Dropbox is a Virtual First company. For this role, we are currently only authorized to hire candidates from the following provinces: Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Saskatchewan.

Company Description Dropbox isn’t just a workplace—it’s a living lab for more enlightened ways of working. We're a global community of bold visionaries and resourceful doers who are shaping the future of Dropbox—and with it the future of work. Our Virtual First model combines the autonomy of a distributed workplace with the power of human connection, making space for both meaningful work and meaningful relationships. With our start-up mindset and enterprise-level opportunities, you can be who you are and grow into who you’re meant to be. Here, you can own your impact to make work more intuitive, joyful, and human—for you as a Dropboxer and for hundreds of millions of people worldwide. If you're ready to push boundaries—and yourself— Dropbox is ready for you.

Team Description The Dropbox Design & Research Team creates experiences that make work feel effortless. We're problem solvers and innovators, combining research insights with thoughtful design to craft solutions that make users’ lives easier. Through iterative design and deep user research, we uncover, understand, and solve fundamental problems that impede enlightened work. We don't just make things look good—we make complex technologies feel intuitive and joyful by putting human needs at the center. If you're passionate about creating products that are equally thoughtful, powerful and delightful, join our Design & Research team. Areas of work include Research Program Management, Customer Access Programs (CAPS), User Experience Design, User Research, Visual Design, Interaction Design, Design Systems, Accessibility Design, Content Design, and Prototyping.

Role Description As a Staff Researcher for Dash, you will be instrumental in shaping the product and organizational strategy for one of Dropbox’s most ambitious bets. You’ll lead strategic research initiatives and programs that illuminate new problem spaces, define long-term vision, and inspire product innovation across multiple teams.

This is a role focusing on identifying opportunities that expand the value, adoption, and scalability of Dash in a rapidly evolving landscape. Your work will extend beyond informing individual product decisions, and will guide how Dash evolves, scales, and delivers AI-powered experiences that redefine how knowledge workers discover, connect, and act on content.

In this dynamic and fast-paced environment, you’ll operate as both a craft leader and strategic thought partner, embedding deeply with cross-functional stakeholders across research, design, product, engineering, sales, and marketing. You’ll be expected to influence team-level execution and executive decision-making alike, ensuring Dash builds experiences that are deeply useful, magical, and grounded in human needs. Your work will influence Dash’s offerings and help create magical, reliable, and delightful experiences that redefine knowledge work.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex, multi-quarter research initiatives and programs that influence product and business strategy across Dash and adjacent areas.
• Drive strategic thinking across product, design, and leadership teams, using research to shape vision, goals, and product architecture.
• Identify foundational and emergent research opportunities that align with company priorities and fuel long-term innovation.
• Own and evolve research practices, mentoring other researchers, championing methodological excellence, and elevating research quality across the org.
• Deliver high-signal insights through rigorous triangulation across qual, quant, and behavioral data.
• Proactively influence decision-making at the executive and cross-functional leadership levels through compelling synthesis and narrative craft.
• Build enduring partnerships across product, design, engineering, sales, and marketing, fostering alignment and shared understanding.
• Represent Dash Research externally, contributing to thought leadership and helping Dropbox attract and retain top research talent.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in UX Research, with a proven track record of driving product and strategic decisions at scale.
• Deep fluency in a broad range of research qualitative and qualitative methodologies across the product lifecycle, from early generative to evaluative and longitudinal.
• Demonstrated experience in shaping product vision, working across complex product ecosystems or B2B/enterprise environments.
• Skilled at operating in 0→1 contexts, rapidly synthesizing ambiguity into clarity and direction.
• Strong executive presence and storytelling ability, and able to influence through insight and empathy across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Actively mentor peers, contribute to team rituals, hiring, and foster a collaborative research culture

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Cognitive Science, Psychology, or a related field.
• Familiarity with emerging research practices (e.g., AI-integrated research, simulation testing, metrics-driven validation).
• Experience building research functions or leading strategy in fast-scaling orgs or innovation labs.
• Background in complex industries such as AI, knowledge management, SaaS platforms, or data systems.

Compensation Canada Pay Range

$166,600—$225,400 CAD

The range listed above is the expected annual salary/OTE for this role, subject to change.

Salary/OTE is just one component of Dropbox’s total rewards package. All regular employees are also eligible for the corporate bonus program or a sales incentive (target included in OTE) as well as stock in the form of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs).

Benefits Dropbox is committed to investing in the holistic health and wellbeing of all Dropboxers and their families. Our benefits and perks programs include, but are not limited to:

• Flexible PTO/Paid Time Off, paid holidays, Volunteer Time Off, and more, allowing you time to unplug, unwind, and refresh
• Perks Allowance to be used on what matters most to you, whether that’s wellness, learning and development, food and groceries, and much more
• Mental health and wellness benefits
• Monthly Internet Allowance
• Intern Social Stipend
• Annual Emerging Talent Summit, travel and hotel accommodations provided

Additional Benefits Details Are Available Upon Request.

• Where group plans are not available, allowances may be provided
• Benefit, amount, and type are dependent on geographical location, based upon applicable law or company policy

Dropbox supports responsible use of AI for preparation, but misrepresentation of skills or experience is not permitted. See our AI philosophy.

Dropbox is an equal opportunity employer. We are a welcoming place for everyone, and we do our best to make sure all people feel supported and connected at work. A big part of that effort is our support for members and allies of internal groups like Asians at Dropbox, BlackDropboxers, enABLE, TODOS (Latinx), Pridebox (LGBTQ), Vets at Dropbox, and Women at Dropbox.