Lead, Consumer & Player Research and Insights

About Skillz If you want to build, own, and see your impact — join Skillz and level up your career. Skillz is the competition infrastructure platform that powers real-money, skill-based tournaments inside mobile games. We didn't just enter the competitive gaming market — we invented it. Founded in 2012 by entrepreneur and inventor Andrew Paradise, Skillz built the category from scratch: the patented matchmaking, identity, payments, fraud protection, and developer tools that make fair, real-stakes competition possible at scale. Skillz hosts billions of casual mobile gaming tournaments for millions of players worldwide and is revolutionizing the gaming industry. By fostering social competition within games, the Skillz platform helps developers build multi-million dollar franchises by enabling real-money activity in their games and providing operational support while connecting players through fair, enjoyable, and meaningful competition. Today, Skillz is part of FIRY — a global holding company operating at the intersection of gaming, AI-powered performance marketing, and developer infrastructure. Alongside RZR, our AI-driven ad network, and Beamable, our backend and LiveOps platform, Skillz sits at the center of a compounding data flywheel that no standalone competitor can replicate. 800,000+ daily tournaments. $7.5 billion in lifetime prizes paid to players. 90 million registered users. We're a high-conviction team of builders who came from Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Tesla, X, Roblox, Zynga, Samsung, Lyft, EA, Riot, Nexon, Gameskraft, PlayStation, Unity, Scopely, Tinder, Intel, Deloitte, EY, Twitch, DraftKings, Wynn Resorts, and more. We operate like a startup, hold ourselves to high standards, and move fast with purpose. If you want to work on infrastructure that matters — and be part of a team that fights for what it builds — Skillz is the right place. About the Role Skillz is looking for a Lead, Consumer & Player Research and Insights to build a deeper understanding of our players and bring their perspectives into critical business decisions. You will lead research across the player experience, translating player needs, motivations, and behaviors into actionable insights that inform product features, promotions, prize structures, and LiveOps. This is a highly cross-functional role that will help teams make more confident, player-centered decisions. Responsibilities Build and lead Skillz’s Consumer and Player Research function, establishing clear intake, prioritization, research standards, and an accessible insights repository. Design and execute quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method research to uncover player motivations, pain points, churn drivers, and emerging experience risks. Establish a recurring Voice of the Player program, including pulse surveys, player panels, targeted outreach, and segmentation across key player groups. Partner with Product, LiveOps, Analytics, and VIP teams to validate changes to features, promotions, prize structures, and player economics before launch. Translate research findings into clear recommendations that influence roadmaps, player-retention strategies, and business decisions. Develop and manage a high-performing research team, setting clear expectations while coaching analysts toward independent execution. Key Competencies Expertise in consumer insights, player research, UX research, and mixed-method research design. Strong ability to translate player feedback and behavioral data into practical business recommendations. Strategic judgment and confidence influencing high-stakes decisions in a fast-moving environment. Cross-functional collaboration with Product, LiveOps, Analytics, Marketing, and customer-facing teams. Clear executive communication, research storytelling, and stakeholder management. Strong people leadership, coaching, prioritization, and operational discipline. Experience 7+ years of experience in consumer insights, player research, UX research, market research…