Airbnb was born in 2007 when two Hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 4 million Hosts who have welcomed more than 1 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, Hosts offer unique stays and experiences that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.
The Community You Will Join:
Research has been part of Airbnb from the beginning, ever since Paul Graham told the Airbnb founders, "go to your users." As designers, the founders embraced this advice and got on a plane to meet with Airbnb hosts that very weekend. Since those early days, the value of research has been baked into Airbnb’s product culture.
The Experience Research team’s mission is to provide the robust, rich, and actionable research that product teams need at every stage of the product development cycle. As a researcher, you are embedded with a team of designers, PMs, and other cross-functional partners.
The Difference You will Make:
We are looking for a highly-skilled mixed methods Experience Researcher to deliver actionable insights. As a member of our team, you will inform new and existing experiences, ensuring that our product solutions meet Airbnb’s high quality bar. In this role, you will apply your qualitative and quantitative skill set to your own projects, and lead other researchers to inform large strategic initiatives. This is a senior role requiring a breadth of methodological and leadership experience.
A Typical Day:
- Lead research across internal and external facing product experiences, ensuring that these experiences drive value for our community and meet Airbnb’s high quality standards
- Conduct qualitative and quantitative studies within your focus area (e.g. ethnographic/field research, diary studies, surveys, concept testing, log analysis, etc.)
- Collaborate closely with adjacent teams to identify new or foundational research questions, anticipating the needs of the organization and informing early decision making
- Collaborate closely with product managers, designers, writers, and partner organizations to identify possible research goals and timelines
- Communicate effectively with stakeholders from across the company, including senior leadership
- Assist with workshops and other cross-functional alignment activities
- Execute in a fast-paced environment with ambiguity
Your Expertise:
- 10+ years industry experience, using both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies
- Experience working with research vendors and conducting primary and secondary research that informs strategy and generates product recommendations
- A demonstrated track record of delivering impactful insights within complex or technical problem spaces
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
- Experience managing a portfolio of multiple priorities simultaneously without sacrificing quality or deadlines
- Experience conducting research in complex problem spaces such as customer service, enterprise solutions, or safety
Bonus experience:
- Degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology, Cognitive Sciences, or equivalent practical experience.*
- Coding/scripting skills
- Experience with cross-cultural products and international research
- Expertise in tools or methods for conducting accessibility research
- Experience with creative storytelling methods and/or workshop design
- Experience in trust, safety, and privacy space
- Experience in consumer products
*This is a general guideline. We recognise that strong researchers come from a wide variety of career paths and backgrounds — please apply if you feel you’d be a good fit.
Our Commitment To Inclusion & Belonging:
Airbnb is committed to working with the broadest talent pool possible. We believe diverse ideas foster innovation and engagement, and allow us to attract creatively-led people, and to develop the best products, services and solutions. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.
What We Do
Airbnb is a community based on connection and belonging—a community that was born in 2008 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to 4 million hosts who have welcomed over 800 million guest arrivals to about 100,000 cities in almost every country and region across the globe. Hosts on Airbnb are everyday people who share their worlds to provide guests with the feeling of connection and being at home. At Airbnb, we believe that hosts, guests and the communities where we operate are all stakeholders we have a responsibility to serve, and that by serving them alongside our employees and investors, we will build an enduringly successful company.