UX Research, Senior Manager

Welcome to Planet. We believe in using space to help life on Earth.
Planet designs, builds, and operates the largest constellation of imaging satellites in history. This constellation delivers an unprecedented dataset of empirical information via a revolutionary cloud-based platform to authoritative figures in commercial, environmental, and humanitarian sectors. We are both a space company and data company all rolled into one.
Customers and users across the globe use Planet's data to develop new technologies, drive revenue, power research, and solve our world’s toughest obstacles.
As we control every component of hardware design, manufacturing, data processing, and software engineering, our office is a truly inspiring mix of experts from a variety of domains.
We have a people-centric approach toward culture and community and we strive to iterate in a way that puts our team members first and prepares our company for growth. Join Planet and be a part of our mission to change the way people see the world.
Planet is a global company with employees working remotely world wide and joining us from offices in San Francisco, Washington DC, Germany, and The Netherlands.

About the Role:  
You understand how humans work, you know how to detect their unmet needs and unvoiced desires which you use to positively influence the product experience. You will build and manage a team of mixed-methods researchers working to identify, understand, and prioritize user problems as part of the product design process. This senior manager role is responsible for guiding and leading teams consisting of both direct reports, and will collaborate closely with cross-functional colleagues throughout the business. You will report to the VP of Design. The team has been through rapid growth and will continue to grow; we require an effective senior manager who drives the UX research process into the design process and layers it into the fabric of the product development process.   You will get a chance to work on projects that drive change in the world, and you’ll do it in a rapidly evolving industry that requires truly novel design solutions.  We are looking for someone who demonstrates excellent ethics that align with Planet's mission to use space to help life on Earth.

Impact You’ll Own:
- Be the champion for Planet’s users. Identify their challenges and opportunities via qualitative and quantitative methods, and infuse the knowledge into the product development cycle
- Strive to make Planet an insights-driven company by collaborating with data science, marketing, and product leadership
- Work with design leadership and cross-functional partners to define a lasting vision for the product, informed by research insights
- Build and support an incredible team of UX researchers, balancing bottom-up and top-down decision making, and mentoring their career growth and development
- Encourage high performance and innovation by engaging cross-functional colleagues in decision-making processes, and development of product and process improvement ideas

What You Bring:
- 7+ years of experience as a user researcher in commercial software products
- 5+ years of experience managing research teams, with a proven record of excellent leadership
- Experience building and mentoring world-class UX research teams and building customer-centric cultures
- Experience developing foundational research practices, including but not limited to structuring research repositories, improving customer outreach in a B2B business model, and democratizing research across product team

What Makes You Stand Out:
- Proven ability to build and lead teams that ship world-changing products in fast-paced environments
- A growth mindset, and a desire to learn quickly 
- Ability to thrive in ambiguity
- Executive presence and ability to communicate effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences
- Experience working with distributed, global teams

Benefits While Working at Planet:
- Comprehensive Health Plan
- Wellness program and onsite massages in specific offices
- Flexible Time Off
- Recognition Programs
- Commuter Benefits
- Learning and Tuition Reimbursement
- Parental Leave
- Offsites and Happy Hours
- Volunteering Benefits

Compensation:
The US base salary range for this full-time position at the commencement of employment is $136,000 - $223,000. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary short-term and long-term incentives (bonus and equity). The final salary range is determined by job related experience, skills and location. The range displays our typical hiring range for new hire salaries in US locations only. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.