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User Researcher III

Location: Fearless HQ or Remote

Fearless is looking for a User Researcher III to add to our erse team of 250+ employees (and counting!).

What you’ll be doing

We’re looking to change the world by building software with a soul, and we want your help.

The User Researcher III collaborates with cross-functional teams and stakeholders to evaluate current and upcoming user research needs. They work to improve the definition of products and services which can then be used to determine user, customer, and organizational requirements. They set the direction of delivery and operationalize research efforts to provide actionable and meaningful data-driven insights representing actors, tools, and processes. They are experienced practitioners who are able to plan and facilitate user research activities for larger teams and more complex services.

We need your User Research skills! What other skills will help you succeed at Fearless? Glad you asked! We’re excited about candidates who can accomplish the following:

Responsibilities and Contributions

Organizational and Leadership Role

• Builds scalable user research solutions for multiple cross-functional teams, as well as Business Development strategies for new opportunities.
• Cultivates a community of growth and development through coaching and mentoring others to develop their professional skills.
• Grows our design community and strategies, leads discussion of design practices and standards, and contributes to practice area communities and activities.

Functional Role

Collaboration & Communication

• Provides specialized expertise in the design and layout of graphical user interfaces, particularly, screen layouts and functionality for client-server applications (e.g., Microsoft Windows presentation screens).
• Advises designers, researchers, and other team members on usability trends, practices, and the choice and application of research methods to assure best practice.
• Coaches and mentors inexperienced teams to adopt user-centered practices and embed them into an agile workflow.
• Mentors, stewards, and directs other Designers and Researchers to improve the quality of their work.
• Ensures cross-disciplinary involvement in carrying out research plans by assigning and managing progress toward research and participant management tasks, working with the Scrum Master to remove any blockers.
• Advises the team and customer on how to adopt a user-centered, evidence-based approach to defining requirements and implementing solutions.
• Builds, maintains, and promotes a research repository for teammates that enable teams to continually assure, improve, and innovate their practices to generate clear and valuable findings.
• Works with Visual Designers to help translate insights into visual artifacts and products.

Research & Analysis

• Conducts studies, testing and evaluation of screen prototypes for functionality, ease of use, efficiency, and accuracy.
• Analyzes and synthesizes qualitative and quantitative data to generate strategic and tactical insights along with actionable recommendations that drive product design, service improvements, and innovations that improve user experience.
• Develops and executes well-crafted research plans with clear research objectives.
• Strongly adheres to research ethics and privacy guidelines for specific client needs, clarifying privacy restrictions with the client and teammates and triaging efficiently in the event of a privacy breach.
• Sets the direction of delivery and the collection of user experience metrics in the course of collaboration with Designers, Engineers, Product Managers, and Product Owners.
• Defines and champions research processes and tools that enable teammates to better incorporate and improve research in their work.
• Advocates for inclusive practices and helps teams design and deliver accessible products and services that work for all users.
• Plans and facilitates participatory and iterative design activities, such as observational studies, customer interviews, usability testing, and other forms of requirements discovery.

Essential Skills, Experience, or Competencies

Must-Have Skills

• Demonstrated expertise in the sustainability and consequences of design decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to make decisions characterized by managed levels of risk and complexity.
• Demonstrated expertise in using strong influencing and communication skills to identify solutions that meet user and business needs.
• Demonstrated expertise in managing stakeholder relationships and expectations.
• Industry expertise in recruiting public and Government-targeted end-users for specific research.
• Demonstrated expertise in implementing a wide variety of research and synthesis methods applied across complex products and services.
• Demonstrated expertise in understanding behavioral analysis and statistical concept studies.
• Demonstrated mastery of practice in communicating and creating presentations of visually and verbally engaging content.
• Knowledge of the social and technological context for Government services.
• Excellent attention to detail and strong organizational and time management abilities.
• Advanced knowledge of technologies used to build and operate Government services.
• Experience with DesignOps and ResearchOps, operationalizing processes such as participant recruitment and screening, transcription, and knowledge management.
• Ability to operate and manage work, strategically reason, build relationships, and influence others.

Icing-on-the-Cake Skills

• Experience with remote testing tools.
• Broad knowledge of service design, visual design, interaction design, content design and/or user research.
• Experience working with Government customers.
• Advanced understanding of agile processes and ability to advise colleagues on how and why agile methods are used and be able to provide a clear, open, and transparent framework in which teams can deliver.

What else you should know?:

Our people make us who we are. We believe that every member of the Fearless team has something to share, and we value the unique viewpoint you’ll bring to our community. But we value your community, too, so we offer fulfilling work that stays in balance with the rest of life. Because everyone has different needs, desires, and goals, our benefits offer the choices and flexibility that our team members need to live well and succeed. Here are a few highlights of our benefits package:

• Flexible schedule
• Family-friendly workplace
• 14 days of PTO allowance (not accrued so you get it up front!) PTO + 8.75 days sick leave + 11 federal holidays + your birthday off!
• 100% coverage of the employee-only premium for HSA, HMO, or PPO plan and Employee Wellness Plan
• Tech, education / training, and snack allowances
• Free parking in downtown Baltimore / public transit coverage
• Safe Harbor 401(k) plan with employer contributions and immediate vesting

Location:

• In-person, hybrid, and remote options are available. Our offices are located in Baltimore and Montgomery.
• All new employees must have received or be willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by date of hire to be considered for the position. Reasonable accommodations for qualified exemption requests will be considered.

Our Compensation System is designed to reward remarkable work, grow your impact and support the whole you over the course of your career.

We believe in paying people fairly, so we’ve established a compensation model aimed to ensure everyone at Fearless regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, age, nationality, or negotiation skills is given equal pay for equal work.

Our approach to compensation is intended to ensure our total package serves all of your needs and includes base pay, medical and other benefits, performance rewards, 401k matching, plus a few perks (tech and wellness reimbursement programs)!

Our salary ranges are determined based on role, level and location and provide team members salary growth within a salary grade over time. Team members automatically progress within a salary range through annual increases (given to reward service at Fearless) or merit increases (given to reward and inidual’s demonstrated performance and growth within the position). Fearless team members are also eligible for discretionary bonuses based on company performance.

The salary ranges for this position based on location are listed below. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified as a part of our annual salary range review.

• AL, FL, GA, TN Residents: $90,015 (min) – $117,019 (mid) – $144,024 (max)
• NC Residents: $92,799 (min) – $120,639 (mid) – $148,478 (max)
• DE, MD, PA, TX, VA Residents: $97,439 (min) – $126,671 (mid) – $155,902 (max)
• MA Residents: $103,007 (min) – $133,909 (mid) – $164,811 (max)
• DC Residents: $109,503 (min) – $142,354 (mid) – $175,204 (max)
• CA & NY Residents: $113,215 (min) – $147,179 (mid) – $181,143 (max)

Within the range, starting pay for team members is based on the evaluation of the alignment with the position description requirements including job-related skills and experience or training. This range reflects your earning potential over the course of your career at Fearless in this position.

So, what’s next?

Over the years, we’ve honed a 3-step interview process that helps ensure that every employee we hire is the right fit for us and that we’re the right fit for them. If we think you’re a good fit, we’ll get in touch and start scheduling your interviews!

• Culture Add Interview – We’re a people-first company, so we always start off by getting to know more about you, how you work, what your career goals are, and what you’re passionate about. This is your opportunity to ask questions and get a feel for Fearless, so don’t be shy!
• Technical Interview – This is where we get into the nitty gritty of the project. During the Technical Interview, you’ll be interviewed by our Passion Coaches and/or the team’s Project Lead to make sure your skills align with the project requirements.
• Business Interview – At this point, you’ve made it to the final frontier! The Business Interview is when you’ll meet with Fearless leadership to dot the i’s, cross the t’s, and determine whether or not we’ll be moving forward with the hiring process.

About Fearless:

Fearless is a full-stack digital services firm in Baltimore that delivers sleek, modern, and user-friendly software designed to push the boundaries of possibility. It’s our mission to build software with a soul tools that empower communities and make a difference so we can create a world where good software powers the things that matter.

That’s not our only goal, though. We also strive to create a purple culture that makes our employees excited to come to work every day. That’s why we encourage our employees to pursue their passions, both in and out of the office. With built-in company mentoring, continuing education support, flexible schedules, and a family-friendly work environment, we’ve created a culture that allows our team to thrive professionally and personally.

Fearless believes in equal opportunity employment. We won’t discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, gender, nationality, age, religion, disability, military status, or sexual orientation. As a company and as iniduals, we’re committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for our team, our family members, our clients, our subcontractors, and our vendors.