Senior UX Researcher

At Hostelworld (Permanent), in Porto, Portugal. Expires at: . Remote policy: Full remote. WHO YOU'LL WORK WITH As a cornerstone of our Product Department, the Senior UX Researcher is responsible for shaping Hostelworld’s product vision and user experience by driving research strategy across multiple products and domains. You will join a dynamic, cross‑functional team of User Researchers, Product Designers, Product Managers, and Engineers, collaborating to uncover user needs and drive innovation. Our team operates in agile squads, with a strong emphasis on autonomy, continuous learning, and democratising research insights across the organisation. What sets this role apart Strategic Ownership: You will own the research agenda, set direction, and ensure research is a key driver of business and product strategy. Cross-Product Impact: You will lead research initiatives that span multiple products and domains, synthesising insights to inform company‑wide strategy. Mentorship & Leadership: You will be a role model and coach for other researchers, raising the bar for research quality and impact. Collaborative Operations: You will work closely with the research team and leadership to ensure research operations, repository management, analytics, and NPS are effective and scalable. Thought Leadership: You will help establish frameworks, advocate for a user‑centric culture, and represent Hostelworld externally. WHAT YOU'LL DO Own and drive research strategy across multiple products and domains, directly influencing product vision, roadmaps, and broader business decisions. Lead cross‑product research initiatives: Identify and drive research programmes that span multiple products or business areas, ensuring insights are synthesised and leveraged across teams to inform company‑wide strategy. Plan and execute advanced, mixed‑method research: Tailor methodologies for complex, ambiguous scenarios and high‑impact problems, delivering actionable insights that shape product direction. Mentor and develop researchers: Actively coach junior and mid‑level researchers, set standards for research quality, and foster a culture of learning and growth. Build strong relationships with executives, product managers, and cross‑functional leaders: Drive alignment and buy‑in for research‑driven decisions. Craft compelling stories from research findings: Influence decision‑making at the leadership level through clear, impactful communication. Collaborate on operational and strategic initiatives: Work with the research team and Senior UX Manager to develop and improve Research Ops processes, manage the research repository (Dovetail), implement analytics tooling (e.g., screen recording, heatmaps), and run NPS measurement programmes for key journeys. Support brand and marketing research: Partner with the Brand team on targeted research projects that inform positioning, messaging, and user experience for major strategic initiatives. Represent Hostelworld externally: Advocate for a user‑centric culture and share research insights at conferences or in publications, as appropriate. Stay ahead of industry trends: Synthesise market and competitor insights to inform strategy and maintain Hostelworld’s leadership in UX research. Main requirements WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR Experience & Qualifications: A portfolio showcasing strategic UX leadership, innovative research, and measurable business impact. 5+ years of experience in UX research, with a strong record of impact across digital products and platforms. Proven expertise in both qualitative and quantitative research methods, with advanced skills in planning, executing, and analysing usability studies. Demonstrated experience leading research in fast‑paced, agile environments, and influencing product strategy and design through research. Excellent collaboration and communication skills across disciplines, with the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities independently. Strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and a proactive, growth‑oriented mindset. Proactive and autonomous, capable of driving strategic initiatives with minimal oversight. Strong communication skills across all mediums, with fluency in English (speaking and writing). Knowledge & Skills: Experience in travel, e-commerce, or social/community‑based products. Familiarity with research repository tools (e.g., Dovetail, Condens) and integrating insights into stakeholder workflows. Understanding of engineering principles and ability to communicate with technical teams. Experience mentoring or managing other researchers. Background in UX writing or content strategy. Experience working in global, multicultural teams. Familiarity with gen‑AI tools applied to research. Benefits & Perks WHAT WE OFFER Competitive salary & benefits Enhanced annual leave plus 3 Wellbeing Days per year Paid family leave (maternity, paternity, surrogacy & adoption) Agile working (plus a Working from Abroad Policy) Support for your ongoing growth & development Inclusive people policies (sickness, menopause, compassionate and fertility leave) A chance to give back to your local community with 5 paid volunteering days OUR BEHAVIOURS Grow others - We fundamentally believe that investing in growing others benefits everyone, whether it's helping them develop hard or soft skills. We want learning and growing to be part of our DNA to help makes us a better team, together. Master it - We are obsessed with our area of expertise and enjoy developing our skills. We rarely take things at face value; we investigate, interrogate, and always look for ‘the why,’ and wherever possible, we use data to find the best solution. Collaborate - We are in it together, for the tough stuff and the celebrations too. To achieve the best results, we need expertise from all areas of the organisation, and we wholeheartedly welcome diverse thinking. Adapt - We work fluidly, adapting to new information and the evolving environment while staying committed to our goals. Innovation and experimentation fuel our projects and we’re never afraid to pivot. Deliver - Our focus is always on the end result; we value outcomes over activity. We collaborate to deliver work at speed without dropping any of our other behaviours. We believe in talented and diverse teams that reflect the diversity of our customers and the communities in which we operate. Everyone brings different perspectives and experiences. We lay out the above requirements to guide applicants to the experiences that we believe will allow you to be successful in the role. If you don’t meet them all, please consider applying if you think you can still perform the role as described. #J-18808-Ljbffr