Researcher

Apollo.io is the leading go-to-market solution for revenue teams, trusted by over 500,000 companies and millions of users globally, from rapidly growing startups to some of the world's largest enterprises. Founded in 2015, the company is one of the fastest growing companies in SaaS, raising approximately $250 million to date and valued at $1.6 billion. Apollo.io provides sales and marketing teams with easy access to verified contact data for over 210 million B2B contacts and 35 million companies worldwide, along with tools to engage and convert these contacts in one unified platform. By helping revenue professionals find the most accurate contact information and automating the outreach process, Apollo.io turns prospects into customers. Apollo raised a series D in 2023 and is backed by top-tier investors, including Sequoia Capital, Bain Capital Ventures, and more, and counts the former President and COO of Hubspot, JD Sherman, among its board members.

Your Role & Mission

At Apollo.io, we believe that our customers are our greatest advocates and inspiration, and we strive to humanize and build empathetically for their needs. As we scale our product, we are prioritizing improving ease of use, delightfulness, and overall user experience dimensions, and we're looking for a Researcher to play a key role in the upcoming phases of our journey.

As a Researcher, you will be integral to driving forward our customer-centric vision—partnering with stakeholders to run critical research projects while helping to grow our research team alongside our Product & Design orgs.

We're looking for someone who is both genuinely interested in & has the skills to take on ownership of complex projects within a hyper-growth company: a creative thinker who can trailblaze new approaches to interpreting data and drive meaningful impacts to our product & company strategy.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct In-depth, Agile Research: Execute user research activities, including but not limited to foundational research, usability testing, interviews, surveys, and ethnographic studies, to gather valuable insights into user behaviors, needs, and preferences.
• Persona and Journey Map Development: Contribute to the creation and maintenance of user personas and journey maps, helping to establish a user-centric framework for product development.
• Iterative Testing and Feedback Loops: Work within the agile development process to integrate iterative testing and feedback loops, ensuring a user-centered approach throughout the product development life cycle.
• Usability Testing: Plan and facilitate usability testing sessions, including recruitment, script development, and post-session analysis. Communicate findings and recommendations to the broader team.
• Data Collection and Analysis: Collect and analyze user data, synthesizing findings into clear and actionable insights. Work with data sets to identify patterns, trends, and opportunities for product improvement.
• Documentation and Reporting: Prepare clear and concise research reports, presentations, and documentation to effectively communicate research findings and recommendations to stakeholders.
• Collaborate with Cross-Functional Teams: Engage with product managers, designers, and developers to integrate user research findings into the product development process. Ensure alignment between user needs and business objectives.
• Coach and Mentor Researchers: Help junior researchers grow their skillset by providing feedback on their work, and offering direct mentorship.
• Stay Informed on Industry Trends: Keep abreast of industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in UX research. Apply this knowledge to enhance research methodologies and approaches within the startup environment.
• Continuous Learning: Actively pursue professional development opportunities to enhance UX research skills and stay current with industry advancements. Leverage learning to contribute to the growth and success of the startup.
• Adaptability and Agility: Thrive in a fast-paced startup environment by being adaptable and agile. Be ready to pivot quickly based on evolving project requirements and business needs. User Education: Share user insights with the broader team, fostering a culture of user empathy and understanding. Help educate team members on the importance of user research in shaping successful products.

Qualifications

• Builder & tinkerer: actively incorporates AI to accelerate analysis, synthesize insights, and automate time-consuming tasks—freeing up more time for deep discovery and strategic thinking; you are comfortable with prototype development to support your cross-functional partners in going from insights to action effectively
• Jack-of-all-research-methods: proficient in a wide variety of mixed methods (1:1 interviews, focus groups, surveys, behavioral analyses, card sorting, tree testing, etc.) and know exactly when & why to rely on different combinations of quantitative and qualitative methods for a research plan. Can get started with minimal guidance.
• Pragmatic & highly tactical: grounds research priorities in prioritized objectives that will drive tangible user, customer, and business value.
• Growth-oriented: loves the process of developing, and enjoys learning new skills and figuring out the most effective ways for communicating research to stakeholders.
• Reflexive and dynamic: knows how to resolve tough issues in an ambiguous space and tailor research methods to the needs of relevant audiences. Knows how to move quickly and efficiently.
• Autonomous ownership: independently identifies research opportunities to improve the desirability, usability, and delight of business-critical product experiences and have a sense of pride in your work that takes you above and beyond what is requested.
• Proactive strategist: understands the importance of learning from different viewpoints and are able to partner cross-functionally to develop research plans that garner insights from across an entire organization.
• Excellent communicator: clear and effective in verbal and written communication, and able to build compelling narratives to influence cross-functional stakeholders.
• Proven: diverse portfolio of projects clearly demonstrates tackling complex problem areas and the outcomes driven.
• Empathetic and kind disposition: a team player who is resilient in the face of challenges. Enjoys collaborating with peers & users, and they enjoy collaborating with them. Authentic, humble, and sensitive to the needs of others.
• 5+ years of mixed methods research experience

The listed Pay Range reflects the total cash compensation inclusive of annual base salary and annual bonus as applicable. For sales roles, the range provided is the role’s On Target Earnings ("OTE") range, meaning that the range includes both the sales commissions/sales bonus target and annual base salary for the role. This salary range may be inclusive of several career levels at Apollo and will be narrowed during the interview process based on a number of factors, including the candidate’s experience, qualifications, and location. Applicants interested in this role who are not located in the US may request the annual salary range for their location during the interview process.

Additional benefits for this role may include: equity; company bonus or sales commissions/bonuses; 401(k) plan; at least 10 paid holidays per year, flex PTO, and parental leave; employee assistance program and wellbeing benefits; global travel coverage; life/AD&D/STD/LTD insurance; FSA/HSA and medical, dental, and vision benefits.

Tier 1 Pay Range (San Francisco, New York City, Seattle)

$199,400 - $249,300 USD

Tier 2 Pay Range (All other US Locations)

$173,400 - $216,700 USD

We are AI Native

Apollo.io is an AI-native company built on a culture of continuous improvement. We’re on the front lines of driving productivity for our customers—and we expect the same mindset from our team. If you're energized by finding smarter, faster ways to get things done using AI and automation, you'll thrive here.

Why You’ll Love Working at Apollo

At Apollo, we’re driven by a shared mission: to help our customers unlock their full revenue potential. That’s why we take extreme ownership of our work, move with focus and urgency, and learn voraciously to stay ahead.

We invest deeply in your growth, ensuring you have the resources, support, and autonomy to own your role and make a real impact. Collaboration is at our core—we’re all for one, meaning you’ll have a team across departments ready to help you succeed. We encourage bold ideas and courageous action, giving you the freedom to experiment, take smart risks, and drive big wins.

If you’re looking for a place where your work matters, where you can push boundaries, and where your career can thrive—Apollo is the place for you.

Learn more here!