User Studies Operations Specialist

Apple; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 145,000 - 264,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) plan

Employee stock purchase program

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Apple Inc. is seeking a User Studies Operations Specialist in San Jose, CA, to drive study execution, vendor strategy, and lab operations for a multidisciplinary neuroscience research team.

You will work closely with neuroscientists, researchers, and engineers to operationalize complex protocols across parallel studies, manage external vendor engagements, and ensure high-integrity data collection for AI evaluation workflows.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in research operations, human behavioral/physiological research, or tech-focused lab management.
• Experience conducting complex human studies with sensing hardware and prototype software.
• Ability to automate tasks and generate logs/reports using lightweight scripting.

Responsibilities

• Bridge study design and operational execution across multiple investigations.
• Partner with researchers, algorithms teams, and engineers during protocol design for feasibility.
• Lead end-to-end administration of in-person and pilot testing, including participant recruitment and informed consent.
• Manage vendor relationships with external studies, from initial contacts to data delivery and QA.
• Contribute to study design critiques, review research papers, and optimize testing methodologies.
• Assist in structuring datasets and labeling schemes to support model training and evaluation.

Skills

Project management

Cross-functional communication

Vendor management

IRB navigation

Python scripting

Laboratory operations

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Neuroscience or related field

Tools

Python

Bash

Lab equipment

Job description

San Jose, California, United States Machine Learning and AI

At Apple, we strive to achieve surprise and delight for every one of our millions of customers around the world. We are looking for a User Studies Operations Specialist to drive study execution, vendor strategy, and lab operations supporting a multidisciplinary neuroscience research team. In this role, you will partner directly with neuroscientists, researchers, and algorithm engineers to operationalize complex study protocols for multiple investigations in parallel, lead external research vendor engagements, and facilitate high-integrity data collection for cutting-edge technologies. Our ideal candidate combines hands-on human research experience, strong technical proficiency with early stage HW/SW prototypes, and a working understanding of AI and algorithmic evaluation workflows.

Description

As a User Study Operations Specialist, you will bridge study design and operational execution across multiple parallel investigationsPartner with researchers, algorithms teams, and engineers during protocol design to ensure operational feasibility, test hardware and harden processes.Lead end-to-end administration of complex in-person and pilot testing protocols, including overseeing participant recruitment, onboarding, informed consentWork with legal and review boards to seek approval for research investigationsManage end to end research vendor relationships, including initial vendor contacts for large scale external studies through data delivery and QAAct as an active contributor to the research team: participate in study design critiques, review research papers, and optimize testing methodologies.Assist in structuring datasets and annotation/labeling schemes to support algorithm training and benchmark evaluation.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Neuroscience, Cognitive Psychology, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Biomedical Engineering, or a related field.
• 3+ years of experience in research operations, human behavioral/physiological research, or tech-focused lab management.
• Demonstrated expertise in human research execution involving complex sensing hardware, prototype software, and behavioral observation.
• Experience leveraging AI tools, LLM workflows, or lightweight scripting (e.g., Bash, Python) to automate operational tasks, logging, or reporting.
• Strong commitment to participant privacy, data security, and navigating IRB, ethics, and legal review processes.
• Technical resilience: comfortable bringing up early-stage hardware/software prototypes and troubleshooting technical issues in real time.
• Strong project management, cross-functional communication, and interpersonal skills to keep studies on track and put participants at ease.
• Foundational data hygiene and analysis skills (e.g., Python or scripting tools for data validation, preprocessing and analysis).

Preferred Qualifications

• Working familiarity with AI/ML principles, algorithmic evaluation pipelines, data annotation workflows, or model validation paradigms.
• Proven track record sourcing, vetting, and managing external research vendors, participant recruitment panels, or contractors (SOWs, SLAs, quality control).
• Experience working with physiological sensing modalities (e.g., eye-tracking, EEG, EMG, PPG, or motion capture).

At Apple, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $144,600 and $263,800, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.
Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple's discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple's Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You'll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses - including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation. Learn more about Apple Benefits.

Note: Apple benefit, compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program.

Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We seek to promote equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant

At Apple, we believe accessibility is a fundamental human right. You'll find that idea reflected in everything here - in our culture, our benefits and our digital tools. By welcoming as many perspectives as possible, we help you build a career where you feel like you belong.
Learn about accessibility in Apple's workplace
Learn about reasonable accommodations for job applicants

Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.