Principal UX Researcher

At Constant Contact, we are seriously awesome people who take ownership and make an impact by operating with the mindset, integrity and courage of a small business owner. There's something so profoundly rewarding about knowing that your work is empowering people everywhere to pursue their dreams. Here, we all play an integral part in helping business owners, entrepreneurs, non‑profits and individuals to succeed by giving them all the help and tools they need to grow online.

We're energized by new challenges and new possibilities—and we're just getting started!

We are looking for a Principal UX Researcher to evolve Constant Contact's research function into an AI-driven insights engine. This role is about more than just leadership; it's about architecting the organizational capability to produce high-velocity insights for an AI-native, mobile-first world. You will champion a culture where AI‑augmented frameworks scale our understanding of small business needs, turning complex data into strategic product advantages faster than ever before.

• High‑Velocity Strategic Discovery: Spearhead end-to-end research for “big bet” initiatives, leveraging AI to compress the discovery‑to‑insight cycle. You will deliver high‑impact artifacts—from AI‑curated video highlight reels to actionable roadmap pivots—that drive executive‑level decision‑making at speed.
• Force Multiplier & Democratization: Scale our organizational research capability by coaching Product Managers and Designers on high‑speed methodologies. You’ll architect a “Research‑as‑a‑Service” model, providing office hours, self‑service templates, and peer‑review checklists that empower the broader team to move fast without sacrificing quality.
• AI‑Enhanced Research Operations: Audit and re‑engineer manual workflows—recruitment, transcription, and tagging—using AI‑driven automation tools. Your mission is to eliminate operational “drudge work,” allowing the team to focus 100% of their energy on high‑level synthesis and strategy.
• The AI‑Augmented “Insights Commons”: Architect and maintain a centralized repository that utilizes LLM-based natural language querying. You will ensure our historical data is “alive,” allowing any stakeholder to instantly surface past findings and cross‑study patterns through a conversational interface.
• Governance & Operational Ethics: Establish the “Rules of the Road” for AI‑augmented research. You’ll ensure all automated processes—from data collection to synthesis—comply with privacy standards and protect participant PII, maintaining a high‑maturity culture of trust and ethical integrity.
• Cross‑Functional Synthesis & Translation: Facilitate high‑stakes post‑research workshops that bridge the gap between raw findings and technical execution. You will translate user behavior into prioritized product requirements and design specs, ensuring research is a shared catalyst for Engineering and Product teams.

• Systems Architect: 8+ years of UX research experience, with a proven track record of not just doing research, but building the systems and “Insights Engines” that power SaaS organizations.
• AI‑Native Researcher: You have hands‑on experience implementing AI‑driven tools to automate the research lifecycle. You view AI as a partner that handles the “drudge work” so you can focus on the “So What.”
• The Coach & Consultant: You enjoy mentoring others and have experience democratizing research through “office hours” and standardized toolkits that help a product organization scale its own curiosity.
• Strategic Facilitator: You are an expert at turning raw data into a narrative. You can lead a room of engineers and executives through a synthesis workshop that results in a prioritized, actionable backlog.
• Privacy‑First Thinker: You understand the nuances of PII and data privacy, especially as it relates to automated transcription and AI‑based data processing.

• Repository Mastery: Direct experience building or managing a modern “Insights Commons” or repository with a focus on searchability and stakeholder self‑service.
• AI Methodology Expertise: Experience with specific AI‑research methods, such as…