---
title: 'Staff User Researcher - Consumer at Instacart'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/staff-user-researcher-consumer-instacart-canada-3n3qh97vqcfk'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-13'
---

# Staff User Researcher - Consumer at Instacart

- **Company:** Instacart
- **Location:** Canada
- **Compensation:** $189k–$200k
- **Work type:** remote
- **Posted:** 2026-08-19
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-13
- **Apply:** https://instacart.careers/job/?gh_jid=8141483

## Job description

We're transforming the grocery industry

At Instacart, we invite the world to share love through food because we believe everyone should have access to the food they love and more time to enjoy it together. Where others see a simple need for grocery delivery, we see exciting complexity and endless opportunity to serve the varied needs of our community. We work to deliver an essential service that customers rely on to get their groceries and household goods, while also offering safe and flexible earnings opportunities to Instacart Personal Shoppers.

Instacart has become a lifeline for millions of people, and we’re building the team to help push our shopping cart forward. If you’re ready to do the best work of your life, come join our table.

Instacart is a Flex First team

There’s no one-size fits all approach to how we do our best work. Our employees have the flexibility to choose where they do their best work—whether it’s from home, an office, or your favorite coffee shop—while staying connected and building community through regular in-person events. [Learn more about our flexible approach to where we work.](https://www.instacart.careers/flex-first)

## OVERVIEW

Every year, people across the world spend nearly one trillion dollars on groceries. But food is more than sustenance — it's identity, ritual, culture, and care. The way we eat shapes our health, our routines, and our relationships. Yet for most people, translating a desire to eat better or live healthier into actual, lasting habit change remains hard.

The Instacart Consumer team is at the forefront of reimagining how people relate to food at home. We're building new product experiences around meals, nutrition, and health that go beyond the transaction — helping people discover what to cook, build routines that stick, and feel confident in the choices they make for themselves and their families.

As a Staff Researcher on the Consumer team, you will shape the foundational understanding of how and why people change (or struggle to change) their food behaviors. You'll lead research that spans the full arc from generative discovery to iterative product testing, partnering closely with product, design, data science, marketing, and engineering to build products grounded in deep human insight. This is a high-visibility, high-impact role for a researcher who is as comfortable in the messiness of early-stage innovation as they are in the rigor of quantitative validation.

## ABOUT THE JOB

- Independently own and drive the research roadmap for the consumer innovation workstream, partnering across product, design, data science, and engineering leadership to surface where research can shape strategy, unlock new opportunities, and push innovation
- Lead generative, foundational research to understand how people think about food, nutrition, and health — including mental models, motivations, barriers, and behavioral triggers
- Apply behavioral science frameworks (e.g., habit loops, nudge theory, behavior change models) to frame research questions and surface insights that fuel creative problem-solving and unlock new directions for product and design
- Execute and oversee rigorous mixed-methods research: qualitative studies (in-depth interviews, ethnographic observation, diary studies, co-creation) alongside quantitative approaches (surveys, behavioral data analysis, concept testing at scale)
- Translate research into compelling, actionable narratives that move stakeholders to decisions, from early-stage opportunity framing to product launch validation
- Own and evolve the team's understanding of the consumer,  maintaining living knowledge bases, personas, and journey maps that the broader organization draws on
- Mentor junior researchers and contribute to the craft, culture, and standards of the Instacart research organization
- Be a visible advocate for the customer across the organization, influencing roadmap and strategy through the quality and clarity of insights

## ABOUT YOU

## Minimum Qualifications

- 8+ years conducting UX or consumer research in a product organization, with meaningful experience in early-stage innovation or new product development
- Background or deep familiarity with behavioral psychology, behavioral economics, or related fields - you understand the science of how habits form, persist, and change, and you bring that lens to your work
- Expertise across a wide range of qualitative methodologies: in-depth interviews, ethnographic and diary studies, usability testing, participatory design, and workshop facilitation
- Equally strong with quantitative methods: survey design and analysis, behavioral data interpretation, experimental design, and synthesis across mixed-methods studies
- Proven ability to lead foundational, generative research — going beyond feature validation to define the opportunity space and shape product strategy
- Exceptional storyteller: you turn nuanced human insight into crisp, compelling narratives that drive alignment and action at all levels of the organization
- Experience working with or alongside data science teams to triangulate behavioral patterns from usage data with qualitative findings
- Track record of influencing product roadmaps, not just informing them — you know how to position research to land with impact
- Fluency using AI tools to accelerate iterative research cycles — from faster synthesis and screener development to rapid concept testing — while maintaining methodological rigor.
- Advanced degree preferred (Psychology, Behavioral Science, Cognitive Science, Human-Computer Interaction, Anthropology, or a related field); Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required

## Preferred Qualifications

- Experience in marketplaces, e-commerce, grocery, CPG, or subscription products where lifecycle, personalization, and repeat behavior are critical
- Research experience on high-visibility consumer surfaces such as home feeds, personalized browse, and merchandising placements — including how users navigate density, information hierarchy, and above/below-the-fold content
- Background researching and informing onboarding, activation, and retention journeys that build habits, loyalty, and trust
- Familiarity with AI-powered, agentic, or conversational product experiences and the ability to study how users engage with them — including novel methods for researching AI interactions
- Ability to influence outcomes on multi-team initiatives without direct authority — you know how to build the coalitions that make research land
- Familiarity with meal planning, nutrition, health goals, or dietary restriction management and how they intersect with household grocery behavior

#LI-Remote Instacart provides highly market-competitive compensation and benefits in each location where our employees work. This role is remote and the base pay range for a successful candidate is dependent on their permanent work location. Please review our Flex First remote work policy [here](https://instacart.careers/flex-first/). Currently, we are only hiring in the following provinces: Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia.

Offers may vary based on many factors, such as candidate experience and skills required for the role. Additionally, this role is eligible for a new hire equity grant as well as annual refresh grants. Please read more about our benefits offerings [here](https://instacart.careers/taste-of-instacart/).

For Canadian based candidates, the base pay ranges for a successful candidate are listed below.

CAN $189,000—$199,500 CAD

## About Instacart

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Instacart is the leading online grocery platform in North America, offering same-day delivery and pickup services from over 700 retail partners.
- **Entity Type**: Private (venture-backed)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, USA
- **Founded**: 2012
- **Founders**: Max Mullen (co-founder) [instacart.careers](https://www.instacart.careers/flex-first)

## Core Business
- Primary industries: Online grocery delivery, internet & web services
- Target customers: B2C consumers; also B2B partnerships with retailers and brands
- Mission: “Our mission is to create a world where everyone has access to the food they love and more time to enjoy it together.” [glassdoor.com](https://www.glassdoor.com/Overview/Working-at-Instacart-EI_IE714486.11,20.htm)

## Products & Services
- **Instacart Platform**: Same-day delivery and pickup from grocery stores, superstores, and local shops. Customers order via mobile app or website.
- **Instacart+**: Premium membership offering reduced delivery fees, lower service fees, and special perks.
- **Retail Partnerships**: Instacart powers e‑commerce and fulfillment for over 700 retailers across the U.S. and Canada.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available (private company).
- **Key Metric**: Annual revenue not disclosed; employee count between 1,001 and 5,000 per Glassdoor. [glassdoor.com](https://www.glassdoor.com/Overview/Working-at-Instacart-EI_IE714486.11,20.htm)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not listed in provided sources – state “Not publicly available” per search results.
- **Growth Signals**: 47% of job seekers rate their interview experience positively; 59% of employees would recommend the company. [glassdoor.com](https://www.glassdoor.com/Overview/Working-at-Instacart-EI_IE714486.11,20.htm) The company highlights a “high-impact environment” where you can “do in two years what might take five at another company.” [instacart.careers](https://www.instacart.careers/taste-of-instacart)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Network effects**: Largest online grocery platform in North America with deep integrations across major retailers.
- **Scale & brand recognition**: Highly trusted name in grocery delivery, with a large base of both consumers and shoppers.
- **Flex First model**: A remote-friendly culture that allows hiring top talent across the U.S. and Canada, reducing geographic constraints.

## Strategic Focus
- **Flex First & distributed work**: Empowering employees to work from home or offices, with periodic “Team Jams” for in‑person collaboration. [instacart.careers](https://www.instacart.careers/flex-first)
- **Continued platform growth**: Expanding retailer partnerships and improving the shopping experience for customers, shoppers, and brands.
- **Employee experience**: Investing in learning & development, wellness, and community impact programs to attract and retain talent.

## Why Work Here
- **Flex First philosophy**: Employees can work remotely from anywhere in the U.S. (excluding Alaska and territories) or Canada (Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia) with no mandatory return-to-office date. Offices remain open for optional use. [instacart.careers](https://www.instacart.careers/flex-first)
- **Comprehensive benefits** (from the “Taste of Instacart” page): [instacart.careers](https://www.instacart.careers/taste-of-instacart)
  - Flexible time off and “Four Year Fill‑Up” (four consecutive weeks of leave around the 4‑year mark)
  - Family‑building benefits (fertility, adoption, surrogacy support)
  - Learning & development programs with an annual allowance
  - 401(k) matching in the U.S. / RRSP in Canada, student loan assistance, financial planning
  - Work‑from‑home stipend and internet reimbursement
  - Monthly “Treat Yourself” stipend for wellness or personal care
  - Mental and physical wellness programs, medical/dental/vision coverage
  - Free Instacart+ membership
  - Community volunteer programs (Instacart Serves, donation matching, “Carrot Credits”)
- **Culture**: 59% of employees on Glassdoor would recommend the company; Glassdoor ratings show 3.5★ overall, with 3.3★ for culture & values and 3.6★ for career opportunities. [glassdoor.com](https://www.glassdoor.com/Overview/Working-at-Instacart-EI_IE714486.11,20.htm) The company describes itself as a place where you can “shape the career that nourishes you.”

## Sources
1. [Glassdoor – Instacart Overview](https://www.glassdoor.com/Overview/Working-at-Instacart-EI_IE714486.11,20.htm)
2. [Instacart Careers – Home](https://www.instacart.careers/)
3. [Instacart Careers – Flex First](https://www.instacart.careers/flex-first)
4. [Instacart Careers – Taste of Instacart](https://www.instacart.careers/taste-of-instacart)

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