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Sr Principal UX Researcher

Job ID 10132277 Location Santa Monica, California, United States / San Francisco, California, United States / New York, New York, United States Business Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology Date posted Sep. 18, 2025
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Job Summary:

About the Role

Disney Streaming is reimagining the future of entertainment, bringing together Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ and more into a unified streaming experience for millions of fans worldwide. As a Sr. Principal User Experience Researcher (UXR), you will be a senior thought leader embedded within our Streaming organization. You will champion the voice of the user across product, design, and engineering ensuring that every decision we make is grounded in deep human understanding and rich storytelling.

This role is both highly strategic and hands-on. You will shape vision work that defines the future of streaming, conduct generative and evaluative research on our most critical initiatives, and guide executives with evidence-based insights. Your work will influence everything from how we personalize Disney+ for GenAlpha, to how we create seamless experiences across live sports, entertainment, and commerce.

Responsibilities

● Set Research Strategy: Define and own the long-term research agenda for Streaming. Ensure both generative and evaluative insights inform product decisions. Partner with Product, Design, and Engineering leaders to anticipate user needs and guide the future of Disney’s streaming ecosystem.

● Lead Generative Research: Personally drive generative research in the most ambiguous and high-stakes areas. Uncover unmet needs and opportunities that shape long-term vision and inspire bold product directions.

● Stand Up Evaluative Practice: Establish the evaluative research practice by setting standards, frameworks, and measures of success. Hire and mentor specialists to run ongoing evaluative programs, ensuring results are trusted and actionable across the org.

● Executive Influence: Translate complex insights into clear narratives and frameworks that drive alignment with senior leadership. Use research to shape vision, strategy, and prioritization.

● Elevate Craft and Scale Impact: Model best-in-class methods and mixed-method rigor. Mentor other researchers and create connective tissue across qualitative, quantitative, and behavioral science practices.

● Cross-Functional Partnership: Work closely with product managers, designers, engineers, and data scientists to embed research throughout the product lifecycle. Ensure insights flow from discovery to execution.

● Thought Leadership: Represent Disney Streaming as a senior voice on human-centered innovation. Shape product vision internally and contribute externally to the broader research community.

Basic Qualifications

● 12+ years of applied product or design research in consumer-facing digital products at scale

● Proven success influencing executives and shaping business-critical decisions through research

● Deep expertise in generative research, with focus in either qualitative or quantitative methods

● Strong fluency across complementary methods (e.g., a qualitative lead who can frame and interpret quant, or a quant lead who can design and integrate qual)

● Ability to connect generative and evaluative insights to guide product strategy and decision-making

● Exceptional communication and storytelling skills to make complex insights clear and actionable

Preferred Qualifications

● Prior experience working in streaming, gaming, social platforms, or other high-engagement consumer ecosystems.

● Familiarity with behavioral science, human-computer interaction, and AI-driven personalization.

● Experience building research practices or frameworks at the Principal+ level.

Education

● Master’s or Ph.D. in Human-Computer Interaction, Cognitive Psychology, Anthropology, Behavioral Science, or related field (or equivalent practical experience).


The hiring range for this position in Santa Monica, CA is $184,300.00 to $247,100.00 per year and in New York, NY is $193,100.00 - $258,900.00 per year and in San Francisco, CA is $201,900.00 - $270,700.00. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.

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About Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology:

At Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology, we’re blending imagination and innovation to reimagine the ways people experience and engage with the world’s most beloved stories and products. Our work is wide-ranging and deeply sophisticated. We create amazing experiences, transform the future of media, and build products and platforms that enable the connection between people everywhere and the stories and sports they love.

Disney’s ability to marry world-class technology with one-of-a-kind creativity makes us unique. It is at the heart of our past, present, and future. We are Storytellers and Innovators. Creators and Builders. Entertainers and Engineers.

About The Walt Disney Company:

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise that includes three core business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Experiences. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to its preeminent name in the entertainment industry today, Disney proudly continues its legacy of creating world-class stories and experiences for every member of the family. Disney’s stories, characters and experiences reach consumers and guests from every corner of the globe. With operations in more than 40 countries, our employees and cast members work together to create entertainment experiences that are both universally and locally cherished.

This position is with Disney Streaming Technology LLC, which is part of a business we call Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology.

Disney Streaming Technology LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military or veteran status, medical condition, genetic information or disability, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state or local law. Disney champions a business environment where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a constantly evolving world.

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION FOR EMPLOYMENT APPLICATIONS

The Walt Disney Company and its Affiliated Companies are Equal Employment Opportunity employers and welcome all job seekers including individuals with disabilities and veterans with disabilities. If you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation in order to search for a job opening or apply for a position, visit the Disney candidate disability accommodations FAQs. We will only respond to those requests that are related to the accessibility of the online application system due to a disability.

Having technical issues? View the FAQs for help.

Hiring Process

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Explore this Location Santa Monica, CA

Basking in sunshine 280 days of the year and located just 20 minutes west of Downtown Los Angeles, Santa Monica is a walkable oasis teeming with outdoor adventures, luxury wellness spas and opportunities to kick back under blue skies and awe-inspiring sunsets.

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