Job Description

VENDORS – DO NOT CONTACT US IN ANY WAY TO PITCH YOUR SERVICES OR YOUR BENCH

Overview

The Associate Researcher (**T his is NOT a UX Research role **) will support the execution of in-person and remote playtests by facilitating sessions, capturing detailed player feedback, and ensuring that lab-based studies run smoothly. This role is designed to expand research access to diverse player audiences, including younger gamers who are often available outside of standard work hours.

The position requires flexibility, as weekday hours may vary and weekend or evening sessions are expected . By managing facilitation and session logistics, the Associate Researcher enables researchers to focus on study design, insight generation, and partner alignment. Collaboration with researchers, operations staff, and vendors is central to ensuring high-quality participant experiences and reliable data collection.

Type: Contract

Schedule: Hybrid

Duration: 1 year / 12 months

Pay: $48 - $54/hr, paid weekly, benefits eligible

Associate Researcher Duties

• Facilitate in-person and remote usability studies, expert reviews, and playtest sessions.
• Observe participant sessions, capture detailed notes, tag themes, and contribute to topline development.
• Moderate discussions using established research protocols, maintaining neutrality and unbiased facilitation.
• Manage all session logistics, including materials preparation, technical checks, room configuration, participant onboarding and debriefing, and post-session clean-up.
• Partner with researchers and operations teams to align on study goals, prepare sessions, and troubleshoot in real time.
• Support setup of test assets and assist with reviews of test features or builds prior to launch.
• Work closely with playtest operations teams on scheduling, recruitment logistics, and execution of studies.
• Adapt to variable weekday hours and weekend/evening shifts to meet research needs.

Associate Researcher Requirements

• 2+ years of professional experience in gaming user research, playtest moderation, or focus group facilitation.
• Familiarity with gaming communities and ability to engage empathetically with diverse player types.
• Experience with survey software (like Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey, DECIPHER, Confirmit).
• Strong verbal communication skills with a neutral facilitation style.
• High attention to detail with strong organizational and logistical management abilities.
• Availability to work flexible, time-shifted schedules, including evenings and weekends.
• Bachelor’s degree in a related field.

Desired...but not deal breakers if you don't have them...

• Experience working in the video game industry.
• Familiarity with research tools and platforms (e.g., OBS, Notion, Qualtrics, Parsec).
• Experience assisting with light analysis such as verbatim coding and theme tagging.
• Comfort working in live production environments with technical tools and software.
• Knowledge of game design fundamentals and the game development production cycle.
• Experience running playtests or similar live-production research projects.
• Experience using Parsec or comparable remote testing tools.

No deadline to apply.

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