People Research Scientist

Wealthfront is looking for a People Research Scientist to join our Organizational Performance group and study how employees perform, what enables success, and what environments and practices are most conducive to development. You will work closely with People Operations leadership and function leaders across the company

At Wealthfront, we ask a lot from our managers and senior individual contributors, who develop the people around them while contributing to the advancement of their craft. You will study their career progression to identify what helps them grow, with specific focus on the unique needs of each group, managers and individual contributors. Rather than just delivering insights, you will collaborate to turn findings into practices and programs. When your research points to a solution, you will work with peers and leaders to design a program, launch it, and measure its impact.

A successful hire on this team will be a strong researcher, writer, and collaborator. Expertise in the research of individual and team performance will guide your efforts as an in-house researcher. Most of this job's output will consist of research briefs, program plans, training materials, and recommendations to leaders. Implementing new practices and programs will require close partnership and skillful collaboration. The ideal candidate is motivated to push the boundaries of employee and organizational performance; is motivated to experiment and innovate; and resonates with Wealthfront’s mission to improve our clients’ financial futures.

Responsibilities

• Run qualitative and small-N quantitative research on performance, career progression, manager effectiveness, and retention, using interviews, focus groups, surveys, and our people data.
• Collaborate to turn findings into programs. Design them and launch them with function leaders, measure their results, and iterate to improve.
• Partner with People Operations leadership on organizational design, leveling, and career pathways, and set clear expectations for success at each level for individual contributors and managers.
• Build the first-time manager program that turns strong ICs into confident Coaches, and the early career pipeline that grows our next generation of homegrown talent.
• Help launch a mentorship program that accelerates employee development.
• Strengthen our assessment process to improve how we attract, develop and retain top talent.
• Analyze the data behind talent decisions, and present findings to senior leadership with clear recommendations.

Qualifications

• A PhD in industrial-organizational psychology, organizational behavior, sociology, quantitative psychology, behavioral economics, or a related field. We are just as glad to meet candidates graduating now as those with a couple of years of industry experience.
• Evidence of putting theory into practice: published research or a dissertation with practical business implications, a program you designed and put into practice, or an analysis that changed how an organization operates.
• Depth in research methods, including interview and survey design, qualitative data analysis (coding), and some statistical analysis.
• A commitment to evidence-based practice, capable of separating scientifically sound methodology from superficial industry trends.
• Working proficiency in R or Python. Familiarity with SQL is a plus (or a strong willingness to learn it).
• A preference for building the program yourself over handing your findings off to someone else.
• Readiness to support People Ops leadership in advising senior leaders on what the data does and does not support.
• Clear writing across research briefs, program plans, and company communications.
• Discretion with sensitive employee data.
• An affinity for personal finance and investing, and the appetite to become an expert in our industry.

Estimated annual salary range: $140,000 - $155,000 USD,equity and a discretionary bonus.

Plus comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k) with company match, an Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), generous time off, parental leave, wellness reimbursements, professional development, and an employee investing discount.

About Wealthfront

Here at Wealthfront, our mission is to create a financial system that favors people, not institutions. We do this by leveraging technology to build powerful, low-cost, and easy-to-use financial products that help modern investors grow and manage their money.

We started with the ambition to transform the investment advisory business. By automating strategies typically reserved for the wealthy, we unlocked access to high quality investment advice for a digitally-native generation that was underserved by traditional institutions. Since then, we've expanded to a full suite of products designed to help our clients turn their savings into long-term wealth, including:

• A Cash Account that, through our partner banks, offers one of the highest annual percentage yields on uninvested cash in the industry, while providing instant and secure access to your money with no account fees and a full suite of checking features.
• A zero-commission Stock Investing Account with 50+ handpicked collections that help DIY investors discover new companies and make smarter investing decisions.
• Multiple automated investing portfolios designed to unlock tax savings through sophisticated strategies like fixed income, tax-loss harvesting, and direct indexing—which we offer at industry-leading low costs and accessible minimums.

Our award-winning products have attracted over 1 million clients who trust us with more than $100 billion of their hard earned savings—and we're far from done. If you’re inspired to help us reshape the financial industry as we create our next chapter, let’s talk!

For more information please visit We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Please review our candidate privacy notice.

Disclosures: All investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Tax-Loss Harvesting benefits vary depending on the client's entire tax and investment profile. Wealthfront doesn’t provide tax advice. The Cash Account is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC (“Wealthfront Brokerage”), Member of FINRA/SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. We convey funds to partner banks who accept and maintain deposits, provide the variable interest rate, and provide access to FDIC pass-through insurance. Investment management and advisory services–which are not FDIC insured–are provided by Wealthfront Advisers LLC (“Wealthfront Advisers”), an SEC-registered investment adviser. The checking features offered in the Wealthfront Cash Account are provided by Green Dot Bank, Member FDIC. Fees and Eligibility requirements may apply to certain checking features, please see the Deposit Account Agreement for details.

By “award-winning products”, please refer to for more information. Wealthfront Corporation oversees Total Client Assets and Trusted Clients through Wealthfront Advisers and Wealthfront Brokerage. Wealthfront Advisers and Wealthfront Brokerage are wholly owned subsidiaries of Wealthfront Corporation.