Research Operations & Enablement Manager

Figma; New York (NY); Remote; USD 122,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative firm is seeking a Research Operations & Enablement Manager to enhance research practices and streamline workflows. This full-time role focuses on building scalable systems that empower research teams to deliver impactful insights, ensuring consistency and quality across research activities. The position offers the opportunity to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams, manage budgets, and optimize research tools. If you have a passion for research operations and want to make a significant impact in a dynamic environment, this is the perfect opportunity for you.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in research operations or program management.
• Expertise in participant recruitment and process optimization.

Responsibilities

• Streamline research operations and manage participant recruitment.
• Oversee research tools and maintain high operational standards.

Skills

Research Operations

Program Management

Participant Recruitment

Process Optimization

Stakeholder Management

Communication Skills

Education

5+ years of experience in research operations

Experience in SaaS or tech environment

Tools

Sprig

Great Question

Snowflake

User Interviews

SQL

Python

Job description

Research Operations & Enablement Manager

Figma is growing our team of passionate people on a mission to make design accessible to all. Born on the Web, Figma helps entire product teams brainstorm, design and build better products — from start to finish. Whether it’s consolidating tools, simplifying workflows, or collaborating across teams and time zones, Figma makes the design process faster, more efficient, and fun while keeping everyone on the same page. From great products to long-lasting companies, we believe that nothing great is made alone—come make with us!

As Figma continues to grow, the volume and complexity of user research activities are increasing. The Research team is looking for a Research Operations & Enablement Manager to streamline and scale our research practices, enabling our researchers to focus on delivering impactful insights.

This role will be critical in implementing standardized frameworks, efficient workflows, and scalable processes to support the team’s success. By building systems that ensure consistency and quality across research activities, this position will empower Figma to generate insights that drive customer-centered product development at scale.

This is a full-time role that can be held from one of our US hubs or remotely in the United States.

What you’ll do at Figma:

• Streamline Research Operations: Develop and manage scalable workflows for participant recruiting, incentive management, and research project tracking.
• Support Tools and Resources: Oversee the research tooling stack, ensuring tools like Sprig, Great Question, and Snowflake are effectively maintained and optimized for team use.
• Enable Research Teams: Partner with researchers to provide operational support, including managing participant recruitment and incentives, enabling them to focus on delivering impactful insights.
• Foster Research Excellence: Maintain high operational standards through effective documentation, knowledge sharing, and process improvement.
• Manage Budgets and Vendors: Own the research operations budget, including vendor negotiations, renewals, and procurement processes.
• Drive Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with product, design, and engineering teams to align research needs with organizational goals and priorities.

We'd love to hear from you if you have:

• 5+ years of experience in research operations, program management, or a similar role, preferably in a SaaS or tech environment.
• Expertise in participant recruitment, including sourcing, screening, scheduling, and managing participant databases with privacy compliance.
• Strong process optimization and scaling skills, with experience developing efficient workflows, documentation, and knowledge-sharing systems.
• Familiarity with research tools like User Interviews, Great Question, Sprig, or Snowflake, along with vendor management experience.
• Excellent organizational and stakeholder management skills to work cross-functionally with researchers, designers, PMs, and engineers.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to create self-service resources, training materials, and frameworks to enable teams to conduct effective research.

While not required, it’s an added plus if you also have:

• Experience managing research budgets, handling vendor negotiations, and streamlining procurement processes.
• Knowledge of mixed-methods research and how research operations can support different methodologies.
• Previous experience in a scaling organization where research operations evolved alongside business growth.
• Basic knowledge of SQL, Python, or automation tools to improve research operations efficiency.
• Experience in UX design or product development, with an understanding of design and product workflows to better align research operations with business needs.
• Understanding of research ethics, participant data management, and compliance requirements such as GDPR and CCPA.

Pay Transparency Disclosure

If based in Figma’s San Francisco or New York hub offices, this role has the annual base salary range stated below.

Job level and actual compensation will be decided based on factors including, but not limited to, individual qualifications objectively assessed during the interview process (including skills and prior relevant experience, potential impact, and scope of role), market demands, and specific work location. The listed range is a guideline, and the range for this role may be modified. For roles that are available to be filled remotely, the pay range is localized according to employee work location by a factor of between 80% and 100% of range. Please discuss your specific work location with your recruiter for more information.

Annual Base Salary Range (SF/NY Hub):

$122,000 - $260,000 USD

At Figma, we celebrate and support our differences. We know employing a team rich in diverse thoughts, experiences, and opinions allows our employees, our product, and our community to flourish. Figma is an equal opportunity workplace - we are dedicated to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity/expression, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We will work to ensure individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to apply for a role, participate in the interview process, perform essential job functions, and receive other benefits and privileges of employment. If you require accommodation, please reach out to [e-mail].

By applying for this job, the candidate acknowledges and agrees that any personal data contained in their application or supporting materials will be processed in accordance with the applicable candidate section of Figma's Privacy Policy.

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