Updated June 14, 2026

30 open positions

Research Design Jobs with a Great Work-Life Balance

Browse 30+ research design jobs at companies offering compressed weeks and unlimited PTO—full pay and a better work-life balance.

Hiring companies include George Washington University, Syracuse University, and Thinking Machines Lab. Schedules on offer include compressed weeks, unlimited PTO, and flexible hours.

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Trusted by 350+ companies offering reduced work schedules

30 Jobs Found

Economics Intern – Internal Audit

11d

Arista Networks

RemoteUSA

5 day weekBest Place to Work

Applied Research Scientist [Machine Visibility]

1mo

saas.group

RemoteEurope

5 day weekVery Flexible

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Enzyme Engineering and Biocatalysis

10d

University of Manchester

HybridManchester, UK

Compressed week

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Chemical Biology (Biocatalysis)

10d

University of Manchester

HybridManchester, UK

Compressed week

Research Associate – Molecular Mechanisms Driving Liver Cancer Development

15d

University of Manchester

HybridManchester, UK

Compressed week

Data Scientist II - Trust & Safety

24d

Spotify

HybridNew York, USA

5 day weekGenerous PTO$117k - $167k

Radiochemist

1mo

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

OnsiteOak Ridge, USA

9 day fortnight

Postdoctoral Researcher - Quantum Device Physics for Rare-Event Searches

17d

Syracuse University

OnsiteSyracuse, USA

Compressed week

Postdoctoral Scholar - Discipline-Based Education Research (DBER)

17d

Syracuse University

OnsiteSyracuse, USA

Compressed week

Postdoctoral Researcher - Voice Disorders Lab

17d

Syracuse University

HybridSyracuse, USA

Compressed week

Postdoctoral Associate

22d

George Washington University

OnsiteWashington, USA

Compressed week

Postdoctoral Associate

22d

George Washington University

OnsiteWashington, USA

Compressed week

Postdoctoral Associate

22d

George Washington University

OnsiteWashington, USA

Compressed week

Senior Research Scientist

1mo

EliseAI

OnsiteNew York City, USA

5 day weekUnlimited PTO

Senior Research Scientist

1mo

EliseAI

OnsiteSan Francisco, USA

5 day weekUnlimited PTO

Research Engineer / Scientist, Alignment Science

15d

Anthropic

HybridSan Francisco, USA

5 day weekGenerous Parental Leave

Research, Vision Expertise

1mo

Thinking Machines Lab

OnsiteSan Francisco, USA

5 day weekUnlimited PTO

Research, Pre-Training Science

1mo

Thinking Machines Lab

OnsiteSan Francisco, USA

5 day weekUnlimited PTO

Research, Audio Expertise

1mo

Thinking Machines Lab

OnsiteSan Francisco, USA

5 day weekUnlimited PTO

Postdoctoral Researcher - AI/ML Design for Energy Storage Batteries

17d

Syracuse University

HybridSyracuse, USA

Compressed week

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How we curate this list

We track companies that publicly offer reduced-hours schedules — 4-day weeks, 9-day fortnights, half-day Fridays, and more. This page refreshes daily; companies that drop the policy are removed. Read about our editorial standards →

Last reviewed: June 14, 2026

Got questions?

Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know about 4-day week jobs

Employers hiring for Research Design on this page include George Washington University, Syracuse University, and Thinking Machines Lab. Research Design roles appear most frequently in engineering, data, and platform teams at companies that have adopted a reduced-hours schedule. Each listing indicates the seniority level and whether Research Design is a primary requirement or one of several preferred skills — expand any role above to see the full stack and responsibilities.

Research Design roles span the full seniority range — we list 30 open roles requiring Research Design across entry-level, mid-level, senior, lead, and staff/principal positions. Senior and above tend to dominate because employers offering reduced-hours schedules often lean toward experienced individual contributors who can deliver consistently in fewer hours. Filter by level in the sidebar to narrow the list above.

Lead with measurable outcomes over time spent — Research Design hiring managers at reduced-hours companies care about delivered value, not hours worked. Highlight projects where you shipped at a steady cadence, collaborated asynchronously, or reduced engineering toil through automation or tooling. Include concrete metrics (latency improvements, adoption numbers, cost reductions) rather than vague duty descriptions. Expand listings above to see the exact framing each employer uses in their job descriptions.

Yes — companies listed on 4dayweek.io commit to full salary parity regardless of schedule. Research Design roles in tech and data typically command premium rates at both reduced-hours and traditional employers. Specific ranges depend on seniority, location, and the specific sub-specialty (e.g. backend vs frontend, infra vs ML). Individual listings above show exact bands where the employer publishes them.

Depends on the role, but Research Design candidates who also demonstrate async communication, clean documentation, and cross-functional collaboration are typically strong fits for reduced-hours employers — those companies rely on written-first communication and high-context handoffs to operate on a compressed schedule. Technical-adjacent skills vary by stack. Browse the top skills shown in the sidebar to see which tags co-occur most often with Research Design on current listings.

Showing 1-20 of 30 jobs

Research Design Jobs with a Great Work-Life Balance

Browse 30+ research design jobs at companies offering compressed weeks and unlimited PTO—full pay and a better work-life balance.

30 Jobs Found

How we curate this list

Frequently asked questions

30 Jobs Found

How we curate this list

Frequently asked questions

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