Principal UX Researcher - AI & Developer Platforms

Job Overview
Arm is shaping the software foundations that bring intelligence from cloud to edge. As part of the AI & Developer Platforms team, you will lead high-impact UX research focused on how developers build, optimize and deploy AI-enabled software across Arm's ecosystem.
This role sits at the intersection of developer experience, AI platforms and hardware-aware software. You will study the surfaces developers use every day, including tools, GUIs, CLIs, APIs, documentation, runtimes, workflows and agent-mediated experiences. The goal is to help Arm define what developer experience should mean as developers set intent, supervise automation, evaluate confidence, debug failures and make tradeoffs across performance, deployment and ecosystem constraints.
This is an individual contributor role for a senior research leader who can shape ambiguous problem spaces, influence product direction and bring external developer, customer and partner insight into strategic decisions.
Responsibilities

• Direct strategic UX research across AI & Developer Platforms, ensuring well-defined priorities, high-quality delivery, and measurable product impact.

• Contribute to defining the future of AI-native developer experience as it reshapes how developers work across tools, GUIs, CLIs, APIs, documentation, runtimes and agent-mediated workflows.

• Identify high-value research questions and build pragmatic research approaches that inform product, platform and ecosystem decisions.

• Bring external developer, customer and partner insight into Arm's decision-making.

• Translate research findings into practical design principles, product implications and recommendations that improve developer confidence, adoption, efficiency and happiness.

• Represent developer needs in planning, roadmap and leadership forums, especially where hardware targets, runtimes, deployment environments, performance tradeoffs and ecosystem complexity shape the experience.

• Raise the quality of research practice by sharing methods, mentoring peers and helping teams make better evidence-based decisions.

Essential Skills and Experience

• Proven experience leading complex UX research initiatives in product, platform, developer tooling, AI or technical ecosystem environments.

• Strong command of qualitative and quantitative research methods, with the judgement to choose approaches that fit the ambiguity, risk and decision at hand.

• Experience crafting research strategy and influencing product direction without relying on formal authority.

• Ability to influence senior stakeholders through clear insight, sound judgement and business-relevant recommendations.

• Technical proficiency in developer tools, AI platforms, enterprise software or related ecosystems.

• Strong systems thinking, with the ability to connect developer needs, workflows, platforms, automation and ecosystem constraints.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for leadership, customer or partner-facing discussions.

Desired Skills and Experience

• Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Cognitive Psychology, UX Design, Engineering Design or a related field, or equivalent practical background.

• Background researching or defining AI-native user experiences, including how people set intent, supervise progress, evaluate confidence, recover from errors and collaborate with agentic systems.

• Familiarity with developer platforms, AI frameworks, runtimes, APIs, performance tooling, enterprise software or technical ecosystems.

• Track record of using external research, market signals, partner input or community engagement to shape product strategy.

• Ability to represent research externally through customer engagements, partner studies, industry forums, publications or conference talks.

• Hands-on use of AI to improve the speed, quality or scale of user research, including research planning, analysis, synthesis, insight generation, repository management or participant workflow support.

In Return:
You will have the opportunity to work with a world-class team and make a significant impact on the future of AI-native developer experiences. Join us in defining the future and crafting the software foundations that bring intelligence from cloud to edge!
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Salary
Seattle and Austin: $207,000 - 281,200
San Jose: $211,600 - $286,200
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Salary Range:
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We value people as individuals and our dedication is to reward people competitively and equitably for the work they do and the skills and experience they bring to Arm. Salary is only one component of Arm's offering. The total reward package will be shared with candidates during the recruitment and selection process.
Accommodations at Arm
At Arm, we want to build extraordinary teams. If you need an adjustment or an accommodation during the recruitment process, please email [email protected] . To note, by sending us the requested information, you consent to its use by Arm to arrange for appropriate accommodations. All accommodation or adjustment requests will be treated with confidentiality, and information concerning these requests will only be disclosed as necessary to provide the accommodation. Although this is not an exhaustive list, examples of support include breaks between interviews, having documents read aloud, or office accessibility. Please email us about anything we can do to accommodate you during the recruitment process.
Hybrid Working at Arm
Arm's approach to hybrid working is designed to create a working environment that supports both high performance and personal wellbeing. We believe in bringing people together face to face to enable us to work at pace, whilst recognizing the value of flexibility. Within that framework, we empower groups/teams to determine their own hybrid working patterns, depending on the work and the team's needs. Details of what this means for each role will be shared upon application. In some cases, the flexibility we can offer is limited by local legal, regulatory, tax, or other considerations, and where this is the case, we will collaborate with you to find the best solution. Please talk to us to find out more about what this could look like for you.
Equal Opportunities at Arm
Arm is an equal opportunity employer, committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal opportunities are available to all applicants and colleagues. We are a diverse organization of dedicated and innovative individuals, and don't discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.