Research Associate

🚀 Join the Future of Commerce with Whatnot!

Whatnot is the largest live shopping platform in North America and Europe to buy, sell, and discover the things you love. Whether it's trading cards, fashion, electronics, or live plants, our sellers are building real businesses across hundreds of categories. We're building live commerce at a scale that's never been done in the West, and there's no playbook to copy. The people here are shaping how an entirely new industry develops.

As a remote co-located team, we're inspired by our [values](https://www.whatnot.com/careersprinciples) and anchored in hubs across the US, UK, Ireland, Poland, Germany, and Australia. We move fast, stay close to our users, and focus on the work that drives the most impact.

We're one of the [fastest growing marketplaces](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/28/business/dealbook/whatnot-livestream-shopping-fundraise.html) and were recently named the [1 Best Startup Employer in America](https://www.forbes.com/lists/americas-best-startup-employers/) by Forbes. Check out the latest Whatnot updates on our [news](https://blog.teamwhatnot.com/) and [engineering blogs](https://medium.com/whatnot-engineering) and join us as we enable anyone to turn their passion into a business and bring people together through commerce.

💻 Role

We’re seeking a Research Associate who will help drive strategic decisions by conducting rigorous research studies, analyzing data, and delivering actionable insights. You’ll collaborate with Product, Trust & Risk, Strategy & Ops, and other cross‑functional partners to understand user behaviors, uncover seller and buyer needs, and support innovation in our rapidly growing marketplace.

You will:

- Support design and execution of research initiatives: competitive deep dives, market research, surveys, interviews, and user feedback studies.

- Collect and analyze data to interpret trends and help clarify community and business problems.

- Produce clear, compelling reports, visualizations, and presentations to inform product, policy, and strategy.

- Partner cross-functionally with teams such as Trust & Risk, Product, and Operations to ensure insights translate into impact.

- Conduct literature reviews and secondary research to contextualize findings within broader market or industry trends.

- Assist with development of research plans, measurement frameworks, and post‑study retrospectives.

- Ensure research processes meet ethical standards and data integrity best practices.

- Own research projects end-to-end by taking initiative, iterating quickly, and delivering with quality.

We offer flexibility to work from home or from one of our global office hubs, and we value in-person time for planning, problem-solving, and connection. Team members in this role must live within commuting distance of our SF, LA, SEA, or NY hub.

👋 You

People who do well at Whatnot tend to be comfortable figuring things out as they go, biased toward action, and genuinely curious about what they're building. They care more about outcomes than credit and stay close to the product and the people using it.

As our next Research Associate, you should have 1–3 years of experience in research, data analytics, market insights, product research, or a related field, plus:

- A bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent experience. An advanced degree is welcome.

- Experience with qualitative and quantitative research methods, such as survey design, interview moderation, and analyzing customer or market data.

- Proficiency with Excel and familiarity with research platforms like Qualtrics or SurveyMonkey. SQL and visualization tools like Tableau or Looker are a plus.

- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to turn complex findings into clear, useful insights.

- Excellent attention to detail, organization, and project management skills.

- Fluency with generative AI tools t