UX Researcher

Job description

**Meet Slingshot** At Slingshot Aerospace, we're on a mission to make space safer and more secure for everyone. Our work directly impacts global security, disaster response, climate monitoring, and the critical infrastructure that connects our world. We're a team of builders, thinkers, and problem-solvers who believe that the next generation of space operations will be powered by better data and smarter software. We move fast, we're not afraid to fail, and we believe the best ideas can come from anywhere—whether you're in engineering, sales, product, or operations. If you want to work on something that truly matters, with people who care deeply about the impact we're making and help shape the future of an industry that's just getting started, you're in the right place. **What You’ll Be Launching** We're looking for a UX Researcher who thrives in complex problem spaces and cares deeply about creating seamless, effective, and meaningful experiences for users in high-stakes environments. In this role, you’ll be a key advocate for the voice of the user—championing research-driven design decisions across multiple product teams. Depending on level and scope, UX Researchers may focus on: - **Usability and Tactical Research** – validating workflows and UI patterns - **Strategic and Generative Research** – surfacing new opportunities and behavioral trends - **Research Ops and Enablement** – building systems and frameworks for scalable research At more senior levels, this role leads high-impact initiatives, contributes to product and business strategy, and advocates for research across the organization. We're building a team of sharp, creative people who love solving hard problems. We value curiosity over ego, initiative over waiting for permission, and people who genuinely care about doing great work. Bring your expertise, your fresh ideas, and your drive—we'll bring the rocket fuel. **Your Mission (Should you choose to accept it)** Discovery & Study Design - Take ownership of end-to-end research studies, including scoping, participant recruitment, methodology selection, facilitation, and analysis, across the full product lifecycle. - Frame research questions that address product uncertainties and business goals in collaboration with product, design, engineering, and growth. - Contribute to roadmap planning by surfacing user needs, pain points, and opportunity areas grounded in data. Research Execution & Insight Generation - Conduct mixed-methods research (e.g., interviews, usability tests, surveys, field studies, A/B testing, etc.) and synthesize findings into clear, actionable insights. - Support product teams with rapid evaluative testing, continuous discovery practices, and post-launch learnings. - Partner with data analysts and designers to triangulate findings and ensure insights reflect user behavior, attitudes, and context. Influence & Integration - Translate insights into frameworks, personas, journey maps, or recommendations that support product decisions and roadmap prioritization. - Present findings clearly and persuasively to cross-functional teams, fostering a shared understanding of user needs. - Build empathy through storytelling, facilitated workshops, and embedded collaboration with teams. Cross-functional Collaboration - Work closely with design, product, engineering, marketing, and customer success teams to ensure user insights are integrated into design and business processes. - Collaborate with research peers to refine internal methodologies, templates, and best practices. - Advocate for research and champion the voice of the user in key planning and product decisions, helping shape the culture of user-centered development. Initiative & Work Ethic - Self-starter who takes ownership and proactively identifies research opportunities that drive value for both users and the business. - Strong project management and organizational skills; you follow through on commitments. - Willingness to dive deep into complex, technical domains (e.g., space systems, defense operations, satellite tracking) - Present and engaged with internal teams and external users, fostering trust and deep understanding. **Pre-flight Checklist** - Must be eligible to obtain or maintain US Government Security Clearance, preference given for active TS Clearance. - 3+ years of experience in UX research or a related field (e.g., design research, HCI, behavioral science, product design) with increasing scope and autonomy. - Bachelor’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Sociology, Design, or a related field. Advanced degrees are a plus as is continued learning through research training, behavioral science certifications, or academic coursework. - Experience planning and executing end-to-end studies across both **generative**and **evaluative** research methods. - Proven ability to influence decisions through clear insights, storytelling, and data alignment. **Bonus Cargo** - Stakeholder collaboration and influence - Journey mapping, persona creation, and insight frameworks - Tool proficiency (Figma, Dovetail, UserTesting, Miro, Lyssna, etc.) - Research ops awareness (participant management, templates, tagging, documentation) - Flexible in approach—can balance rigor with scrappiness depending on context - Consistent learning mindset with strong awareness of UX trends, methods, and ethical research practices - Communication skills: excellence in verbal and written communication to drive the most effective exchange with stakeholders, including customers, partners, and investors - Business skills: acumen of business principles and decision making - Strong understanding and experience with design thinking, human centered design and the product development process - Domain experience in aerospace, geospatial tech, 3D visualization, or real-time decision tools is a plus *We're building a constellation here, not looking for identical satellites. Every member of the team brings different capabilities to the same mission. If your orbit intersects with ours and you're mission-ready, send it.* *US-based Candidates: we are currently only able to hire residents of the following U.S. states: AL, AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, HI, IL, IN, KS, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, RI, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WV We are unable to consider candidates residing in other U.S. states at this time.* *Internationally-based Candidates: we are currently only able to hire residents of the following locations: United Kingdom. We are unable to consider candidates residing in other countries at this time.* ***Equity, Diversity & Inclusion are key to our success. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and our employees are people with different strengths, experiences, and backgrounds, who share a passion for creating a safer, more connected world. Diversity not only includes race and gender identity, but also national origin, citizenship, sex, color, veteran***