Forward Deployed UX Researcher
Summary
Field-embedded UX researcher/designer for Air's AI-native Enterprise Readiness platform serving government and defense customers. Runs end-to-end discovery — interviews, contextual inquiry, usability tests — and turns insights into 0-to-1 AI product direction alongside forward-deployed engineers. US citizenship required; up to 75% travel.
Company Description
Job Description
As a Forward Deployed UX Researcher/Designer, you will embed directly with our customers in the field to understand in detail their mission and how they evaluate continuous readiness. You will do that through a deep understanding of the end-user's jobs, problems, needs, and friction to achieve their goals. You turn this understanding into a product direction and work with other forward-deployed roles to design and develop innovative AI-native solutions to create a 10x better way of satisfying customer needs, instantly. . This is a highly collaborative, fast-paced, customer-facing role where you own the discovery work end-to-end—from framing the question to delivering insights that direct what we deliver.
To succeed in this role, you are a curious and rigorous problem solver who values outcomes over process, exercises exceptional judgment when balancing competing priorities, and thrives in ambiguous, high-stakes, empowered environments.
This role is a full-time position located out of our office in Arlington, VA / Pittsburgh, PA / San Francisco, CA / Anywhere in the US.
This role may require up to 75% travel.
Scope of Responsibilities
- Partner with other forward-deployed roles (engineers, data scientists) to scope research, frame hypotheses, and translate findings into 0-to-1 product initiatives and prototypes.
- Run fast, pragmatic research: contextual inquiry, interviews, usability sessions, and concept tests against working prototypes.
- Assess, prioritize, and help correct the most important gaps in solutions under development based on what you hear from users.
- Synthesize quickly, share insights early, and iterate—learn fast, adjust, and go again.
- Work with core platform researchers, designers, and product managers to distill what’s customer-specific and what needs to become part of our core offering.
Qualifications
- U.S. Citizenship is required
- Bachelor’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Design, a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
- Worked in a startup or entrepreneurial environment.
- Experience conducting applied UX or product research in a professional setting, including planning studies and synthesizing findings independently.
- Strong command of qualitative methods (interviews, contextual inquiry, usability testing) and comfort with mixed-methods work.
- Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and a strong desire to work in a challenging, fast-paced environment.
- Excellent communication skills—able to tell a clear, compelling story with research and influence cross-functional partners.
- Experience in AIND to generate prototypes and validate
Desired Skills:
- A current U.S. security clearance, or the ability to obtain one with Air’s sponsorship.
- Experience researching complex, domain-heavy, or enterprise software, ideally in defense, government, or other regulated settings.
- Experience working within the boundaries of a federally accredited software environment.
- Experience in a customer-facing, consulting, or embedded role.
Skills
As published by greenhouse · 10 questions
Basics
First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone, Resume/CV, Cover Letter
Short answers (5)
- Preferred First Name optional
- What is your desired pay for this role?
- When would you be available to start?
- LinkedIn Profile optional
- Please link your portfolio optional
Pick from a list (5)
- To be considered, you must be a US Citizen. Please confirm your current status.
- Have you applied for another role with Air within the last 6 months?
- Are you open to working onsite full-time, five days a week?
- Which Air office location/s are you open to working out of?
- Are you subject to any existing agreements with a current or former employer (such as a non-compete or non-solicitation clause) that might limit your ability to work at Air or perform this role?
