Senior User Researcher

The Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) leverages technology to drive opportunity, improve public safety, and help government run better across New York City. From delivering affordable broadband to protecting against cybersecurity threats and building digital government services, OTI is at the forefront of how the city delivers for New Yorkers in the 21st century. Follow us on social media @NYCOfficeofTech, and visit to learn more.

At OTI, we offer great benefits, and the chance to work on projects that have a meaningful impact on millions of people. You'll have the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology and collaborate with other passionate professionals who share your drive and commitment to making a difference through technology.

The Product Development team is seeking a Senior User Researcher to lead end-to-end research (generative, evaluative and mixed methods, desk research and analytics) on the cross-functional SPEED team. The Senior User Researcher will provide clear and actionable recommendations for the product team to deliver systems that will shorten new construction permitting.

Responsibilities will include:
- Lead end-to-end research (generative, evaluative, and mixed methods synthesized with desk research and analytics);
- Translate qualitative and quantitative research into clear and actionable recommendations for product development team and project stakeholders.
- Represent user research to leadership, external stakeholders and technical teammates in plain language;
- Recruit and conduct research directly with the New Yorkers who use government services, many of whom face language, disability, or digital-access barriers that require thoughtful, accessible research design;
- Establish and maintain research operations: a participant recruitment pipeline appropriate for a government context, and reusable methods/templates the wider design team can use;
- Serve as the team's methodological quality bar: review other researchers' and designers' study designs and conclusions, catch these failure modes before they reach decision-makers, and codify guardrails into shared standards;
- Define methodological standard to ensure mixed-methods approaches are rigorous enough to inform decisions;
- Handle special projects and initiatives as assigned.

HOURS/SHIFT
Day - Due to the necessary duties of this position in a 24/7 operation, candidate may be required to work various shifts such as weekends and/or nights/evenings.