UX Researcher; San Francisco San Francisco, CA

Position: UX Researcher (San Francisco) at Retool San Francisco, CA
UX Researcher (San Francisco) job  Francisco, CA. Nearly every company in the world runs on custom software:
Gartner estimates that up to 50% of all code is written for internal use. This is the operational software for refunding orders, underwriting loans, onboarding employees, analyzing transactions, and providing customer support. But most companies dont have adequate resources to properly invest in these tools, leading to a lot of old and clunky internal software or, even worse, users still stuck in manual and spreadsheet flows.

At Retool, were on a mission to bring good software to everyone. Were building a new type of development platform that combines the benefits of traditional software development with a drag-and-drop UI editor and AI, making it dramatically faster to build internal tools. We believe that the future of software development lies in abstracting away the tedious and repetitive tasks developers waste time on, while creating reusable components that act as a force multiplier for future developers and projects.

The result is not just productivity, but good software by default. And thats a mission worth striving for. Today, our customers span from small startups building their first operational tools to Fortune 500 companies building mission-critical apps for thousands of users across their business. Interested in joining us? Let us know! WHY WERE LOOKING FOR YOU:
As our first dedicated UX Researcher, you wont just influence what we buildyoull define how we build it. This is your chance to lay the foundation for a research practice at the heart of one of techs most transformative shifts: the fusion of developer tools and AI. Retool is rapidly becoming the application layer for AIwhere the power of models meets the flexibility of custom software.

As this frontier evolves, so do the questions:
What workflows will emerge? What pain points will persistor be created anew? And how do we design tools that make complex AI capabilities feel intuitive, even delightful? Thats where you come in. Youll lead exploratory research into novel AI-human workflows, ground product decisions in deep user insight, and chart the path forward in a space where few maps exist. From untangling technical processes to revealing latent needs across diverse customer teams, your work will turn ambiguity into clarity and clarity into action.

Youll be joining a tight-knit, high-performing team of designers, engineers, and product thinkers who value curiosity, rigor, and a strong point of view. Were not just solving for todaywere reimagining how software gets built in the era of AI. Your research will light the way. WHAT YOU'LL DO:
Youll define and lead the research roadmap in close collaboration with product and design leadership, identifying the questions that matter most for shaping strategy and delivering impact. Youll plan and conduct quantitative, qualitative, and generative research using a range of methodsinterviews, usability testing, field studies, surveys, logs analysis and synthesize findings through frameworks from HCI, behavioral science, and design thinking. By triangulating insights from across user research, product usage, support, and market signals, youll surface patterns that lead to actionable, meaningful change.

Youll distill complex data into clear, compelling stories for teams across the orgfrom product and engineering peers to executive stakeholders. Youll facilitate workshops, lead design sprints, and partner with cross-functional teams to ensure research doesnt just inform the workit accelerates it. As our foundational researcher, youll also play a key role in shaping our research practice: mentoring teammates, evolving our processes, and helping embed user-centered thinking across everything we do.

All the while, youll balance multiple projects with thoughtfulness and speedensuring that our team moves fast and moves smart. And most importantly, youll champion the voice of the user in every room, helping make research not just a function, but a force multiplier for product excellence  SKILLSET YOU'LL BRING:
• 5+ years of experience in UX research, human-centered design, or a…