Senior UX Researcher
Mountain View, CA
Design /
Full-time /
Hybrid
Our Mission:
Driving technology always feels old. Not by a little bit. We believe vehicles can be a thousand times smarter, safer, and more connected to the world around us, and our mission is to see it happen. In 2019, we joined forces with Honda as their first startup acquisition, and now we’re expanding our vision into building the future of electric vehicles (BEV) for millions of people around the world.
Why Drivemode:
Join Drivemode for an exciting startup environment and a vibrant culture that combines impactful work, competitive compensation, and excellent benefits. By becoming a part of our team, you'll contribute to a crucial mission that revolutionizes the way people engage with vehicles, addressing both business needs and the world's environmental challenges. This presents an exceptional opportunity to be at the forefront of innovation and drive Honda's success in the EV market.
About The Role:
Drivemode is looking for a Senior UX Researcher to join our growing product team. This is our first dedicated UX research hire, and a rare opportunity to shape the research function from the ground up.You’ll partner closely with product managers, designers, and engineers to bring clarity and confidence to product decisions. Your work will connect business strategy to user needs, enabling teams to move quickly without losing sight of what matters most. We’re looking for someone who brings both rigor and flexibility to their methods and is energized by ambiguous, complex problem spaces.At Drivemode, researchers are strategic partners. You’ll be expected to shape roadmaps, advocate for the user, and influence the broader design culture with curiosity, precision, and empathy.
What You’ll Do:
- Lead research that directly informs product direction and design decisions across multiple initiatives.
- Collaborate closely with PMs, designers, and engineers to identify key questions, prioritize learning goals, and translate insights into action.
- Plan and conduct research using a range of methods; qualitative, quantitative, or mixed, based on what’s best for the problem.
- Synthesize and communicate findings clearly to drive alignment, reduce product risk, and support better decision-making.
- Help establish research best practices, tooling, and processes as the function grows.
- Shape how we bring the user perspective into product development, from early concept through launch and iteration.
What we’re looking for:
- 5+ years of hands-on UX research experience in product organizations.
- A portfolio of research that has directly influenced digital products at scale.
- Fluency across generative and evaluative methods, and the judgment to know when to use them.
- Experience working in agile environments and navigating fast-moving cross-functional teams.
- Strong communication and storytelling skills; you can translate research into compelling narratives for a range of stakeholders.
- A strategic mindset and comfort working in ambiguity. You ask the right questions before jumping to answers.
Nice To Have:
- Business-level Japanese
$141,000 - $186,000 a year
This is the position's total compensation package including the company's bonus structure. This position also comes with full benefits. Actual compensation packages are based on a wide array of factors unique to each candidate, including but not limited to demonstrated skill set, years and depth of relevant experience, and some role-dependent factors. We welcome direct conversations with each candidate about compensation in all of our initial calls.
EEOC Statement
Drivemode is proud of a very diverse team with employees coming from 5 continents/11 countries as of today. Diversity in our workplace has played an important part in our success; we recognize each employee’s unique background, knowledge, experiences, ideas, and viewpoints which are all critical in developing a product that has the greatest impacts on drivers all over the world.
Drivemode provides equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or any other characteristics that make you unique.
