Senior Qualitative Research Manager

About NRG

NRG is a leading global insights and strategy firm at the confluence of content, culture, and technology.  We stay ahead of what’s next, providing fresh insights to spark new ideas. We’re a trusted partner to our clients, working behind the scenes to bring imagination, depth, and clarity to their biggest challenges—in entertainment, technology, lifestyle, sports, and gaming.  Together, we create with confidence.

We’re proud of our company’s values – these values guide us as we navigate sunny days, gray skies and everything in between:   

• Do what you love. With conviction.
• Where discovery lives. And impact drives.
• Celebrate difference. Cultivate belonging.
• Big thinking. Collectively inspired.
• Embrace the journey. Be human.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a strategic and experienced Senior Qualitative Research Manager to join our Devices & Services team. This role offers the opportunity to immerse yourself in an ongoing research program for one of the world’s most influential social media platforms, directly shaping how millions of users engage with and experience the product every day. You’ll lead qualitative research end to end—from designing studies and moderating sessions to synthesizing insights and delivering impactful reports. Through this work, you’ll help our client deeply understand user experiences and behaviors, providing actionable insights that guide how they optimize the platform’s design, features, and content to create more engaging, and user-centered experiences.

Your Impact

• Oversee qualitative UX studies from research design through reporting, including writing screeners, crafting discussion guides, managing logistics, moderating sessions and synthesizing results.
• Lead in-person and remote research leveraging diverse qualitative methods such as interviews, diary studies, usability testing, focus groups, concept evaluations, journey mapping and more.
• Moderate research sessions that foster open, engaging dialogue that uncovers authentic user perspectives to inform product and design decisions.
• Distill complex research findings into strategic insights that guide our client in optimizing design, features, and content to deliver a seamless, user-centric experience.
• Manage multiple concurrent projects with efficiency and precision, ensuring all deliverables meet the highest standards of quality.
• Serve as a trusted thought partner to our client, offering strategic guidance and proactive solutions to evolving research needs.
• Provide mentorship and direction to junior team members, offering feedback, guidance, and opportunities for growth.
• Collaborate with senior team members and provide oversight to junior team members in coordinating logistics with internal and external operations teams (programming, fieldwork, facilities, data processing), and partnering with these teams to drive projects forward on stringent timelines.

Who We're Looking For

• Experience – We’d love for you to have 4+ years of hands-on experience designing and conducting a range of qualitative methodologies and studies.
• Your degree(s) – Ideally looking for a B.A./B.S. degree in areas such as Psychology, Anthropology, Information Science, UX Design, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Moderation Mastery – Skilled in leading engaging user sessions that uncover meaningful insights.
• UX Research Expertise: Familiarity with understanding user behaviors and conducting UX research.
• Qualitative Rigor: Able to write screeners, manage recruitment, and craft thoughtful discussion guides.
• Communication and storytelling – Strong writing skills where you can craft a story around data insights and clearly communicate key points in a succinct manner. You have great verbal communication skills as well and are highly skilled at presenting to groups and sharing your point of view.
• Data driven – Expert at working with data to identify trends and insights, including both structured (i.e. data and hard numbers) and unstructured (i.e. interviews and qualitative) data. Advanced data visualization skills using tools such as Excel, PowerPoint, Google Docs and Slides.
• Passion – An enthusiasm for research, data driven approaches, and strategic thinking. You enjoy staying up to date on social media trends, user behaviors, and platform design.
• Client-centric – Proven experience nurturing and building relationships with clients, understanding their goals and ensuring we deliver on those and confidently providing strategic guidance to them.
• Leadership – You