UX Researcher, Principal

We are looking for a Principal UX Researcher to lead strategic research that builds a deep understanding of how people engage with Blackbaud’s products, especially as AI becomes more embedded in their day-to-day workflows. In this role, you will identify high-impact research opportunities, lead complex research across a capability or solution area, and help teams understand not only what users need, but how they think, decide, trust, and respond when working with intelligent systems. You will play a key role in shaping AI-assisted experiences that feel transparent, reliable, and genuinely helpful.

Responsibilities

Identify research opportunities and lead strategic research within a product capability or solution area; Plan and execute research using the right mix of qualitative, quantitative, generative, and evaluative methods to answer complex and longer-term questions; Study human-AI interaction, including how users interpret, trust, rely on, recover from, and respond to AI outputs; Explore topics such as transparency, explainability, error tolerance, unexpected AI behavior, user confidence, and responsible AI experiences; Use AI-assisted tools to improve research speed, quality, synthesis, and delivery while staying curious about emerging research capabilities; Turn research findings into clear, actionable recommendations and work with teams to drive meaningful product decisions; Package insights into reusable assets and communicate findings through strong storytelling tailored to different audiences; Mentor researchers, designers, and cross-functional partners on user research methods, including responsible approaches to studying AI-enabled experiences.

Requirements

10+ years of overall experience in the UX field, including 7+ years of relevant experience in UX Research; Strong experience leading strategic research within a product, capability, or solution area; Deep knowledge of qualitative research methods, along with strong comfort in inferential statistics and quantitative research methods; Experience researching AI, intelligent systems, or complex digital experiences where trust, adoption, comprehension, and user confidence are important; Practical understanding of responsible AI considerations such as bias, transparency, over-reliance, explainability, and user impact; A strong track record of partnering with product managers, designers, engineers, analytics teams, and UX leadership; Excellent communication, presentation, and writing skills, with the ability to turn complex insights into clear stories that influence decisions; Case studies that show end-to-end research impact, design direction, or strategic understanding across web and/or mobile experiences; A collaborative mindset, with the ability to mentor others and improve research practices across teams.