Product Researcher

As stewards of the Polkadot and Substrate ecosystem, Parity is laying the foundation for a better web which respects the freedom and data of individuals and empowers developers to create better services through decentralised technology. The internet is too important to billions of people for it to be at the mercy of a few powerful companies.

With a remote-first, global team of 340+ people, Parity is building open-source technologies for developers and organisations to implement and build upon. Our Web3 tech stack includes Polkadot, Substrate, and Kusama.

We believe in a decentralised web that respects the freedom and data of individuals and empowers developers to create better services. Our vision is to create a world based on truthful, rather than trustful, interactions. Our mission is to make Polkadot the most active and innovative community in blockchain.

People in our collective are:

• Highly motivated to contribute to Parity’s mission and be part of something bigger
• Excited to work on projects that are groundbreaking and complex
• Autonomous workers that self-initiate, but also collaborate well with others
• Taking maximum accountability and having minimum ego at work
• Comfortable with chaos and adapting to the ever-changing Web3 space
• Continuously educating themselves about Parity and the wider ecosystem

About the team:

The Product team at Parity plays a crucial role in driving the development, adoption, and evolution of the Polkadot blockchain network. Our responsibilities encompass a wide range of activities, from strategic planning and product management to user experience design and community engagement.

The team is responsible for aligning and delivering initiatives to realise overarching objectives of the network. We continually assess market trends, user needs, and technological advancements to ensure that Polkadot remains at the forefront of the blockchain industry. We work closely with the engineering and marketing teams to prioritise and plan the implementation of key programs.

Creating a seamless and intuitive user experience is a top priority for the success of the network. We conduct research, gather feedback, and iterate on solutions to unlock the success of app builders and end-users in Web3. The team maintains a strong connection with the Polkadot community, engaging with users and builders through various channels, including forums, social media, and events.

Our mission is to provide a fair internet where users are in control of their data, identity and destiny. While that mission is quite expansive, we see the tipping point for worldwide adoption happening here and now. For that reason, we are adding members to our new, small, multidisciplinary team. Our history is just getting started. If you are a generalist with a passion for rethinking how technology services can solve growing global challenges - we are interested in speaking with you.

About the position:

• Cross-functional partnership: You will join a team with an engineering focus and a bias for action — along with the work of research itself, you will help your cross-functional teammates understand how-and-where user research, design research, and product research can support the larger product delivery process.
• Product-level research: You will partner with teams that have varying levels of clarity around user needs and the technological capabilities that will enable us to solve them. You’ll work with teams to draw out their current understanding, and set up and execute studies to characterize user and partner needs in such a way that we can understand and address them.
• Design and interaction-level research: You’ll partner with designers and engineers to developer, iterate, and validate interaction concepts, user flows, and the basic mechanics of interactions.
• Internal presentation and communication: For our internal audience, you’ll find the right ways to present the insights, concepts, and implications coming from the work, helping to build an organizational shared understanding of our end users and the ecosystem builders that support them.
• Ecosystem awareness and engagement: In this fast moving space, part of your role will also be to understand how the ecosystem is evolving, and where and how we can support the builders who enable our vision. The Polkadot ecosystem is unique: Parity creates the infrastructure to enable our ecosystem builders, rather than try to build all of web3 from a single, centralized point of view.

About you:

• Minimum of 3 years of experience as a Product Researcher, User Researcher, or similar role; experience with the web3 domain or in a fast-paced startup environment will be extremely helpful.
• Web3 expertise or strong desire to learn: understanding of Web3 technologies, such as blockchain, decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), decentralized identity, and smart contracts.
• Research skills: Proven ability to design and conduct qualitative research, synthesize its implications, and work with the team to create real-world outcomes
• Product mindset: Ability to think strategically about product development and prioritize research efforts to align with business goals and user needs.
• Presentation and communication skills: Parity values thoughtful and well-developed communication; this role requires excellent written and verbal communication skills to effectively present research findings, insights, and recommendations to diverse stakeholders.

About working for us:

• Competitive remuneration packages based on iterative market research, including tokens (where legally possible)
• “Future of work” environment that’s remote-first and self-initiating with flexible hours
• Team mates that are genuinely excited about their impact and projects
• Access to the brightest minds in this space to learn about Web3 and develop your skills and knowledge while on the job
• Becoming part of the wider ecosystem (career and networking opportunities)
• Team and company-wide retreats
• Work laptop
• Opportunity to relocate to Germany or Portugal (with visa sponsorship)

Those joining our collective as an employee in Germany, Portugal, and the U.K. also enjoy benefits such as health care, parental leave, PTO (28 days per year), local team events, yearly L&D budget, and language classes.

Parity is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome diversity in our global team and care about everyone in our collective feeling included and welcome.

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Is this position not quite your match? Browse our other open roles.