About this role.
Mural is hiring a Principal User Researcher to establish and lead its UX research practice while remaining a hands-on strategic researcher. The role leads mixed-methods foundational research into collaboration, hybrid work, and user behavior, translating findings into product and company strategy. This person will partner with product, design, sales, marketing, data science, and executive leaders, while mentoring others to conduct tactical research. The position requires 10+ years of UX research experience, strong qualitative and quantitative capabilities, and proven influence on product vision and long-term investments. It is a U.S.-remote, senior individual-contributor role with significant practice-building and organizational leadership responsibilities.
Role DNA
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Job Complexity
5/5Pace & Pressure
4/5Autonomy Level
5/5Communication Load
5/5Salary analysis
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Core skills
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Sample interview questions
I would begin with a listening tour across product, design, data, sales, marketing, and leadership to identify strategic decisions, knowledge gaps, and existing research habits. I would then create a lightweight research operating model covering intake, prioritization, repository standards, consent practices, and communication rituals. Early work would focus on a few high-visibility foundational studies that demonstrate strategic value while coaching designers on appropriate tactical usability methods.
I would use a mixed-methods program that begins with contextual interviews and diary studies to understand real collaboration behaviors, workarounds, and breakdowns. Those findings would inform a survey and segmentation analysis to quantify patterns across team types, roles, and collaboration maturity. I would synthesize the results into opportunity areas, behavioral archetypes, and journey maps that connect user needs to potential product and go-to-market decisions.
I clarify the decision that must be made, the assumptions behind it, the audience affected, and the consequence of being wrong. From there, I frame learning objectives, define the smallest credible evidence needed, select methods based on uncertainty and timeline, and align stakeholders on what the research can and cannot answer. I document the plan in a concise brief so partners remain engaged throughout recruitment, synthesis, and decision-making.
I tailor the narrative to the decision and audience, pairing concise evidence with a clear recommendation, trade-offs, and implications of action or inaction. I use memorable artifacts such as archetypes, behavioral models, and customer stories, while grounding them with quantitative signals where appropriate. I also involve key partners throughout the research process, which creates ownership and makes the final recommendation easier to operationalize.
I would provide clear guardrails for when designer-led research is appropriate, along with templates for research plans, discussion guides, consent, note-taking, and reporting. I would coach through study reviews, pilot sessions, and debriefs, emphasizing neutral facilitation, representative recruiting, and evidence-based interpretation. For high-risk, foundational, or strategically sensitive questions, I would retain direct research leadership and explain why a more rigorous approach is needed.
ABOUT THE TEAM
At Mural, we believe great collaboration starts with deep understanding. Our mission is to help teams think and work together better. The Design and Research team uncovers the truths that power that mission, guiding product, design, and strategy through rigorous, human-centered inquiry. We combine behavioral science, market insight, and creative exploration to shape Mural’s future for how teams ideate, align, and collaborate together across the world.
YOUR MISSION
As the Principal, User Researcher at Mural, you’ll start a UX research practice and lead foundational and strategic research that shapes how the company defines its next generation of experiences. You’ll partner across product, design, sales, marketing, and strategy to identify new opportunity spaces, clarify evolving user needs, and guide the organization toward long-term innovation.
This is a primarily individual-contributor role focused on uncovering deep human collaboration insights that drive strategy, innovation, and long-term vision. You’ll also help shape and scale the UXR discipline at Mural by mentoring designers to confidently run tactical usability studies, and establishing the frameworks and best practices that elevate research across the company. Think of it as being the first research leader at a fast-growing startup, with the reach and resources of a global platform.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
Player Responsibilities (Individual Contributor Work):
Lead mixed-methods research (qualitative and quantitative) that explores user needs, behaviors, and motivations across multiple product areas.
Drive foundational studies that reveal how teams collaborate and what barriers exist in business collaboration, hybrid, and distributed work.
Design and execute medium to large-scale studies that combine qualitative depth with quantitative rigor (surveys, logs analysis, segmentation, and concept testing).
Develop a tempo where actionable insights are timely and urgently positioned to shape key product decisions.
Translate ambiguous questions into clear learning plans and frameworks that guide product and strategy decisions.
Build artifacts (archetypes, frameworks, journey maps, mental models) that make complex insights accessible and actionable across the company, leveraging Mural products.
Present insights to an executive, cross-functional audience and provide strategic recommendations based on these insights.
Coach Responsibilities:
Build the research practice: mentor designers, and product partners in research best practices, helping to scale a culture of curiosity and evidence-based decision making.
Establish repeatable, high-quality research standards and methodologies across teams.
Partner with design and product leadership to shape Mural’s long-term research vision and roadmap.
Champion the role of research in early product strategy and company-wide initiatives.
Hybrid Responsibilities (Both Player & Coach):
Collaborate closely with cross-functional leaders to prioritize research that informs Mural’s most critical next-generation bets.
Facilitate workshops and storytelling sessions that bring insights to life and influence direction across product, design, and business strategy.
Partner with Data Science and Market Research to integrate behavioral data, attitudinal insights, and business signals into cohesive, actionable narratives.
Shape how research connects to strategy, innovation, and experimentation at every level of the company.
WHAT YOU’LL BRING
10+ years of UX Research experience, including deep expertise in both qualitative and quantitative methods. PhD optional.
Proven track record leading foundational and strategic research that influenced product direction, vision, or long-term investments.
Ability to design and execute mixed-methods research independently: from ethnographic and in-depth interviews to survey design and statistical analysis.
Scale strategic insights: Experience driving organizational understanding through storytelling, synthesis, and actionable frameworks.
Strong systems thinking skills, with an ability to connect human insight to product architecture and long-term design strategy.
Experience shaping and scaling research practices in growing organizations.
Comfortable working in ambiguity and helping cross-functional teams find clarity and alignment.
Strong communicator who can engage both executive and hands-on audiences with empathy, clarity, and conviction.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE MURAL
You’ll shape new ways of working, as we interact with AI, team members, and customers. You’ll work on some of the most compelling and open-ended questions about the future of collaboration: how people align, make decisions, and innovate. You’ll have the freedom to define the big questions, run the right studies, and guide the company toward its next horizon.
At Mural, we “drink our own champagne” and leverage our product for online collaboration. This role is U.S. Remote. Your work will inform the strategy of a rapidly scaling company that believes research is the compass, not just the map.
Equal Opportunity
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
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