Research Associate Jobs in Irvine, CA

INTRODUCTION

At Google, we "Focus on the user and all else will follow." As a Quantitative User Experience Researcher (Quant UXR), you make this possible. You will join a multi-disciplinary team, collaborating closely with Engineering and Product Management to create industry-leading, innovative products. You will drive impact at all stages of development by investigating user behavior through empirical methods like logs analysis, survey research, and regression. We value educational experiences—from Computer Science to Psychology—and require a blend of behavioral research design, statistical proficiency, and programming skills to uncover actionable insights. Beyond the work, you will grow within a supportive Quant UXR community offering mentorship, regular meetups, and exclusive internal tools to help you thrive.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

As a Quantitative UX Researcher, you will inform product decisions by investigating user needs to create delightful ad experiences on Google Search. Collaborating across functions and levels, you will set an original research agenda, leveraging expertise in behavioral and data science to advance understanding of user interactions. You will investigate behavior using methods like logs analysis, surveys, and regression. Combining experimental design and programming, you will improve UX and extract patterns from large datasets while setting high technical standards for the research community. Google Ads is helping power the open internet with the best technology that connects and creates value for people, publishers, advertisers, and Google. We’re made up of multiple teams, building Google’s Advertising products including search, display, shopping, travel and video advertising, as well as analytics. Our teams create trusted experiences between people and businesses with useful ads. We help grow businesses of all sizes from small businesses to large brands, to YouTube creators, with effective advertiser tools that deliver measurable results. We also enable Google to engage with customers at scale.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
4 years of experience in product research in an applied research setting, or similar.
Experience in programming languages used for data manipulation and computational statistics (e.g., Python, R, MATLAB, C++, Java, or Go).
Experience in experimental design, hypothesis testing, statistical analysis, and survey methodology.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Master's degree or PhD in Human-Computer Interaction, Cognitive Science, Statistics, Psychology, Anthropology, or related field.
2 years of experience conducting UX research on products, managing projects, and working in a large, matrixed organization.
Experience in multivariate statistics and the design of experiments with an ability to self-direct when it comes to choosing an analysis approach given a research question and a dataset.
Proficiency in programming computational and statistical algorithms for large data sets.
* Track record in demonstrating command of research questions within a given domain, and of technical tools for the analysis of data within that field.

COMPENSATION

- Salary Range: $132000 - $190000 (USD) + 15% bonus target + bonus + equity + benefits

Responsibilities

Set and drive an original research agenda, drawing on your own and the team's technical expertise in a variety of areas (e.g., behavioral science, survey science, data science) to advance understanding of how users experience and interact with Google's products, including how users experience and interact with ads.
Investigate user behavior, user experience, and user needs using quantitative research methods such as logs analysis, survey research, and regression analysis. Combine skills in experimental design, statistical methods, and general programming to understand and improve user experience and extract meaningful patterns from large data sets.
Demonstrate excellent scientific and statistical judgement, producing rigorous insights in a changing environment.
Work with stakeholders across functions and levels and have impact at all stages of product development.

Applicants in the County of Los Angeles: Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Note: By applying to this position you will have an opportunity to share your preferred working location from the following: New York, NY, USA; Mountain View, CA, USA; Irvine, CA, USA.

Google is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. See also Google's EEO Policy and EEO is the Law. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know by completing our Accommodations for Applicants form.