UX Researcher

Job Type

PetSafe Brands, formerly known as Radio Systems Corporation, is headquartered in Knoxville, TN. It has been named “The Marble City” and "Scruffy City", names we have embraced for our unique charm. We are the home of 1982 World’s Fair and we boast of 21 craft breweries around the city (click here for the Ale Trail). If you like to hike or camp, visit the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. Take your pick of outdoor activities from walking, tubing, running, or biking in our Urban Wilderness. Knox County has an amazing public-school system, no state income tax, low property taxes and cost of living. We host Music and Shakespeare on the Square as well as Family Movie Nights on the Square during the summer months in downtown Knoxville.

Our Company: PetSafe Brands is the world leader in pet products through our family of brands:Pet Safe® Brand, Sport DOG® Brand, Invisible Fence® Brand, Kurgo and Premier Pet. Pet Safe® Brand makes every product from leashes and harnesses to water fountains and and litter boxes. We have an ambitious goal of touching over 21 million pets, people, and communities around the world each year. We serve a broad range of pet owners from providing the hunter the best gear for a successful hunt to accommodating the “Not-So-Crazy Cat Lady” with all the entertaining toys and effective solutions she could ever imagine. We do this by creating a culture of enthusiasm, resilience, adaptability, and teamwork every day in the office. We work hard to be our community’s employer of choice as we all live our purpose: We exist to unleash freedom for pet parents by keeping their pets happy, healthy and safe. 

Summary of Position:

The UX Researcher II plays a critical role in shaping user-centered experiences across PetSafe Brands’ digital and physical products.

This role focuses on uncovering user needs, behaviors, and motivations through a variety of research methods to inform design and product decisions. Working closely with UX/UI Designers, Product Managers, and Engineers, the UX Researcher II ensures that user insights are integrated throughout the product development lifecycle.

Responsibilities:

• Plan & Conduct Research. Design and execute usability tests, user interviews, surveys, and field studies to gather insights across the product lifecycle.
• Analyze & Synthesize Data. Interpret complex qualitative and quantitative data to identify clear patterns, critical pain points, and impactful opportunities that directly inform product strategy.
• Generate Actionable Insights. Translate research findings into clear, impactful recommendations that guide design and product decisions.
• Collaborate Cross-Functionally. Partner with UX/UI Designers, Product Managers, Engineers, and other stakeholders to integrate research into agile workflows.
• Advocate for the User. Champion user needs and usability best practices across teams and throughout the organization.
• Support Design Discovery. Contribute to the creation of personas, journey maps, and experience principles.
• Communicate Findings. Deliver compelling presentations and reports that clearly articulate research insights and their implications.
• Ability to work well under pressure, change and ambiguity.
• Displays integrity and is accountable for actions and statements.

Qualifications:

• Solid understanding of usability, universal design, and designing for touch.
• 3–5 years of experience conducting user research in a product development environment.
• Proficiency with research tools such as UserTesting, Optimal Workshop, Dovetail, or similar platforms.
• Fluency in current visual design practices, digital design software (Figma, Sketch App, Adobe Creative Suite), and UI prototyping and testing tools (Figma, InVision, Flinto, Marvel, etc).
• Strong understanding of user-centered design principles and research methodologies.
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams in agile environments.
• Excellent communication and storytelling skills to convey complex findings clearly.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Bachelor’s degree in User Experience Design, Product Design, Human Computer Interaction or related field

Preferred Specifications:

• Portfolio of professional work demonstrating relevant experience
• Experience using interface design tools
• Experience collaborating with other designers and software engineers
• Curious self-starter able to ask “Why?” and dig in to find the answers
• Experience working on Internet of Things (IoT) products or connected devices.
• Familiarity with design systems and how research informs their evolution.
• Understanding of basic front-end technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) is a plus.
• Experience contributing to or leading accessibility and inclusive design research.

Accountabilities:

• Timely execution of research plans and deliverables.
• Clear documentation and communication of research findings.
• Active participation in sprint planning, backlog grooming, and design critiques.
• Support and mentorship of junior team members or interns, as applicable.

Relationships:

• Reports to User Experience Manager
• Works with the User Experience Manager, UX/UI Designers, Software Team Managers and Developers to design and maintain a portfolio of applications
• Works directly with all Brands, Product Categories, and Service Departments
• Works supporting outside vendors as applicable
• Gets project assignments from senior UX/UI team members/UX Manager.
• Estimate time to complete tasks.

#LI-RC1

BENEFITS:

Working for PetSafe Brands definitely has its benefits. We offer a collaborative and creative team-oriented work environment where we encourage you to take risks to learn and grow! We offer a competitive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, and 401K match. In addition we offer a rich wellness program which includes an onsite health clinic, workout facility and of course, we encourage you to bring your dog to work, which is our whole reason for what we do!

PetSafe Brands is dedicated to offering equal employment opportunity for all teammates and fostering a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. At PetSafe Brand, our teammates are our greatest strength. We strive to build a workforce as diverse as the customers we serve by hiring great people from a wide variety of backgrounds, life experiences, knowledge, self-expression and talent. We recruit and reward teammates based on capability and performance and together we are building a culture that welcomes all dimensions of an individual’s identity including race, color, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, educational background, national origin or ancestry, religion, veteran status, or physical ability. We embrace these differences and the unique contributions each teammate brings not just because it is the right thing to do but because it makes our company stronger. While we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace and a culture of belonging, we recognize that we still have more work to do and a lot more to learn.