Principal User Researcher
 Microsoft | |
 United States, Washington, Redmond | |
 Oct 18, 2025 | |
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OverviewMicrosoft is a company where passionate innovators come to collaborate, envision what can be and take their careers further. This is a world of more possibilities, more innovation, more openness, and the sky is the limit thinking in a cloud-enabled world. Microsoft's Azure Data engineering team is leading the transformation of analytics in the world of data with products like databases, data integration, big data analytics, messaging & real-time analytics, and business intelligence. The products our portfolio include Microsoft Fabric, Azure SQL DB, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure PostgreSQL, Azure Data Factory, Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Service Bus, Azure Event Grid, and Power BI. Our mission is tobuild the data platform for the age of AI, powering a new class of data-first applications and driving a data culture. Within Azure Data, the messaging and real-time analytics team provides comprehensive solutions and a robust platform that enables users to ingest high granularity signals (real-time & observability) and complex data, converting those into a competitive advantage in real-time for both end users and modern applications. As a Principal User Researcher on the Azure Data Research team, you will leverage your expertise in the motivations, workflows, and habits of data professionals to inform the strategy, design, and growth of products and services across the data cloud suite. Our Research team takes a multi-method approach, combining qualitative and quantitative methods to identify emerging patterns of usage, uncover user insights, reveal unarticulated needs, and surface new product and service priorities. Familiarity with big data analysis is welcomed as a complement to these approaches. You will play a critical role in driving strategic research initiatives and collaborating closely with stakeholders across product, design, and engineering to ensure that research insights shape priorities and guide decision-making from day one. We approach product experience optimization as an important, ongoing, and rigorous practice.We do not just value differences or different perspectives. We seek them out and invite them in so we can tap into the collective power of everyone in the company. As a result, our customers are better served.
ResponsibilitiesLead collaboration with a high-performing UX Research team by bringing prior expertise across qualitative, survey, usability, and metrics-based research, while also partnering with big data experts to integrate behavioral data into research insights.Own and foster relationships with PM and Design leadership across the Azure Data Organization, representing research at a strategic level and ensuring alignment with cross-functional priorities.Own end-to-end research initiatives across qualitative and quantitative methods, leveraging prior experience to define the right approach (e.g., ethnographic explorations, usability studies, heuristic evaluations, interviews, contextual inquiry, surveys, user journey maps, and benchmarks) and representing research for your area with authority and independence.Synthesize and communicate insights at scale by creating compelling narratives and delivering them directly to product leaders, influencing product growth directions and strategic decisions.Shape research programs by aligning to organization-wide priorities and success criteria, owning the design and execution of programs that meet the needs of the Azure Data organization and represent research at the highest levels. Embody our culture and values | |