Design Researcher

Company Overview

MaintainX leads globally as an AI-powered platform for maintenance and asset management, catering to over 14,000 customers such as Duracell, Shell, Cintas, and Brenntag. Following a Series D funding round of $150M spearheaded by Bessemer Venture Partners and Bain Capital Ventures, the company has accumulated total funding of $254M. MaintainX earned a spot on the Forbes 2025 Cloud 100 list, which ranks the top 100 private cloud companies worldwide.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Design Researcher who will play a critical role in deeply understanding user needs, behaviors, and motivations to inform every phase of the design process. This role involves close collaboration with Product Managers, Designers, and Engineers to transform complex real-world challenges into clear, actionable insights that accelerate our AI-driven product development.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage research projects end-to-end: including scoping, planning, recruiting participants, facilitating sessions, synthesizing data, and delivering findings.
• Convert complex research findings into clear narratives and actionable advice for product teams to drive decision-making.
• Engage directly with users through methods such as site visits, interviews, and direct observation, focusing on maintenance technicians, facility managers, and operations teams to understand their work context beyond product interaction.
• Advocate for customer empathy throughout the organization by promoting understanding via storytelling, insight repositories, and regular research presentations across Product, Design, Engineering, and leadership.
• Utilize AI tools to speed research workflows, from data tagging to pattern identification, while maintaining methodological rigor and critical thinking.
• Independently prioritize and manage multiple research initiatives that align with team objectives.
• Contribute to shaping MaintainX's research practices by developing tools, templates, and routines that help embed user insights into product development processes.

Applicant Qualifications

• 3 to 5 years of experience in user experience research.
• Solid expertise in qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, with the ability to select and justify appropriate methods.
• Proven success translating ambiguous issues into clearly defined research plans and turning results into impactful product recommendations.
• Strong skill in synthesizing research outputs into persuasive presentations for cross-functional teams including PMs, designers, engineers, and leaders.
• Ability to work autonomously within cross-functional teams in a fast-moving environment.
• Experience adopting AI technologies to enhance research efficiency.
• Familiarity with behavioral analytics tools such as Amplitude to supplement primary data.
• Advanced fluency in English, both spoken and written, for leading engineering managers across multiple teams and communicating effectively with executives and engineering leadership.

Preferred Experience

• Experience working with industrial, operational, or field-based users where the context of use is critical.
• Educational or equivalent practical background in psychology, human-computer interaction, anthropology, or related disciplines.
• Familiarity with service design, journey mapping, or Voice of the Customer programs.
• Previous engagement with B2B SaaS products or solutions targeting non-desk workers.

Benefits and Culture

• Competitive salary with substantial equity incentives.
• Comprehensive healthcare including dental and vision coverage.
• Participation in 401(k) / RRSP retirement plans.
• Flexible paid time off to meet personal needs.
• A collaborative work environment characterized by values of intelligence, humility, and optimism.
• A merit-based culture where ideas and efforts are openly recognized and celebrated.

Company Mission and Diversity Commitment

Our mission is to improve the working lives of blue-collar employees worldwide by delivering software that addresses their unique needs. Our platform is transformative for the 80% of the workforce not desk-bound, delivering enterprise-grade solutions to their fingertips.

MaintainX is devoted to fostering an inclusive workplace where all qualified candidates are considered regardless of race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, nationality, genetics, disabilities, age, or veteran status.