Job Title: Principal User Researcher

Requisition ID: R023062

Job Description:
Job Title: Principal User Researcher

Reporting To: Director, User Research

Department: User Research

Location: Los Angeles, California

Your Platform

Founded in 1979, Activision has continuously disrupted the world of entertainment as a leader in the videogame industry. With a history of delivering iconic games like Pitfall®, Tony Hawk®, Guitar Hero®, Crash Bandicoot™, Skylanders™ and Call of Duty® our obsession is delighting our players around the globe. Focused and committed to innovation, we consistently deliver the most beloved, engaging and successful entertainment.

And while we have world-class franchises, infrastructure and resources, our success comes from a passionate, dedicated and diverse team of people producing greatness together. So, if you're interested in our biggest priority, it's our people.

We're currently driving the next era for our company and community by creating amazing experiences for fans and continuing to make Activision an inclusive place where everyone can thrive.

Join us, make history. To learn more, check us out at www.activision.com, www.activisiongamesblog.com or @Activision on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn

Your Mission

As a Principal User Researcher and UX/UI Lead, you will join a hard-working, and diverse team of user research, design, and development professionals to lead and implement research and evaluation efforts on the largest gaming franchises in the world. In this role, you'll lead User Research engagement with Call of Duty's franchise-level core User Experience, helping to support the UX strategy and vision of multiple studios and games across the franchise.

You'll lead or facilitate meetings and design discussions with partners of all levels of seniority, provide feedback and insight to other teammates, and design and be responsible for programmatic user research efforts on the Call of Duty Franchise. In addition, you'll have the backing of Activision's full UR organization to draw on for advice, lab support, and empirical data collection.

By the end of your first year, you'll have become a trusted resource within the Activision UX community for advice and insight on all things user research. You'll be ready to provide expert feedback to your colleagues on call, or design, plan, and implement appropriately chosen user research studies for more complex research questions. You'll be your partners' go-to onsite user research expert and bridge to the resources and knowledge of Activision's User Research capability.

Priorities can often change in a fast-paced environment like ours, so this role includes, but is not limited to, the following responsibilities:

• Process and analyze study data to extract meaningful insights, identify patterns and trends.


• Craft compelling narratives that translate research findings into insights to help stakeholders make better decisions.


• Work with development teams and designers to translate research findings into actionable recommendations to drive iterative design improvements.


• Act as a thought leader within the user research team, developing and sharing methods, insights, and industry leading methodologies to grow overall team capabilities.


• Carry out research using a variety of methods such as: usability testing, balance testing, focus groups, interviews, surveys, heuristic evaluations, card sorts, exploratory research, and field studies.


• Occasionally travel to run on-site tests or to act as research expert for studio teams across Activision.

Player Profile

Experience:

• 10+ years in user research work in the technology sector, with game industry experience preferred.


• Proven success in leading and conducting both qualitative and quantitative user research studies.


• Proven ability to translate complex data and insights into succinct and impactful narratives to support strategic decision making.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Bachelor's or advanced degree required, preferred focus in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Sociology, Human Factors, or other related field.


• Strong mentoring and leadership skills, with a track record of developing and guiding junior team members.


• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to convey complex research findings to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.


• Familiarity with industry-standard UX tools and software.

Key Attributes:

• Proven ability to integrate multiple sources of data to help inform strategic decision making by senior stakeholders


• Ability to collaborate with multiple senior partners to identify and deliver insights against strategic-level research questions.

Extra Points - qualifications above and beyond expectations:

Experience:

• Candidates with experience on 7+ shipped products or titles preferred.


• Extensive experience in managing senior project managers, devs, and creatives preferred.


• Having the know-how to get the most out of vendor relationships, including subscription tools and external research vendors

Knowledge & Skills:

• Working knowledge of functions and best methodologies for updating and maintaining dashboards and telemetry would be helpful.


• Working knowledge of technologies, use cases and reporting of player biometric data to development and marketing teams is desirable.


• Some knowledge of SQL and/or JavaScript is a plus.


• Ability to turn screenshots into interactable prototypes using one or more software tools such as Figma would be ideal.

We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do. At Activision Blizzard, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.

Our World

Activision Blizzard, Inc. is one of the world's largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies and is at the intersection of media, technology and entertainment. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, World of Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, Candy Crush™ and Bubble Witch™. Our combined entertainment network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries, making us the largest gaming network on the planet.

Our ability to build immersive and innovate worlds is only enhanced by diverse teams working in an inclusive environment. We aspire to have a culture where everyone can thrive in order to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment.

The videogame industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners.

Activision is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

Rewards

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for 'Every World' - we've got our employees covered! Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:

• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance;


• 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching;


• Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;


• Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;


• If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.

Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company. You can learn more by visiting https://www.benefitsforeveryworld.com/.

Rewards

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for 'Every World' - we've got our employees covered! Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:

• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance;


• 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching;


• Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;


• Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;


• If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.

Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company. You can learn more by visiting https://www.benefitsforeveryworld.com/ .

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $154,100.00 - $285,084.00 Annual. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role's range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed.