Role Overview

Datadog, the leading cloud monitoring and security platform, is seeking a Director, User Research - Product Design to lead our research practice into its next evolution. Based in New York, New York, this leadership role combines human insights, quantitative depth, and AI-driven synthesis to build customer-centric products that drive measurable business impact.

Datadog helps engineering teams visualize, troubleshoot, and optimize complex distributed systems at scale. As Director of User Research, you'll transform our dense technical observability signals into intuitive, human-centric experiences. This is a rare opportunity to build a lean, high-impact research team while embedding research culture across our entire design and product organization.

Move beyond tactical usability testing to strategic research leadership that influences product roadmaps, business metrics, and Datadog's position as the premier observability platform for cloud-native applications.

Key Responsibilities at Datadog

• Lead team growth: Recruit, manage, and mentor top-tier researchers pushing the boundaries of user research methodologies.
• Establish mixed-methods practice: Blend quantitative product telemetry ("the what") with qualitative insights ("the why") for comprehensive customer understanding.
• Scale research organization-wide: Create scalable inquiry frameworks and train designers/PMs to conduct deep, insight-driven research.
• Demonstrate business impact: Take ownership of key metrics influenced by research, proving ROI through strategic recommendations.
• Pioneer AI research tools: Implement custom GPTs, synthetic personas, and AI synthesis to accelerate research delivery.
• Cross-functional collaboration: Partner with Head of Design, engineering, and product leaders to ground insights in technical reality and user needs.
• Embed research in product lifecycle: Make customer insights a continuous input to Datadog's agile development process.
• Cultivate research culture: Transform Datadog into a research-first organization focused on customer pain points and motivations.
• Strategic influence: Elevate research from project support to driving product strategy and business outcomes.

Qualifications & Requirements

The ideal candidate brings 10-15+ years of user research or product design experience, with proven success building and leading high-performing research teams. You excel in both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, comfortable analyzing product telemetry alongside conducting in-depth customer interviews.

• Track record moving research beyond usability testing to influence product direction and business metrics
• Deep understanding of modern software development, cloud infrastructure, and DevOps observability
• Experience with AI-powered research tools and excitement about their transformative potential
• Strong leadership skills to establish research culture across technical organizations
• Ability to navigate complex technical domains while maintaining human-centered focus

Datadog values diverse backgrounds. If you're passionate about technology, customer-centric design, and cloud observability, we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every qualification.

Salary & Benefits

Salary Range: $220,000 - $320,000 USD (base salary, plus equity and variable compensation). Actual compensation considers experience, skills, and qualifications.

• Equity Package: New hire RSUs + Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)
• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, vision + free global mental health benefits (age 6+)
• Financial: 401(k) with match, competitive commuter benefits
• Professional Growth: Continuous training, career pathing, mentor programs
• Work/Life: Unlimited PTO, fitness reimbursements, flexible work options
• Culture: Inclusive Community Guilds, Inclusion Talks, networking programs

Why Join Datadog?

Datadog (NASDAQ: DDOG) delivers rare growth + profitability in SaaS, powering digital transformation for the world's largest enterprises. Our observability platform breaks down silos across cloud infrastructure, applications, and security.

• Work with cutting-edge cloud monitoring technologies used by Fortune 500 companies
• Shape the future of user research in technical domains
• Unlimited growth potential in a profitable, high-growth public company
• Collaborate with world-class engineers, designers, and product leaders
• Make immediate impact on products serving 20,000+ customers globally

Join a company built by engineers, for engineers - where research leaders drive strategic product decisions at cloud scale.

How to Apply

Ready to lead user research at the intersection of cloud observability, AI, and customer experience? Apply now to join Datadog's New York team. Include your resume, portfolio of research impact, and examples of business outcomes driven by your work.

Datadog is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.