Head of Research Operations & Insights

Speedrun Talent Network; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 189,000 - 237,000; Full time

Job summary

Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC. Mercury is seeking a Research Operations Lead to build and run the program as the company scales.

You’ve done this before with a clear point of view, and this is a builder and maker role with most time spent running and improving the program yourself. In this role, you will define research workflows, own the research panel, and manage day-to-day

Qualifications

• 8+ years of hands-on research operations experience with measurable impact.
• 1-2 years of people management experience.
• Be a thought leader in the space.
• Thrive in ambiguity where the discipline isn’t fully figured out.
• Excellent coach to non-researchers, building judgment and confidence.
• Use AI in daily work and stay curious about what’s genuinely useful.
• Communicate clearly with practitioners and senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Define how research works at Mercury: processes, standards, and ways of working that let Product, Design, and Marketing run research with autonomy.
• Own our customer research panel end to end, including databases, outreach, and recruitment.
• Run day-to-day operations that keep research moving: scheduling, incentives, consent, privacy and guardrails.
• Consult across the team on research best practices, helping design and PMs plan studies and turn feedback into insight.
• Partner with design managers, designers, and PMs so customer evidence informs decisions from discovery through post-launch analysis.
• Own our research tool stack (Dovetail, Maze, Rally) and vendor relationships, budget, and build-vs-buy decisions.
• Build AI-enabled workflows to prepare for conversations and synthesize feedback with high standards for privacy and evidence.
• Pilot new ways of getting close to customers, such as research dinners and customer events.
• Manage and coach one direct report, setting priorities and supporting growth while staying hands-on.

Skills

Hands-on research ops

People management

AI in daily work

Communication with stakeholders

Tools

Dovetail

Maze

Rally

Job description

Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC. Mercury is seeking a Research Operations Lead to build and run the program as the company scales.

You’ve done this before with a clear point of view, and this is a builder and maker role with most time spent running and improving the program yourself. In this role, you will define research workflows, own the research panel, and manage day-to-day