Research Data Analyst - 6 Month CONTRACT

Insomniac Games is looking for a new Research Data Analyst. In this role, the Research Data Analyst is part of the User Research team and partners with Sony Game Analytics to transform player data into insights that inform actionable next steps for game development. This role embodies a developer-centered analysis mindset—moving beyond data reporting to uncover meaning behind the metrics. By developing a deep understanding of game systems, development tools, and player behavior, the Research Data Analyst provides explanations for why patterns emerge, identifies red flags, and investigates the root causes behind the numbers.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Analytics & Insights

• Conduct in-depth analysis of player behavior metrics and feedback to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities across gameplay and systems.

• Develop and maintain dashboards in tools such as Looker to communicate findings and progress against goals.

• Partner with gameplay programmers to design and maintain event dictionaries, ensuring consistent telemetry data definitions.

• Identify objectives and queries for data collection across development (SPINT) and post-launch (PROD) databases.

• Translate complex data sets into clear, actionable insights that guide design, feature prioritization, and project strategy.

Research Collaboration

• Collaborate with user research teams to integrate quantitative data with qualitative findings, strengthening overall player experience insights.

• Participate in user research studies to understand player behaviors firsthand and identify new tracking opportunities.

• Support creation of research reports, visualizations, and presentations that combine telemetry and player study results.

• Provide expertise on data collection, telemetry architecture, and analytic methodologies to ensure quality and accuracy of player data.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Act as a liaison between Game Analytics, User Research, and Development teams, ensuring analytic deliverables align with studio and project needs.

• Coordinate with Development Support and PSSQA to verify telemetry accuracy and relevance.

• Communicate analytic updates to research schedules and dependencies with partner teams.

• Evaluate new data sources, tools, and workflows to continuously improve analytic capabilities.

Developer-Centered Analysis

• Develop a deep familiarity with game systems, mechanics, and design goals to provide meaningful context for data trends and player behavior.

• Foster collaboration with development teams to gain a comprehensive understanding of gameplay systems and tools.

• Use contextual awareness to interpret why patterns occur in the data and to uncover underlying causes affecting player experience.

• Identify and communicate early indicators or warning signs within data that could affect design outcomes or player satisfaction.

Qualifications

Experience:

• 3–5 years of experience in data analysis, analytics engineering, UX research analytics, or related applied research.

• Prior experience working with telemetry data and game analytics pipelines is strongly preferred.

Skills and Abilities

• Strong statistics and data analysis skills (e.g., SQL, R, Python, or similar).

• Proficiency in mathematical concepts such as probability, statistical inference, and fundamentals of geometry and trigonometry.

• Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.

• Proficient in reading, analyzing, and interpreting scientific and technical journals, financial reports, and legal documents.

• Strong writing skills for creating speeches and articles that conform to prescribed styles and formats.

• Ability to effectively present information to top management and key stakeholders.

• Capable of solving practical problems and dealing with a variety of concrete variables in situations with limited standardization.

• Emphasis in psychology, human-computer interaction, human factors, or a related field is ideal.

• Familiarity with analytics tools like Omni, Looker, Tableau, Excel, and Power BI.

Other Skills

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Strong organizational and analytical skills.

• A passion for user research and video games