UX Researcher III

JOB DESCRIPTION
Meta Reality Labs Research (RL-R) brings together researchers, developers, and engineers to create the future of augmented and virtual reality. The Audio Research team is focused on harnessing the power of AR to give audio superpowers to billions of people, forever transforming the way we work, play, and connect. As a UX Researcher, you’ll be responsible for uncovering the user insights and feedback that guide our early research and advanced development toward experiences that are useful, usable, and desirable.

Strong candidates will demonstrate a rigorous, primarily quantitative approach to UX research with qualitative fluency and have experience developing audio-related solutions. You will work with other UX researchers as well as multi-disciplinary hardware and software teams to push the boundaries of what is possible in the AR product and research science spaces. Ultimately, your expertise and ingenuity in research must do more than just contribute to knowledge – you must also be skilled at driving measurable positive impact and user experience.


RESPONSIBILITIES
• Design & conduct research to guide the development of novel audio-centric augmented reality (AR) and smart glasses user experiences, with a focus on hearing-related features, leveraging primarily quantitative UX research approaches and tools such as lab-based experimentation, psychophysical/psychoacoustic methods, statistical analysis, and surveys, supplemented by qualitative methods as needed
• Work closely with closely with engineering and stakeholders to shape and develop iterative perceptual evaluations, translating technical research questions into rigorous user-centered study designs
• Support research execution as part of an on-team evaluation program, coordinating regular feature evaluation sessions to gather feedback and inform development priorities.
• Evaluate and iterate on hearing features by understanding how users perceive, interact with, and benefit from augmented audio experiences
• Translate the research insights into actionable, measurable UX recommendations and drive implementation with cross functional partners
• Independently complete research, including data collection, data analysis, reporting, collaborating with teams to act upon research results, and knowledge consolidation.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
• MS in Human Factors, Cognitive Psychology, Neuropsychology, Perceptual Psychology, Speech and Hearing Sciences, or a UX related field
• 2+ years experience conducting applied research on consumer products with an emphasis on both lab-based and remote quantitative methods in industry
• Proficiency in inferential statistics and experimental design
• Experience developing and implementing custom research metrics or scoring frameworks to evaluate perceptual or user experience quality
• Experience with qualitative research methods (e.g., interviews, usability studies)
• 1+ years of working in cross-functional teams

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
• PhD in Human Factors, Cognitive Psychology, Neuropsychology, Perceptual Psychology, Speech and Hearing Sciences, or a UX related field
• Experience synthesizing qualitative insights to inform product direction
• 2+ years of experience conducting attitudinal or behavioral research with audio and audio-related devices (e.g., HMDs, smart glasses, headphones, smart speakers, and more)
• Experience using psychophysical/psychoacoustic methods
• Experience creating novel evaluation metrics and implementing them programmatically (e.g., Python, R, MATLAB) to support iterative research workflows
• Advanced proficiency in statistical analysis and data visualization (e.g., R, Python)
• Strong oral and written communication skills with experience in tailoring messages to various stakeholders
• This position is based in Redmond, WA (RED).

What makes this role interesting:
• As a quantitative UX researcher on the RLR-Audio team, you play an important role in covering broad ground to ensure a high-value UX for our features in development.
• The opportunity here involves leveraging rigorous quantitative methods – including controlled experimentation and statistical analysis – and qualitative approaches to deeply understand user needs, desires, and pain points, working to better understand the range of audio features that users desire and working with researchers, scientists, engineers and prototypers to evaluate how research participants interact with and experience prototypes in the domain of augmenting sounds in your scene (including, but not limited to, conversations).
• Your work will focus on hearing features – understanding how users experience augmented audio, conversation enhancement technologies, and audio-focused accessibility in real-world contexts
• You will be embedded in an on-team evaluation program - a structured cadence of feature evaluation sessions where engineering and research come together to test, experience, and critique audio prototypes in development. Your role is to bring scientific rigor to these sessions: designing evaluation protocols, developing perceptual metrics, and translating session outcomes into actionable feedback that directly shapes the next iterations.

Value added or experience gained:
• Opportunity to guide early-stage research prototypes refining our understanding of user needs through rigorous quantitative evaluation.

Surrounding team & key projects:
• This UXR will be working on the RLR-Audio team, supporting evaluation of the user experience of novel audio and hearing feature ideas and existing prototypes through both quantitative metrics and qualitative user insights.

Years of experience required
• 2+ years experience conducting applied research on consumer products with emphasis on quantitative methods in industry

Degrees or certifications required
• MS in Human Factors, Cognitive Psychology, Neuropsychology, Perceptual Psychology, Hearing Sciences, or a UX related field. PhD preferred.

Location:
Redmond, WA (RED); Redmond

This posting is for a contract assignment with Tundra Technical Solutions to provide services to Meta.

The pay range that Tundra in good faith reasonably expects to pay for this position is $85hour – $95/hour.

Tundra’s benefits offering includes optional medical, dental, vision, retirement benefits, up to 15 Days PTO per annum and a New Child Benefit.

Pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act, Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, qualified applicants will be considered for assignment with arrest and conviction records. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness, meet client expectations, standards, and accompanying requirements, and safeguard business operations and company reputation.

Tundra Technical Solutions is among North America’s leading providers of Staffing and Consulting Services. Our success and our clients’ success are built on a foundation of service excellence. We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable law, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Unincorporated LA County workers: we reasonably believe that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: client provided property, including hardware (both of which may include data) entrusted to you from theft, loss or damage; return all portable client computer hardware in your possession (including the data contained therein) upon completion of the assignment, and; maintain the confidentiality of client proprietary, confidential, or non-public information. In addition, job duties require access to secure and protected client information technology systems and related data security obligations.

The Meta CWX Program is enabled by a cutting-edge software platform called TalentNet that leads the contingent labor world for technology innovation. The software platform leverages Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence to make sure the right people end up in the right job.

At Meta, we are constantly iterating, solving problems, and working together to connect people all over the world. That’s why it’s important that our workforce reflects the diversity of the people we serve. Hiring people with different backgrounds and points of view helps us make better decisions, build better products, and create better experiences for everyone.

We give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. Our products empower more than 3 billion people around the world to share ideas, offer support, and make a difference.

This posting is for a contract assignment with Tundra Technical Solutions to provide services to Meta. Please note that this is not a full-time employment opportunity. Candidates selected for this role will be engaged as contractors for the specified duration of the project. For any inquiries regarding the terms of the contract or engagement, please contact Tundra Technical Solutions directly.

Salary : $95