Lead UX Researcher, Safety

Hinge is the dating app designed to be deleted
In today's digital world, finding genuine relationships is tougher than ever. At Hinge, we’re on a mission to inspire intimate connection to create a less lonely world. We’re obsessed with understanding our users’ behaviors to help them find love, and our success is defined by one simple metric– setting up great dates. With tens of millions of users across the globe, we’ve become the most trusted way to find a relationship, for all.
About the job
Hinge is hiring a Lead UX Researcher to improve user experiences on Hinge around the globe and drive product excellence within Hinge’s Safety product team. The Safety team is responsible for fostering physical and psychological safety for all our daters. In this role, you’ll focus on understanding how to create experiences on Hinge that provide a safe and trustworthy dating experience for all, especially focusing on LGBTQ+ and vulnerable communities. With innovation and inclusion at the center, your work will impact how daters across the globe are finding connection and love.  
You will report to and work collaboratively with the Research Manager for Core Experience and Safety. Research at Hinge is part of the Product team; you will join a close-knit group of 10 researchers and research operations, and work closely with Design, Product Managers, Data Science, Support, Compliance, Brand, and Engineering to execute and communicate research findings to inform internal partners about the user experience. You will be empowered to lead multiple end-to-end research projects that utilize a range of quantitative and qualitative methods and span different phases of product development and partner with the broader research team.

In this role, you will:

• Develop research strategies and conduct end-to-end research for Safety, focusing on how to improve the Hinge experience for users and provide a safe and trustworthy dating experience for all.
• Work collaboratively with other researchers, product team members (i.e., product managers and designers) and cross-functional partners (i.e., data science, customer support, compliance, marketing and brand strategy) to identify key research questions and prioritize projects in the short and long term.
• Generate actionable insights and communicate them in compelling and creative ways; bridge alignment across Hinge teams through written reports and live presentations to cross-functional partners.
• Engage in and inspire honest and clear communication, promoting a culture of care, empathy, and respect.

Within three months we expect you to:

• Lead user research on a safety feature and communicate key actionable insights and recommendations for product and design explorations that can improve the user experience on Hinge.
• Develop and advance a research roadmap for the Safety team, identifying key opportunities for exploration and optimization.

You’ll need:

• 6+ years of user research experience, including 1+ years of experience on a trust and safety product or team.
• Experience and passion for centering  marginalized and vulnerable communities in the pursuit of advocating for equitable user experiences.
• Mixed method research experience including quantitative (e.g., survey, experimental) and qualitative (e.g., interviews, usability testing) methods.
• Passionate and curious about how user research can be leveraged to improve how users find and maintain romantic connections.
• Strong communicator, committed to telling clear and compelling stories with data.
• Proficient in data manipulation, analysis, and dashboard creation with R and/or SPSS (or similar statistical software.) 
• Dedicated to building trusting, successful partnerships with cross-functional partners (e.g. data science, customer experience, product management, design, engineering, marketing.)
• Eager to learn from, collaborate with, and mentor other researchers.

What is not Required:

• You do not have to have a degree to apply, we are open to equivalent industry experiences.
• You do not have to be an expert in all user experience research methods to apply. Expertise in specific quantitative (i.e., survey, experimental) and/or qualitative (i.e., interview, ethnographic) methods, desire to solve complex problems, and motivation to continue growing is what we are looking for.

As a member of our team, you’ll enjoy:
401(k) Matching: We match 100% of the first 10% of pre-tax 401(k) contributions you make, up to a maximum of $10,000 per year.
Professional Growth: Get a $3,000 annual Learning & Development stipend once you’ve been with us for three months. You also get free access to Udemy, an online learning and teaching marketplace with over 6000 courses, starting your first day.
Parental Leave & Planning: When you become a new pa