People Research Scientist

About the Role:

We are seeking a People Research Scientist to join our People Data Solutions team. You’ll be the research expert supporting our broader People organization, using rigorous scientific methods to advance our understanding of the employee experience, manager effectiveness, organizational health, and workforce dynamics. This role sits at the intersection of organizational science, behavioral research, and people strategy – developing novel frameworks and conducting systematic research that drives evidence-based people decisions across our growing organization.

This role offers the opportunity to make a significant impact on both our people practices and the broader field of people science at a leading AI safety company.

Responsibilities:

Research Design & Scientific Inquiry

• Design and execute systematic research studies to answer fundamental questions about employee experience, manager effectiveness, and organizational health

• Generate and test hypotheses about people programs, employee behavior, and workforce outcomes using rigorous experimental and quasi-experimental methods

• Conduct longitudinal studies tracking employee cohorts to understand long-term workforce trends and the impact of people initiatives

• Perform meta-analyses of people interventions across the industry to identify best practices and knowledge gaps

• Navigate research ethics considerations when studying employee data, ensuring responsible research practices

Employee listening & survey research

• Design, analyze, and iterate on employee listening programs including engagement surveys, pulse surveys, and lifecycle surveys

• Apply psychometric methods to validate survey instruments and ensure measurement reliability

• Translate survey findings into strategic recommendations that drive meaningful organizational change

Manager research & organizational effectiveness

• Conduct research on manager behaviors, competencies, and their impact on team outcomes

• Build measurement frameworks to evaluate and improve manager effectiveness programs

• Study organizational dynamics including team composition, collaboration patterns, and their relationship to performance outcomes

Visualization & communication

• Build compelling visualizations and dashboards that make complex research findings accessible to diverse audiences

• Present research findings to senior leadership with clear, actionable recommendations

• Develop self-service analytics capabilities that empower People team partners

You may be a good fit if you:

• Hold an advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in I/O Psychology, Organizational Behavior, Statistics, Data Science, Economics, Behavioral Science, or a related research field

• Have 5+ years of experience in research, people analytics, or related quantitative fields with demonstrated research methodology expertise

• Have experience with experimental design, hypothesis testing, longitudinal research methods, and causal inference

• Are comfortable working in the People Analytics tech stack and collaborating with data engineers

• Are proficient in SQL and Python/R, with experience in statistical analysis and machine learning

• Have experience with survey design, psychometric methods, and employee listening programs

• Have experience with data visualization and can tell compelling stories with research findings

• Possess excellent communication skills and can influence stakeholders at all levels

• Thrive in ambiguity and can balance rigor with pragmatism

• Have a track record of challenging assumptions with data and changing long-held practices

• Can navigate sensitive topics diplomatically while maintaining analytical rigor

• Demonstrate intellectual humility and comfort with iterative discovery

• Use data to improve how organizations develop and support their people

Strong candidates may also have:

• Background in people analytics specifically (not just general analytics)

• Experience designing and analyzing employee engagement or pulse surveys

• Deep knowledge of manager effectiveness research and organizational science

• Experience building self-service analytics tools or dashboards

• Understanding of employee lifecycle metrics and people KPIs

• Previous experience in high-growth technology companies or AI/ML organizations

• Familiarity with network analysis, NLP, or advanced statistical methods

• Experience with BigQuery and modern data stack tools

• Experience with Qualtrics

• Experience with Workday