Senior User Researcher II - Connected Stores

Overview

Instacart’s UX Research Team uncovers the customer, shopper, and retailer insights that shape the future of grocery technology. We’re looking for a Senior User Researcher II to drive high-impact research across two priority areas: modernizing in-store retailer operations through our Connected Stores vision, including smart shopping cart experiences and emerging store technologies, and international research that deepens our understanding of grocery shopping behaviors in key markets.

In this role, you’ll shape in-store product and workflow improvements that make shopping and store operations more seamless, while contributing international insights that inform how we adapt Instacart’s offerings for different markets.You’ll collaborate closely with product, design, engineering, product operations, customer success managers, and partner insights functions (data science, market research, and voice of customer teams) to translate research into decisions at speed.

If you thrive in fast-moving, ambiguous spaces, enjoy rolling up your sleeves in the field, and love connecting qualitative nuance with quantitative signals, this role offers the opportunity to influence strategy and execution across digital and in-store experiences at scale.

About the Job

• Lead mixed-methods research to understand grocery journeys and in-store cart usage in priority markets, and how new technologies can modernize retailer operations and associate workflows. Turn findings into clear business opportunities for Connected Stores and Caper with product and strategy partners.
• Plan and execute evaluation and tactical studies to support EU post-launches, including usability tests, surveys, concept and prototype testing, and opportunity sizing.
• Conduct in-store research on smart cart and Connected Stores prototypes; coordinate with retailers and EU vendors to run safe, ethical, and repeatable field studies that drive rapid iteration.
• Define research plans, sampling strategies, and success metrics; ensure representative participant recruiting and high-quality data across countries and languages.
• Synthesize qualitative and quantitative data into clear, decision-ready narratives; influence senior stakeholders across product, design, engineering, and go-to-market functions.
• Manage external research partners and vendors in Europe, setting standards for quality, timelines, and budget while navigating time zones and local nuances.
• Scale research impact by building playbooks, templates, and repositories; mentor partners on lightweight, self-serve methods where appropriate.

About You

Minimum Qualifications

• 6+ years of hands-on UX research experience as an individual contributor in a product development environment.
• Proven mixed-methods expertise across qualitative and quantitative approaches (e.g., interviews, ethnography, diary studies, usability testing, surveys, behavioral analytics) with strong methodological rigor and sampling strategy.
• Strong judgment balancing methodological choice and time management to drive confident findings
• Demonstrated experience conducting research in Europe, including leading fieldwork or managing EU-based vendors; comfortable collaborating across EU time zones.
• Track record translating research into product strategy and execution for complex, multi-stakeholder products (e.g., enterprise, platform, or marketplace environments).
• Ability to independently scope, execute, and analyze studies end-to-end using industry-standard tools (e.g., survey programming and remote testing platforms; proficiency with spreadsheets and analytics dashboards; familiarity with SQL or similar is a plus).
• Exceptional storytelling and stakeholder management skills; experience presenting to senior cross-functional audiences and driving alignment on decisions.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally up to 20% for fieldwork, including in-store research.
• Authorization to work in the United States.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with enterprise/B2B software, retailer tools, or ads/marketing platforms.
• History of partnering with data science, market research, and voice-of-customer teams to build integrated, triangulated insights.
• Background researching connected retail, in-store hardware, or IoT devices; familiarity with safety, privacy, and operational considerations in physical environments.
• Familiarity with EU privacy and research regulations.
• Experience scoping and managing multi-country vendor engagements, including budget and quality oversight.

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