Research Operations Lead

The best teams don't treat customer understanding as a checkpoint. They build it into the work: learning how customers see the world, carrying that perspective into everyday decisions, and making better products because of it.

At Mercury, research is a democratized practice. Designers and PMs talk directly to customers, and Research Operations builds and runs the system that makes that fast, high quality, and ethical. We're looking for a Research Operations Lead to build and run that program as Mercury scales. You've done this before and have a clear point of view on how it should work. This is a builder and maker role, with most of your time spent running and improving the program yourself.

*Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC.

• Define how research works at Mercury: the processes, standards, and ways of working that let Product, Design, and Marketing run research with autonomy
• Own our customer research panel end to end, including customer databases, outreach, and continuous recruitment
• Run the day-to-day operations that keep research moving, including scheduling, incentives, consent, and privacy and ethical guardrails
• Consult across the team on research best practices, helping designers and PMs plan studies, choose methods, and turn feedback into insight
• Partner closely with design managers, designers, and PMs so customer evidence informs decisions from early discovery through post-launch usability and funnel analysis
• Own our research tool stack (including Dovetail, Maze, and Rally), along with vendor relationships, budget, and build-versus-buy decisions
• Build AI-enabled workflows that help teams prepare for customer conversations and synthesize feedback, while holding a high bar for evidence, privacy, and human judgment
• Pilot new ways of getting close to customers, such as rolling research programs and customer events like research dinners
• Manage and coach one direct report, setting priorities and supporting their growth while staying hands on in the work

• Have 8+ years of hands-on research operations experience and a track record of building or scaling a program with measurable impact
• Have 1-2 years of people management experience
• Be a thought leader in the space
• Thrive in ambiguity where the discipline isn't fully figured out
• Be an excellent coach to non-researchers, building their judgment and confidence 
• Use AI in your daily work and stay curious about what's genuinely useful versus merely new
• Communicate clearly with practitioners and senior stakeholders