Senior User Researcher

With over 35 nationalities and a range of backgrounds represented in our Benevolent team, we aim to build an inclusive environment where our people can bring their authentic selves to work, be respected for who they are and the exceptional work they do. We welcome and actively encourage applications from all sections of society and are committed to offering equal employment opportunities regardless of sex, race, religion or belief, ethnic or national origin, marital, domestic or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, gender identity, parental status, disability, age, citizenship, or any other basis. We see our diversity as an asset as we tackle challenging problems that bridge the gap between drug discovery and technology.

Over the past two years, we have successfully established the user research practice at BenevolentAI covering user research operations, training and upskilling initiatives, and evaluation programmes. As a Senior User Researcher, you will lead the evolution of this practice by taking the responsibility for shaping it and influencing how user research is done across the company.

In this role, you will be involved in all aspects of product development, from early-stage concept generation and usability evaluation, to informing product strategy at large and measuring the impact our products have on drug discovery.

You will work closely with drug discovery scientists - our internal users - and with members of our cross-functional product development teams who will rely on your insight and support to understand and analyse user motivations, needs, and behaviours.

You will uncover and help us understand non-trivial user needs focused around exploring and understanding vast quantities of mined and inferred biomedical data, and using it to make scientific and business decisions.

• Develop research methodologies that generate strategic and tactical insights, align with the product roadmap, and integrate well into product development practices.
• Propose, plan, and carry out user research activities by combining relevant methods and approaches (e.g. semi-structured interviews, usability analysis, contextual research, and more).
• Document research activities and outcomes, generate insights, disseminate research findings across teams, and partner with product, design, and engineering to leverage learnings.
• Champion a user-centred research-driven culture across the company, promoting best practices and supporting colleagues in their own research activities.
• Lead the evolution of user research theory and practice across the organisation.
• Balance opportunities to lead research initiatives with opportunities to empower others to carry out their own user research.
• Collaborate with UX designers and support relevant design work where appropriate.

• Education background that incorporates research methods, such as a degree in Anthropology, Psychology, Sociology, Human Factors, HCI/Computer Science or other related fields, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of professional experience conducting research for product design and development purposes, using both formative and summative evaluations.
• Demonstrated expertise and experience in qualitative and quantitative research methods.
• Experience in implementing and/or developing user research operations and frameworks in organisations.
• Excellent and versatile communication skills catering for various needs (including interviewing co-workers, collaborating with a team, storytelling, negotiation, oral presentation, clear writing, etc.).
• Initiative to lead the evolution and strengthening of the user research practice and operations in the company, improving our ways of working hands-on and through soft influence.
• Enjoys working with science and engineering teams in a cross-functional setting, and embraces agile development and lean design practices.
• Ability to work independently but towards common goals, under time pressure, and with shifting priorities and requirements.
• Ability to write clearly (e.g. UX microcopy, user guides).

• Experience in a relevant sector (life science, clinical studies, healthcare, etc.)

BenevolentAI unites AI with human expertise to discover new and more effective medicines. Our unique computational R&D platform spans every step of the drug discovery process, powering an in-house pipeline of over 25 drug programmes. We advance our mission to reinvent drug discovery by harnessing the power of a diverse team, rich with different backgrounds, experiences, opinions and personalities. In our offices in London and New York and research facility in Cambridge (UK), we work in highly collaborative, multidisciplinary teams, harnessing skills across biology, chemistry, engineering, AI, machine learning, informatics, precision medicine and drug discovery.

We share a passion for being part of a mission that matters, and we are always looking for curious and collaborative people who share our values and want to be part of our journey. If that sounds like a fit for you, hit the apply button and join us.

Head over to our Glassdoor page to learn about our benefits, culture and to find out what our team think about life at Benevolent. You can also find out more about us on LinkedIn and Twitter.