Research Program Manager III

Ursus, Inc.; Connecticut; On-site; USD 97,809 - 111,585; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

401K benefits with matching

Job summary

Ursus, Inc. is seeking a Research Program Manager III to oversee Research Operations with a focus on centralized programs, budget management, and participant recruitment. This role involves managing multiple projects and collaborating with senior UXR leadership across the organization. The ideal candidate will have over 5 years in research operations, strong AI fluency, and excellent stakeholder management skills. Remote work is available, and the position offers competitive hourly compensation ranging from $71 to $81 per hour.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of relevant professional experience.
• Experience with establishing programs and leading them end-to-end while scaling for growth.

Responsibilities

• Define and manage strategic initiatives that improve team efficiency and impact.
• Proactively identify and partner with stakeholders on internal processes.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to enable efficient MSL contracting.
• Manage the operational and financial efficiency of the MSL budget.

Skills

Research Operations expertise

AI fluency

Stakeholder Management & Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Overview

JOB TITLE: Research Program Manager III
LOCATION: Remote
DURATION: Through 12/31/2026 (potential extension)
PAY RANGE: $71 - $81/hr.

Top Skills

• 5+ years of Research Operations experience with end-to-end program management, including centralized research programs, governance, and participant recruitment
• Strong Stakeholder Management & Collaboration experience working with cross-functional teams, vendors, and senior leadership to drive alignment and execution
• Research apparition expertise with AI fluency (native skills), using AI tools and workflows to improve research operations, efficiency, and program delivery

About the Company

Our client is a Fortune 500 multi-national technology company headquartered in Menlo Park, CA.

Job Description

Research Program Manager will manage Research Operations for our MSL UXR org. Primary focuses will center around managing centralized research programs (eg. rapid research), budget forecasting and tracking, participant recruitment, and research governance.

The Team

The Global Research Operations Verticals team is the aggregation of all the different UXR pillar-embedded research operations teams across the company. In the role, you\'ll be leading 4+ pillars as they pursue identifying + targeting efficiencies on behalf of the UXR function. You\'ll have visibility into and the opportunity to partner with senior UXR leadership from each pillar.

Summary

As a Manager, Global Research Operations, you will implement operational systems, act as a connector, and problem-solve operational hurdles to enable researchers to do their most impactful work. In this role, you will define, establish, and maintain operational and team-wide programs across many of our UXR pillars, as well as create and manage processes to support the growing team. The ideal candidate is entrepreneurial, enabling the team\'s best work by leading strategic planning of programs, managing short and long-term project milestones, anticipating project issues and resolving them, connecting resources to research needs, and removing barriers to doing great work. The Verticals Manager is an expert in problem-solving and multitasking, while building long-term relationships with the team and cross-functional partners. You will utilize a full range of organizational and interpersonal skills that help our talented teams operate at their highest and most effective level. This role requires both execution and strategic-focused program management experience and broad knowledge of the impact of research\'s impact on product design and development. Communication skills, the ability to manage complex logistics, and a highly organized approach are mandatory.

Responsibilities

• Define and manage strategic initiatives that improve team efficiency and impact, establishing operational systems and outcomes
• Proactively identify and partner with stakeholders on internal processes, templates, and guidelines to improve team optimization and documentation
• Partner with team leadership on establishing effective team communication, information distribution, and cross-team collaboration
• Partner with cross-functional teams such as Sourcing and Vendor Engagements to enable efficient MSL contracting. Req Intake Template
• Manage relationship with select group of preferred vendors, building the business-specific operations and processes needed to streamline intake
• Manage the operational and financial efficiency of the MSL budget by maintaining accurate and up-to-date financial datasets, files, and reports
• Perform data analysis and provide insights to inform and support business-driven decisions
• Prepare metric-driven status reports by gathering, analyzing, and summarizing relevant information
• Proactively manage expectations: define clear program roadmaps, provide frequent program updates, identify and communicate risks and adjustments, and ensure commitments are delivered
• Provide flexible approaches that meet team needs, including the ability to move fast and make progress or navigate blocks quickly
• Experience integrating AI tools and workflows into business operations or program management
• Demonstrated ability to drive responsible and ethical AI adoption in cross-functional settings
• Strong communication skills
• Experience building relationships with peers and executive stakeholders and collaborating with cross-functional teams across multiple locations
• Experience leveraging data to inform decisions and drive change.

Highlights

• You\'ll work in a horizontal, cross-company capacity with an opportunity to partner with UXR Leadership and UXRs on a range of initiatives and products
• You\'ll help lead the development of our new "Product Research Program Manager" role, which aligns Research Program Managers more closely to the products and product teams that their UXRs support
• You\'ll be joining a supportive team of fellow cross-company RPMs and RPM Managers, who share a wealth of expertise on launching and landing cross-company initiatives and identifying cross-pillar synergies

Typical Day-to-Day in the Role

• Combination of program managing
• Rolling research
• Very responsive
• Stakeholder Engagement & Process Improvement
• Identify internal process gaps and proactively partner with stakeholders to develop templates, guidelines, and documentation
• Optimize team workflows and ensure best practices are documented and adopted
• Flexible Problem Solving
• Adapt approaches to meet team needs, move quickly to resolve blocks, and drive progress

Must-Have Skills

• Research apparition
• AI fluency - native skills
• Stakeholder Management & Collaboration
• Research Operations Expertise

Nice-to-Have Skills

• Big tech experience
• Market research sample provider - preferable
• Data-Driven Decision Making

Degrees and Experience Required

• 5+ years of relevant professional experience, Experience with establishing programs and leading them end-to-end while scaling for growth
• Bachelor\'s degree

Pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act, Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, qualified applicants will be considered for assignment regardless of arrest and conviction records. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the ability to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress, and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness, meet client expectations, standards, and accompanying requirements, and safeguard business operations and company reputation.

Benefits Summary

INDIVIDUAL compensation is determined by skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Compensation details listed in this posting reflect the base hourly rate or annual salary only, unless otherwise stated. In addition to base compensation, full-time roles are eligible for Medical, Dental, Vision, Commuter and 401K benefits with company matching.

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