Distinguished Researcher, DX

Overview About DX DX is one of the fastest-growing SaaS companies in the country, helping engineering leaders build high-performing, productive teams. Our platform delivers actionable insights into developer experience and productivity - empowering companies like Netflix, Uber, Dell, Pfizer, and Vanguard to operate at their best.

DX has grown from a bootstrapped startup into a category-defining company with a customer base that spans some of the most sophisticated engineering organizations in the world. We recently closed on our acquisition by Atlassian , which means more resources behind our mission, faster product innovation, and an even bigger impact for the teams who rely on us.

How We Work At DX Companies have all kinds of culture slides. At DX, we want to be very clear about what we care about and how we judge performance. For us, it all boils down to individual mastery, becoming the best at your craft. Those who exhibit this quality will thrive here and be unduly rewarded. We can’t control outcomes due to competitors, the economy, decision-makers, etc., but what we can control is doing our jobs at the highest level possible.

How the DX Research team works The DX Research team’s mission is to advance how the world understands and improves developer productivity. We turn data, research, and real-world stories into actionable insights that help engineering leaders make better decisions — and in doing so, reinforce DX as the trusted source of truth in developer productivity.

We sit at the intersection of academic research, industry practice, and product reality. Our work shapes how DX builds its products, how DX and Atlassian talk about developer productivity, and how engineering leaders around the world think about their teams.

How we ship Our Guiding Principles

• #1 goal = deliver insight. Every piece should give leaders something new: an answer, validation, a perspective, or an idea that helps them think or act differently. If it feels obvious or like common sense to our audience, go deeper or find a sharper angle.
• Make it worth paying for. If you wouldn’t pay for it, they certainly wouldn’t either. Push for depth and usefulness. Audience attention is everything; publish something that lacks insight, and you start eroding the trust we’ve built.
• Do the work for them. Go the extra mile to make insights actionable. Provide templates, frameworks, maturity models, and real-world examples that leaders can apply directly.
• Get external feedback. For every major piece, we gather feedback from credible industry leaders and practitioners. Outside perspective strengthens our ideas and ensures they resonate beyond our own walls. If all you’re getting is light, positive feedback, find tougher reviewers.

The way we write (our voice) is an extension of DX’s brand:

• Grounded in research. Our product and recommended practices are shaped by what’s proven — through both published research and what we observe across hundreds of real-world teams.
• Opinionated. We have a clear, informed perspective on how developer productivity should be measured and improved.
• Transparent and balanced. We’re confident in our approach, but open to updating our opinions. We share what we’re seeing, testing, and refining along the way.
• Clear and concise. We choose our words carefully. Every piece should deliver insight, useful commentary, or recommendations without unnecessary theory or detours.
• Never “cute.” We aim to educate, not entertain. Our tone is clear, human, and professional. Never whimsical, cheesy, funny, or cute.

About the role We’re looking for a Distinguished Researcher (remote - US) to help define the industry’s understanding of developer productivity and the impact of AI on software engineering.

In This Role, You Will

• Lead original, high-signal research that combines quantitative data, qualitative insights, and real-world stories from hundreds of engineering organizations.
• Develop and evolve frameworks, models, and measurement approaches that become reference points for CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and industry analysts.
• Produce flagship reports and essays that move the conversation forward and shape how leaders talk about developer productivity and AI.
• You’ll operate as a top-of-ladder IC: setting direction for major research themes, partnering closely with product, marketing, and sales, and representing DX and Atlassian in the broader industry.

Responsibilities Responsibilities What you’ll ship Each Member Of This Team Is Expected To Produce

• Two “small ships” per month – quick, high-signal pieces that capture one strong insight or idea. For example:

• An insight or trend we’re seeing in the data (e.g., how AI is changing specific workflows).
• Key takeaways from a panel, webinar, or interview with senior engineering leaders.
• A framework or mental model for how to think about a relevant problem (e.g., measuring developer productivity in hybrid teams).

• One “big ship” per quarter – a flagship piece that combines multiple data points, stories, and perspectives into something that reframes how leaders think about a problem. That might include:

• A major AI Impact Report sharing insights and trends from data across hundreds of companies.
• Regular updates with commentary to our industry benchmarks.
• A deep-dive framework that becomes the default way leaders talk about a complex topic.
• A compilation of “small ships” that come together in a cohesive guide on a topic that our audience wants help with or answers to.

What you’ll need to be comfortable with Research and insight generation

• Leading end-to-end research initiatives on developer productivity, developer experience, and the impact of AI in engineering organizations.
• Designing and interpreting quantitative and qualitative studies using DX’s data, customer interviews, and external benchmarks.
• Synthesizing findings into clear, opinionated insights that are both academically credible and practically useful.

Writing and storytelling

• Writing clear, concise, and compelling reports, essays, and briefs that senior engineering leaders read and act on.
• Collaborating with editors, designers, and marketers to turn research into polished, high-impact artifacts.
• Representing DX’s research in external channels (talks, panels, podcasts, briefings) as needed.

Collaboration and distribution

• Partnering with customers and members of the community to understand what they’re facing to identify and unlock new research opportunities using DX’s data.
• Working closely with marketing and sales to ensure our research is being distributed to the right people in the right ways.

Qualifications Who you are

• Deep experience (often 10+ years) in developer productivity, software engineering research, or closely related fields – e.g., engineering leadership, developer experience, socio-technical systems, or software metrics.
• Proven track record of publishing high-impact work: industry reports, academic papers, widely read essays, or frameworks that have influenced how organizations operate.
• Comfortable operating at the level of CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and Heads of Platform/DevEx – you can earn their trust and withstand their scrutiny.
• Strong quantitative and qualitative research skills; you know how to separate signal from noise and avoid misleading conclusions.
• Exceptional writer and communicator: you can explain complex ideas in a way that is clear, concise, and actionable for busy leaders.
• Opinionated but open-minded: you’re willing to take a stand, but you update your views when the evidence changes.
• Low ego, high ownership: you care more about the quality and impact of the work than about credit.

It’s Nice If You Have

• Experience working inside large engineering organizations or platforms teams.
• Prior roles as a Field CTO, Deputy CTO, Principal Engineer, or similar.
• Experience collaborating with product and go-to-market teams to turn research into product and narrative.
• A network of senior engineering leaders, researchers, and practitioners you can tap for feedback and collaboration.

You’re Looking For a Role Where You Can

• Shape how an entire industry thinks about developer productivity and AI.
• Do deep, rigorous work that is actually read and used by senior leaders.
• Operate with a high degree of autonomy while partnering closely with our customers and audience members to define where the research needs to go.
• See your frameworks and ideas show up in how Atlassian, DX, and our customers run their engineering organizations.

Benefits & Perks Atlassian offers a wide range of perks and benefits designed to support you, your family and to help you engage with your local community. Our offerings include health and wellbeing resources, paid volunteer days, and so much more. To learn more, visit go.atlassian.com/perksandbenefits . About Atlassian At Atlassian, we're motivated by a common goal: to unleash the potential of every team. Our software products help teams all over the planet and our solutions are designed for all types of work. Team collaboration through our tools makes what may be impossible alone, possible together.

We believe that the unique contributions of all Atlassians create our success. To ensure that our products and culture continue to incorporate everyone's perspectives and experience, we never discriminate based on race, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, or marital, veteran, or disability status. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

To provide you the best experience, we can support with accommodations or adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process. Simply inform our Recruitment team during your conversation with them.

To learn more about our culture and hiring process, visit go.atlassian.com/crh .