Sr. Manager, Qualitative Operations

Material; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Material is seeking a Senior Manager - Qualitative Field Management to lead end-to-end recruitment for qualitative and UX studies, coordinating with vendors and internal teams across domestic and international projects. Hybrid role based near Los Angeles or New York.

You will manage budgets, schedules, risk, and client expectations, translating client requirements into field plans and ensuring quality and timely delivery.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Market Research, Social Sciences, Psychology, Sociology, or related field.
• Minimum 2 years of experience in managing qualitative research projects domestically and internationally.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Detail-oriented with data accuracy.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end recruitment management of Qualitative and UX studies, including vendor management, scheduling, and detailed communications.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for recruitment topics throughout project engagements, communicating progress and risks.
• Translate client requirements into actionable field plans across internal teams, vendors and participants.
• Manage multiple complex domestic and international projects with increasing independence.
• Collaborate with clients across global markets and multiple time zones, adjusting hours as needed.
• Confirm and communicate all project fieldwork schedules, logistics and details in writing.
• Solicit and evaluate vendor bids; ensure thorough briefing on project specs.
• Draft and review recruitment screening questionnaires.
• Track fieldwork budgets and monitor/approve vendor invoices.
• Identify fieldwork problems and implement solutions; communicate action plans.
• Enforce SOPs to drive consistency and efficiency.
• Identify opportunities to enhance fieldwork quality and client experience.

Skills

Project management

Qualitative research

Communication skills

Independent work

Detail-oriented

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Market Research / related field

Job description

Senior Manager - Qualitative Field Management

This role is to be based near one of our offices in Los Angeles or New York City. (Hybrid)

About Us

We drive intelligent growth for ambitious businesses and leading brands.

Customer understanding is more potent and drives greater value when insights go to work directly within marketing and experience priorities. To give our clients that advantage, we put an insights-driven operating system at the core of our design, go-to-market, and digital experience solutions.

Material clients make smarter growth choices because they can see clearly how and when to take the shots that count. Together, we connect consumer intelligence with customer demand generation to build lasting, profitable relationships.

About the Senior Manager - Qualitative Field Management Role

As a Senior Manager - Qualitative Field Management, you will be responsible for ensuring successful execution of recruitment for client projects: you will ensure the correct audience is recruited to participate in our research, and you will ensure accurate costing, budgeting, scheduling and timely execution for all recruitment and fieldwork-related elements of a client project. This role requires a strong understanding of qualitative research methodologies, exceptional organizational and communication skills, and the ability to effectively manage fieldwork operations for multiple complex domestic and international projects simultaneously.

What You’ll Do

• Own end-to-end recruitment management of both Qualitative and UX research studies, including vendor management, scheduling, and detailed communications — ensuring timelines and quality standards are met even under shifting priorities.

• Serve as the primary point of contact for recruitment topics throughout project engagements, proactively communicating study progress, flagging risks early, and managing client expectations with confidence and clarity.

• Translate complex client requirements into actionable field plans, coordinating across internal teams, vendors, and research participants to keep studies on track.

• Manage multiple complex domestic and international projects simultaneously with increasing independence.

• Collaborate with clients across global markets and multiple time zones, with flexibility to adjust working hours as needed to support project needs and client availability.

• Confirm and communicate all project fieldwork schedules, logistics, and details in writing to project teams.

• Solicit and evaluate vendor bids; ensure thorough briefing on project specs and client needs.

• Draft and review recruitment screening questionnaires based on client and team input.

• Track fieldwork project budgets and monitor/approve vendor invoices.

• Identify fieldwork problems and implement solutions; communicate action plans to teams and vendors.

• Enforce standard operating procedures to drive consistency and efficiency.

• Identify opportunities to enhance fieldwork quality and client experience.

About You

• Bachelor’s degree in Market Research, Social Sciences, Psychology, Sociology, or related field. Certification in Project Management is a bonus!

• Proven experience of a minimum of 2 years in project managing qualitative research methodologies, including focus groups, in-depth interviews, and ethnographic studies both domestically and internationally.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interact effectively with participants, clients, and internal teams.

• Detail-oriented mindset with a commitment to maintaining data accuracy and quality.

• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to adapt to changing project requirements.

• Ability to think “outside the box” and recognize when a creative solution may be required for a particular problem; willingness to be flexible and collaborative in determining how to solve a problem or meet client needs.

• Capable of working independently with little supervision.

Why Work for Material?

• Material is a global company and we work with leading brands worldwide. We create and launch new brands and products, putting innovation and value creation at the center of our practice. Our clients are leaders in their class, across sectors from technology to retail, transportation, finance, and healthcare.

• Material employees join a peer group of exceptionally talented colleagues across the company, the country, and the world. We develop capabilities and leading-edge market offerings across seven global practices including strategy and insights, design, data & analytics, technology, and tracking.

• A community focused on learning and making an impact. Material is an outcomes-focused company. We create experiences that matter, create new value, and make a difference in our clients’ lives and their customers’ lives.

Pay Range: $75,000.00 – 95,000.00

The range shown represents a grouping of relevant ranges currently in use at Material. Actual range for this position may differ, depending on location and specific skillset required for the work itself.

Equal Employment Opportunity

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other factors prohibited by law.

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