Manager, Research Operations

Manager, Research Operations

We're looking for a driven Research Operations Manager to join our Experience Design (XD) Research Operations team. Our team is in the process of a significant transformation, focused on maturing our practices and elevating our capabilities.

Our mission is to champion XD through unified, well-managed research operations. We build systems and practices that enable the delivery of high-quality, accessible research insights at scale.

The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in Research Operations and will work autonomously to lead strategic projects and change initiatives, influencing across various levels of the organization. This role is a blend of strategic planning and hands-on execution, empowering our researchers and designers to focus on high impact work. You'll contribute to the team's vision and strategy, championing systems that elevate research and enable others to conduct ethical, efficient, and scalable research.

This person will serve as a core contributor in several areas, such as:

• Democratization and Enablement: Define and implement strategies that empower partners to conduct research safely and effectively.  You will partner with Research and Design Leaders to build programs that provide the necessary tools, training, and resources, moving the practice of research to a shared capability.

• Process Optimization: Champion process improvements by providing expertise and support to increase team efficiency and optimize our practices. You'll play a key role in ensuring new systems and workflows are effective and scalable.

• Research Governance and Compliance: Champion right-sized standards in ethics, privacy, and data protection across all research and design projects.

• Knowledge Management: Drive the strategy for our centralized knowledge base of research practices, resources, and insights. You will create a culture of sharing, and serve as a subject matter expert, guiding others to help them move their work forward.

• Research Advocacy: Elevate the influence of research across the organization by introducing and scaling new methods for evangelization and impact storytelling. You will strategically advance the Research Operations practice at Capital One by engaging in and contributing to communities of practice.

• Project Management: Partner with Research and Design to deeply understand their needs and manage systems and logistics for multiple research projects. You will have the autonomy to propose new, scalable systems and present the case to leadership and stakeholders.

Basic Qualifications

• At least 5 years of experience in UX or Research Operations roles, project management, or process improvement

Preferred Qualifications

• Highly effective verbal and written communication skills across all organizational levels

• Systems thinking with a track record for designing high-quality practices for scaling Design and Research teams

• Strategic acumen and foresight to anticipate complex cross-functional problems and work towards solutions

• Proven history of project management excellence, leading strategic initiatives with a commitment to continuous improvement, process optimization, and impactful outcomes

• Ability to influence a wide range of stakeholders across teams and levels within the organization

• Experience working with research tools and vendors

• Proven ability to work autonomously and help peers through times of ambiguity or change with care and empathy

• Ability to balance desired outcomes and potential risks to design clear, human-centered solutions

• 5+ years of experience with managing risk within highly regulated research environments

• 5+ years experience with project management tools such as Jira and data visualization tools such as Confluence

• Experience with panel management strategy and technology

• Experience leading or contributing to a democratization program that enabled non-researchers to perform research tasks, including developing training materials, tools, or best practices for broader use.

At this time, Capital One will not sponsor a new applicant for employment authorization for this position.

The minimum and maximum full-time annual salaries for this role are listed below, by location. Please note that this salary informati