Research Operations Manager

Manages the operational infrastructure of a market research function including vendor management, technology platforms, panel quality, project management, and process optimization.

From people doing the work

Day-to-day involves a lot of juggling vendor relationships, ensuring our survey platforms run smoothly, and constantly looking for ways to make our research processes more efficient. It can be demanding, but it's satisfying to see the impact of streamlined operations on research outcomes.

Drawn from Insights Association, ResearchOps Community, GreenBook

Attribution: Composite

Composite · Synthesised from Insights Association, ResearchOps Community, GreenBook

A day in the life of a Research Operations Manager

People interaction
Extensive
Team vs solo
65% Team / 35% Solo
Client facing
Sometimes
Impact visibility
Moderate
Travel
Low-Moderate
Schedule flexibility
Moderate
Remote work
Mostly Remote
Typical work hours
40-48
Stress level
Moderate

Research Operations Manager salary, education and outlook at a glance

Median salary
$88,000
Entry-level
$58,000
Senior
$135,000
Growth by 2033
8%
Demand
Growing
Freelance potential
Moderate
Salary growth potential
133%
Typical student debt
Moderate

Skills you need as a Research Operations Manager

Hard skills

  • Vendor Management
  • Platform Administration (Qualtrics/Confirmit)
  • Budget Management
  • Process Optimization
  • Panel Quality
  • Project Management

Soft skills

  • Organization
  • Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Negotiation
  • Leadership

Technical complexity: Moderate

Tools of the trade

Core tools

  • Qualtrics (Platform): To design, distribute, and analyze surveys for market research.
  • Confirmit (Platform): To manage and analyze customer and market research data.
  • Microsoft Excel (Software): To organize, analyze, and visualize research data.

Commonly used

  • SurveyMonkey (Platform): To create and deploy online surveys for data collection.
  • Jira (Software): To manage research projects and track tasks.

Specialist tools

  • Slack (Software): To facilitate communication and collaboration within research teams.

How to become a Research Operations Manager

Minimum education
Bachelor's in Business, Marketing, or Operations; Master's preferred
Licensing
No
Years to mid-career
4-4
Years to senior
10-10
Career switching
Easy

Where this career leads

How people arrive here

  • Project Coordinator: Individuals often transition from coordinating research projects to managing research operations.
  • Market Research Analyst: Analysts with strong organizational skills may move into operations to optimize research processes.
  • Vendor Manager: Experience managing external vendors in a research context is a direct pivot.

Where you can go from here

  • Senior Research Operations Manager: A natural progression for experienced Research Operations Managers.
  • Director of Research Operations: Leading larger teams and strategic initiatives within research operations.
  • VP of Research Operations: Overseeing the entire research operations function at an executive level.

Typical progression

  1. Project Coordinator
  2. Research Ops Manager
  3. Senior Ops Manager
  4. Director of Research Ops
  5. VP of Research Operations

Research Operations Manager job outlook and future demand

Automation probability
Low-Moderate
AI disruption risk
Moderate
Demand trend
Growing

Job satisfaction as a Research Operations Manager

Overall satisfaction
7/10
Meaning
6.5/10
Work-life balance
7/10
Prestige
6.5/10
Social perception
Moderate

Where practitioners gather

Professional organisations

  • Insights Association: A professional organization for market research and data analytics professionals.

Podcasts and media

  • GreenBook: A leading resource for market research news, articles, and events.

Reddit communities

  • r/SampleSize: A subreddit for conducting and participating in surveys and research studies.

Online communities

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