JJ Studio AI is an early-stage pet wellness company in Pleasanton, CA working on ways to help dog and cat owners better notice and understand changes in their pet's everyday behavior and wellbeing. Before we build anything further, we need to understand the people and animals we're building for.
Our core open question: What do dog and cat owners genuinely struggle with day to day — how do they recognize behavioral changes in their animal, what actions do they take, and where does outside help actually matter?
We're hiring someone with strong animal intuition and people skills to go find those answers by talking to real people.
THIS IS A PEOPLE-AND-ANIMALS ROLE (NOT A TECHNICAL ROLE)
- NO coding, engineering, UX design, or data science background is required or expected.
- If you are looking for a software, AI engineering, or product design role, this is NOT the right fit.
- What we NEED: Someone genuinely great at sitting down with pet owners, vet staff, shelter workers, and trainers — asking insightful questions, listening deeply, and writing down what they heard objectively without bending it to fit an assumption.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
Note: This is not casual chatting — it requires structured qualitative research, active probing, and reliable follow-through.
- Recruit dog and cat owners for 1:1 interviews and early research conversations.
- Conduct thoughtful qualitative interviews (in-person, phone, or video).
- Connect with veterinary clinics, shelters, trainers, groomers, and pet service businesses in the Tri-Valley area.
- Document real behaviors, worries, and workarounds — separating observable animal behavior from the owner's interpretation of it.
- Keep interview notes and qualitative findings organized and easy for the founding team to use.
- Turn conversations into clear notes → patterns → questions worth testing next.
- Help identify clinics, shelters, training businesses, and pet services that might want to partner with us.
- Handle scheduling, follow-up, and participant communication reliably.
- Conduct local field research across Pleasanton, Dublin, Livermore, and the surrounding Tri-Valley area roughly 1–2 times per week.
WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR
You might come from veterinary practice (RVT/Assistant), animal shelters or rescue, dog training or cat behavior, pet care or pet services, community outreach, market or customer research, or research/clinic coordination. We care much more about how you think and work than your exact job title.
Requirements: Hands-on experience working with dogs and/or cats (ability to recognize subtle behavior or wellness cues).
- Natural ability to talk comfortably with strangers and get them to open up about their real experiences.
- Skilled at asking open-ended, non-leading questions and following up well instead of settling for surface answers.
- Ability to keep observation, interpretation, and evidence clearly separate.
- Write clear, organized notes in English and conduct interviews in English professionally.
- Work independently — own your own scheduling, documentation, and follow-through.
- Ability to travel locally within the Tri-Valley area roughly 1–2 times per week (reliable transportation required).
- Respect the line between behavioral/wellness observation and veterinary diagnosis or treatment.
- NICE TO HAVE
- Veterinary assistant or Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) experience.
- Shelter behavior or animal welfare experience.
- Dog training or cat behavior consulting experience.
- Customer discovery or qualitative interviewing experience.
- Clinical or field research coordination background.
- Existing relationships within Bay Area pet and veterinary communities.
- Comfort with everyday tools for notes and scheduling (docs, spreadsheets, calendars).
EMPLOYMENT DETAILS
- Status: Part-time W-2 (~20 hours per week)
- Compensation: $27.00 – $29.00 per hour
- Duration: Initial 3-month period (extension potential based on performance, research needs, and company resources)
- Location / Schedule: Hybrid — typically 1 or 2 times per week in our Pleasanton office for meetings and research; field research across Tri-Valley; remaining documentation work generally remote
- Target Start Date: September 1
- Benefits: Paid sick leave in accordance with California law
Note: This position does not include a guaranteed automatic conversion to full-time employment.
HIRING PROCESS
- Application review
- Introductory conversation + structured screening interview
- Live practical session for selected candidates — about 30 minutes, using a fictional pet-owner scenario to see how you interview and how you reason about animal behavior. (No technical test!)
- Reference check and final conversation
- Offer
Pay: $27.00 - $29.00 per hour
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Pleasanton, CA 94588
