Research Lead, Wirecutter

The mission of The New York Times is to seek the truth and help people understand the world. That means independent journalism is at the heart of all we do as a company. It’s why we have a world-renowned newsroom that sends journalists to report on the ground from nearly 160 countries. It’s why we focus deeply on how our readers will experience our journalism, from print to audio to a world-class digital and app destination. And it’s why our business strategy centers on making journalism so good that it’s worth paying for. 

About the Role, Mission or Department Overview

We are looking for a Research Lead with experience ensuring that shopping-centric insights are at the heart of product development. You will lead a variety of end-to-end research projects that inform Wirecutter's strategy. Your projects will focus on helping connect our visitors to Wirecutter across the full shopping experience. Your research will inform audience strategy, content prioritization, and the Wirecutter Store, amongst other areas. You will be an important partner with Design, Product, Engineering, Marketing, Data, Editorial, guiding decision-making and informing the teams' strategies.

We at The New York Times seek the truth and help people understand the world. This mission is rooted in our belief that great journalism has the power to make each reader's life richer and more fulfilling, and all of society stronger and more just.

The mission of the New York Times Audience Insights team is to help The Times grow by understanding our audience. The Audience Insights team is a team of researchers that employ tools, methods and approaches across a wide variety of research domains, including product, human-centered design, innovation, market and UX research, and we draw from principles in the social sciences (Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology and Behavioral Economics). We believe that the best work is achieved when we support healthy work-life balance. We support people in managing their workload and encourage team members to take all of their personal and vacation time each year.

Responsibilities:

• Lead research through a human-centered design approach to identify opportunity areas, alongside Product, Design, and Editorial teams
• Test prototypes, create surveys, and run alpha and beta programs
• Evaluate impact on trust and relationships with Wirecutter
• Complement research with behavioral data, proprietary and industry research, and A/B testing results to provide a holistic view of our users.
• Be a resource and partner to researchers across Marketing, Cooking, News Product, The Athletic and Games to identify opportunities to collaborate and avoid duplicative product work.
• Manage external research vendors to support moderation, fieldwork, and analysis, ensuring high-quality and efficient project execution.
• Contribute to the collaborative culture of Audience Insights and Wirecutter; help The New York Times understand, and build empathy for, our audiences.
• Demonstrate support and understanding of our value of journalistic independence and a strong commitment to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world.
• You will report to the Managing Director, Games and Wirecutter Audience Insights

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science in a relevant field
• 8+ years of research and insights experience.
• 8+ years of experience implementing a range of research methods (qualitative and quantitative) and design thinking techniques based on the problem to be solved
• 3+ years of experience in the e-commerce industry, or shopping experiences.
• 3+ years of experience moderating qualitative research and facilitating brainstorms and workshops with partners.
• 3+ years of experience summarizing complex findings into compelling narratives and visualize insights for diverse audiences with actionable insights.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 4+ years of experience in the e-commerce industry, or shopping experiences
• 2+ years of experience working on a product with a subscription-based model
• 2+ years of experience using behavioral data alongside research (either qualitative or quantitative) to provide a holistic picture
• Experience creating buy-in with cross-functional partners
• 1+ years understanding the role of AI within the shopping experience

REQ-020699

Additional Compensation and Benefits:

For roles in the U.S., dependent on your role, you may be eligible for variable pay, such as an annual bonus and restricted stock. Benefits may include medical, dental and vision benefits, Flexible Spending Accounts (F.S.A.s), a company-matching 401(k) plan, employee stock purchase plan, paid vacation, paid sick days, paid parental leave, tuition reimbursement and professional development programs.

The annual base pay range for this role is between:$150,000—$165,000 USD

Candidate Use of GenAI Tools:

We’re excited to learn more about you and your experience. To keep our hiring process as fair and authentic as possible, we ask that you submit your own work and not use GenAI tools to generate substantive content during the application and interview process.

If you’re an engineering candidate, we’ll let you know what specific GenAI tools you are permitted to use for your technical assessment.

 

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