Senior Research Operations Manager

Aquent is partnering with a globally recognized industry leader that impacts millions of lives daily through innovative products and services. We are seeking a dynamic and strategic leader to join a pivotal team where you will directly shape the future of user experience on a massive, global scale. In this role, you will have the unique opportunity to revolutionize how user research is conducted, building robust operational foundations that empower product and design teams to make impactful, user-driven decisions that delight millions of customers worldwide.

The Opportunity

In this highly collaborative and influential role, you will be the driving force behind optimizing research processes and empowering insights across a vast ecosystem. You will champion the participant recruitment lifecycle, ensuring research teams have seamless access to the right audiences. By elevating the quality, speed, and efficiency of research operations, your work will directly contribute to the development of cutting-edge solutions that redefine user experience. This is an exciting opportunity to innovate, establish best practices, and lead initiatives that have a tangible, global impact.

What You Will Do

• Advise research teams on optimal participant recruitment strategies, leveraging a diverse range of platforms and methodologies to meet study objectives.
• Manage the end-to-end participant recruitment lifecycle, including screener development, quota management, scheduling, incentive distribution, and communication, ensuring a seamless experience for both researchers and participants.
• Oversee vendor relationships, ensuring high-quality and timely participant delivery, and proactively resolving any challenges related to quality, feasibility, or timelines.
• Champion best practices for privacy, consent, and data handling, ensuring all participant interactions adhere to strict compliance guidelines and ethical standards.
• Implement and monitor key metrics such as recruitment speed, cost-efficiency, show rates, and participant quality to drive continuous process improvements and operational excellence.
• Develop comprehensive resources, including playbooks, templates, training programs, and office hours, to empower research teams with consistent and confident recruitment practices.
• Proactively forecast future research demand, anticipating needs for incentives, access to participant pools, vendor support, and platform resources to ensure readiness for upcoming initiatives.

Must-Have Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience managing research participants or recruiting workflows in a complex environment.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects concurrently, prioritizing effectively to meet deadlines.
• Experience working with and managing external vendors to achieve desired outcomes.
• Track record of handling sensitive participant data with utmost care and compliance.

Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in Research Operations, UX Research, market research, participant recruiting, or research program coordination.