an inclusive environment, and understand how good design can create great products.

UX Research IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $119,800 - $234,700 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $158,400 - $258,000 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

Microsoft will accept applications for the role until June 5, 2025.

#MSFTSECURITYUX 

• Develop comprehensive research plans and drive strategic user research across product lifecycles.  

• Frame emerging behavior insights and user needs through a combination of new research and current insights to enable Design and Program Management to build products that users need and love. 

• Communicate with product team stakeholders, locally and remotely, and accurately identify critical research questions to be investigated through relationship management practices.  

• Consider cost, timeline, and philosophy to determine the appropriate research method to apply to an outstanding research question.  

• Partner with Data Science and Engineering to measure and ensure that new experiences create customer value at scale in production.