Researcher (contract)

**Researcher (Contract)** *Please note that this is a contract role providing services to Microsoft through external staffing partners of Allegis Global Solutions. If you are selected for this role, you will be employed by AGS and will not be an employee of Microsoft.* **Summary:** This team supports a broad portfolio of data, analytics, and business intelligence products across Azure Data. This vendor User Researcher III role will support research efforts for a team focused on Real\-Time Intelligence, Fabric IQ, and Observability. The person in this role will help the team execute research that improves understanding of the needs, behaviors, and workflows of data professionals and other technical users. The ideal candidate will bring strong research execution skills, attention to detail, and a genuine interest in the data and analytics space, with curiosity about the tools, workflows, and challenges faced by modern data teams. **Job Responsibilities:** * Support the planning and execution of qualitative research studies, including in\-depth interviews to better understand user workflows, unmet needs, and experience gaps. * Conduct and support qualitative research efforts, including interview moderation, usability testing, and synthesis of open\-ended feedback, to generate actionable insights about technical user needs and behaviors. * Help execute qualitative research using methods such as semi\-structured interviews, contextual inquiry, and usability studies to uncover how data professionals work, where they encounter friction, and what they need from the product experience. * Support participant recruitment and scheduling, study logistics, note\-taking, and other operational aspects of research execution. * Analyze and summarize research findings into clear outputs such as notes, themes, presentations, and summary reports. * Help maintain organized research documentation, repositories, and supporting materials so insights can be shared and referenced by the broader team. * Provide support across multiple research projects, helping ensure high\-quality deliverables and timely execution. * Assist in identifying patterns in user feedback and surfacing insights that help inform product and design decisions. Support the team in conducting research in compliance with privacy, consent, and other applicable requirements. **Requirements:** * Bachelor’s degree in Human\-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Information Science, Market Research, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. * 4\-6 years of experience in user research, UX research, market research, or a related field. * Experience researching enterprise, technical, or data\-focused products is a strong plus. * Strong verbal and written communication skills. Strong organizational skills and attention to detail. * Ability to work independently, manage time effectively, and support multiple research efforts at once. * Experience with core user re