The Product Researcher plays a critical role in identifying and advancing new product opportunities through direct customer engagement, field-based research, workflow observation, and qualitative and quantitative analysis. This role focuses on understanding how tradespeople work, how tools are used in real-world environments, and where unmet needs, inefficiencies, frustrations, or opportunities exist within trade workflows.
The ideal candidate is comfortable engaging with people in the trades, observing tools and processes in use, asking thoughtful questions, and quickly making sense of complex or unfamiliar work environments. This individual is curious, collaborative, and able to translate customer behaviors, jobsite observations, and research findings into clear direction for product, engineering, industrial design, marketing, sales, and go-to-market teams.
This role requires strong project ownership. The Product Researcher will lead research initiatives from scoping through execution, synthesis, and stakeholder alignment. The successful candidate is comfortable working through ambiguity, adapting as new information emerges, challenging assumptions with evidence, and helping move projects forward with urgency and a win-as-a-team mindset.
Emerson’s global Professional Tools business is an equal opportunity employer, offering the broadest portfolio of reliable tools and technologies for those working in mechanical, electrical, and plumbing trades! With unparalleled expertise from RIDGID, Greenlee, and Klauke, we deliver trusted products to handle the industries’ toughest challenges.
- Lead end-to-end research projects supporting new product development, from planning and execution through synthesis and stakeholder alignment.
- Conduct field research, customer interviews, jobsite observations, and workflow analysis to uncover customer needs, pain points, and opportunities.
- Translate research findings into actionable recommendations that inform product, engineering, industrial design, marketing, and sales decisions.
- Partner with cross-functional teams to define research objectives, evaluate concepts, and support product development decisions.
- Design and execute qualitative and quantitative research to validate assumptions, evaluate opportunities, and guide product strategy.
- Manage research timelines, stakeholders, and deliverables to ensure projects progress efficiently and insights are delivered when needed.
- Develop and share research tools, templates, and best practices that strengthen research capabilities across the organization.
- Mentor and advise teammates and business partners on research planning, customer interviewing, field observation, research synthesis, and insight communication.
You are naturally curious and motivated to understand how customers work, what challenges they face, and where better solutions may exist. You are comfortable talking with tradespeople, observing tools in use, and asking questions that uncover practical needs, pain points, and opportunities.
You can take unclear or loosely defined business questions and turn them into structured research plans, workflows, and actionable outputs. You are flexible when project needs change, but you are also willing to challenge assumptions and push teams to make decisions based on evidence. You communicate clearly across functions and levels, build trust with stakeholders, and create a team-first environment that helps others move faster and make more confident product decisions.
- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, such as Marketing, Business, Engineering, Human Factors, Design Research, Psychology, Anthropology, Industrial Design, or a related discipline.
- Demonstrated experience conducting customer, product, user, design, market, or business research through professional experience, internships, academic projects, or equivalent applied work.
- Experience or strong aptitude for conducting qualitative research, including interviews, observation, field research, contextual inquiry, or workflow analysis.
- Strong communication skills, including the ability to ask effective questions, listen actively, synthesize information, and present findings clearly.
- Ability to translate customer needs, pain points, and observed behaviors into actionable product insights and recommendations.
- Collaborative mindset with a willingness to support team goals, build trust across functions, and contribute to shared success.
- Strong organizational and project management skills.
- Ability to travel for customer visits, field research, and jobsite observations.
- Legal authorization to work in the United States - sponsorship will not be provided for this role.
- 3+ years of experience in product, customer, user, or design research.
- Experience working with contractors, tradespeople, technicians, or industrial customers.
- Familiarity with professional tools, construction environments, or physical product development.
- Experience supporting new product development and collaborating with product, engineering, and design teams.
At Emerson, we prioritize a workplace where every employee is valued, respected, and empowered to grow. We foster an environment that encourages innovation, collaboration, and diverse perspectives—because we know that great ideas come from great teams. Our commitment to ongoing career development and growing an inclusive culture ensures you have the support to thrive. Whether through mentorship, training, or leadership opportunities, we invest in your success so you can make a lasting impact. We believe diverse teams, working together are key to driving growth and delivering business results.
We recognize the importance of employee wellbeing. We prioritize providing flexible, competitive benefits plans to meet you and your family’s physical, mental, financial, and social needs. We provide a variety of medical insurance plans, with dental and vision coverage, Employee Assistance Program, 401(k), tuition reimbursement, employee resource groups, recognition, and much more. Our culture offers flexible time off plans, including paid parental leave (maternal and paternal), vacation and holiday leave.
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About UsWHY EMERSON
Our Commitment to Our People
At Emerson, we are motivated by a spirit of collaboration that helps our diverse, multicultural teams across the world drive innovation that makes the world healthier, safer, smarter, and more sustainable. And we want you to join us in our bold aspiration.
We have built an engaged community of inquisitive, dedicated people who thrive knowing they are welcomed, trusted, celebrated, and empowered to solve the world’s most complex problems — for our customers, our communities, and the planet. You’ll contribute to this vital work while further developing your skills through our award-winning employee development programs. We are a proud corporate citizen in every city where we operate and are committed to our people, our communities, and the world at large. We take this responsibility seriously and strive to make a positive impact through every endeavor.
At Emerson, you’ll see firsthand that our people are at the center of everything we do. So, let’s go. Let’s think differently. Learn, collaborate, and grow. Seek opportunity. Push boundaries. Be empowered to make things better. Speed up to break through. Let’s go, together.
Work Authorization
Emerson will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States. This is not a position for which sponsorship will be provided. Individuals with temporary visas such as E, F-1(including those with OPT or CPT) , H-1, H-2, L-1, B, J or TN, or who need sponsorship for work authorization now or in the future, are not eligible for hire.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Emerson is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status. We are committed to providing a workplace free of any discrimination or harassment.
Accessibility Assistance or Accommodation
If you have a disability and are having difficulty accessing or using this website to apply for a position, please contact: [email protected].
ABOUT EMERSON
Emerson is a global leader in automation technology and software. Through our deep domain expertise and legacy of flawless execution, Emerson helps customers in critical industries like life sciences, energy, power and renewables, chemical and advanced factory automation operate more sustainably while improving productivity, energy security and reliability.
With global operations and a comprehensive portfolio of software and technology, we are helping companies implement digital transformation to measurably improve their operations, conserve valuable resources and enhance their safety.
We offer equitable opportunities, celebrate diversity, and embrace challenges with confidence that, together, we can make an impact across a broad spectrum of countries and industries. Whether you’re an established professional looking for a career change, an undergraduate student exploring possibilities, or a recent graduate with an advanced degree, you’ll find your chance to make a difference with Emerson. Join our team – let’s go!
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Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Engineering, Human Factors, Design Research, Psychology, Anthropology, Industrial Design, or a related discipline
- Demonstrated experience conducting customer, product, user, design, market, or business research through professional experience, internships, academic projects, or equivalent applied work
- Experience or strong aptitude in qualitative research, including interviews, observation, field research, contextual inquiry, or workflow analysis
- Strong communication skills, including effective questioning, active listening, synthesis, and presentation of findings
- Ability to translate customer needs, pain points, and observed behaviors into actionable product insights and recommendations
- Collaborative mindset and ability to build trust across functions
- Strong organizational and project management skills
- Ability to travel for customer visits, field research, and jobsite observations
- Legal authorization to work in the United States without sponsorship
- 3+ years of experience in product, customer, user, or design research
- Experience working with contractors, tradespeople, technicians, or industrial customers
- Familiarity with professional tools, construction environments, or physical product development
- Experience supporting new product development and collaborating with product, engineering, and design teams
Emerson Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Emerson and has not been reviewed or approved by Emerson.
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Retirement Support — Retirement programs have been strengthened with a 401(k) plus company-supported contributions such as profit sharing and a recent cash-balance transition for certain participants. These features are positioned as differentiators among large industrial peers.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — An employee stock purchase plan introduced in 2026 enables discounted share purchases via payroll deductions. This adds an accessible ownership element to the total rewards mix.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — The package includes PTO, holidays, sick leave, and parental leave within a broad benefits suite. Coverage breadth aligns with large-employer norms across locations, though specifics vary.
Emerson Insights
What We Do
At Emerson, we’re passionate about what we do. By fusing decades of technology and engineering expertise, Emerson continues to solve some of the world’s most complex challenges with innovative solutions for customers in industrial, commercial, and residential markets. We recruit the greatest talent and apply the best technologies to benefit our customers worldwide. Automation Solutions is a leader in helping process and discrete manufacturers automate and optimize production processes through our best-in-class technologies and industry expertise. Commercial & Residential Solutions develops technologies and services that improve human comfort, safeguard food, protect the environment, enable sustainable food waste disposal, and support efficient construction and maintenance of buildings and municipal infrastructure. Emerson has a wide range of industry knowledge, manufacturing expertise, and technological innovation around the world. Join our next generation of leaders today.
