Voice of the Customer 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.  Apollo.io  provides sales and marketing teams with easy access to verified contact data for over 270 million B2B contacts, 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.  Apollo.io  is growing rapidly, with 900% revenue growth since 2021, and is looking for world-class talent to keep building with us. 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 Voice of the Customer Researcher to play a key role in the upcoming phases of our journey. As a Voice of the Customer 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 trail blaze new approaches to interpreting data and drive meaningful impacts to our product & company strategy. Responsibilities: Conduct In-depth VOC Research: Execute comprehensive Voice of the Customer (VOC) research activities, such as usability testing, interviews, surveys, and ethnographic studies, to gain valuable insights into user behaviors, needs, and preferences that directly contribute to enhancing customer satisfaction metrics. Support Senior VOC Researchers: Collaborate with senior VOC researchers in planning, executing, and analyzing VOC research projects, providing assistance as needed to ensure the success of VOC-focused initiatives. VOC Data Collection and Analysis: Collect and analyze VOC data, synthesizing findings into clear and actionable insights. Work with data sets to identify patterns, trends, and opportunities for product improvement with a specific focus on VOC-driven enhancements. Collaborate with Cross-Functional Teams: Engage with product managers, designers, and developers to integrate VOC research findings into the product development process. Ensure alignment between user needs identified through VOC and business objectives. Usability Testing with a VOC Focus: Plan and facilitate usability testing sessions with a VOC emphasis, including recruitment, script development, and post-session analysis. Communicate VOC-driven findings and recommendations to the broader team. Persona and Journey Map Development with VOC Emphasis: Contribute significantly to the creation and maintenance of VOC-driven user personas and journey maps, establishing a user-centric framework for product development rooted in VOC insights. Stay Informed on VOC Trends: Keep abreast of VOC trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in customer experience research. Apply this knowledge to enhance VOC research methodologies and approaches within the startup environment. VOC Documentation and Reporting: Prepare clear and concise VOC research reports, presentations, and documentation to effectively communicate VOC findings and recommendations to stakeholders, focusing on customer-centric improvements. Iterative Testing and Feedback Loops with VOC Integration: Work within the agile development process to integrate iterative testing and feedback loops, ensuring a VOC-centered approach throughout the product development life cycle. Adaptability and Agility in VOC: Thrive in a fast-paced startup environment by being adaptable and agile in executing VOC initiatives. Be ready to pivot quickly based on evolving project requirements and business needs with a VOC perspective. User Education on VOC Insights: Share VOC insights with the broader team, fostering a culture of user empathy and understanding. Help educate team members on the importance of VOC research in shaping successful products.  Continuous Learning in VOC: Actively pursue professional development opportunities to enhance VOC research skills and stay current with industry advancements. Leverage learning to contribute to the growth and success of the startup, particularly in the realm of VOC. Qualifications Jack-of-all-research-method s: 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. What You’ll Love About Apollo Besides the great compensation package and culture that thrives in openness and excellence, we invest tremendous effort into developing our remote employees’ careers. The team embraces that we have a sole purpose: to help customers maximize their full revenue potential on the Apollo platform. This mindset opens us up to a lot of creative approaches to making customers successful at scale. You’ll be a significant part of a lean, remote team, empowered to really own your role as a proactive educator. We’re very collaborative at Apollo, so you’ll be able to lean on your teammates, even in adjacent departments, to help you achieve lofty goals. You’ll be supported and encouraged to experiment and take educated risks that lead to big wins. And, you’ll have a whole team remotely by your side to help you do it!