AI Research Operations Lead

Harvey•San Francisco, CA

2d•$120,900 - $181,300

About The Position

Harvey is building the future of AI for legal professionals, and understanding our users is core to how we do that. We're looking for a strategic Research Operations Lead to join our research function — someone who is equally energized by running studies in managing our rolling research program, and building the systems that make research run well, such as procuring new tools, evaluating vendors and setting up cross-functional processes. You will be building the connective tissue between research, design, product, and our GTM functions during a period of rapid growth. This role directly accelerates the quality and speed at which Harvey ships user-centered AI products. You have the opportunity to co-create tooling or identify the right capabilities to strengthen our research practice. You'll partner closely with research and design leadership, product operations, and cross-functional stakeholders to define and implement the processes, systems, and tooling that keep research and customer insights running at peak efficiency. It's a rare opportunity to shape how a category-defining AI company operationalizes its design and research functions from the ground up.

Requirements

5+ years in operations, program management, or a similar role supporting design, research, or product teams in a technology environment
Demonstrated ability to build processes and systems from scratch in fast-moving, ambiguous environments
Experience early establishment of Research operations at a fast-growing company
Strong ability to navigate complexity with legal, procurement and EPD + GTM teams for process development
Strong cross-functional communicator with a track record of partnering effectively with creative, technical, and business stakeholders
Deep familiarity with research operations, design operations, or how design and UXR teams function at scale
Bias toward ownership: you take initiative, drive projects to completion, and maintain high standards without constant direction
Proficiency in project management and collaboration tools (Notion, Dovetail, etc.) with a systems-thinking approach

Nice To Haves

Experience with UserInterviews, Sprig, ListenLabs, Lookback, or similar
B2B or enterprise software research background
Familiarity with legal workflows or professional services

Responsibilities

Design and implement end-to-end operational systems for research workflows — from intake and participant recruitment to insight synthesis.
Own participant recruitment and panel management; build and maintain relationships with users, prospects, and legal professionals
Set up, evaluate, and manage the research repository and tech stack, with a focus on AI-powered tooling: automated synthesis, AI repository and intake systems, and systematizing self-serve and rolling research to improves team velocity and institutional memory.
Develop templates, intake processes, and educational documentation to help the team run studies faster and more consistently.
Build scalable processes for budget and resource allocation, capacity planning, and project tracking.
Define success metrics and reporting frameworks that give leadership visibility into team health, output quality, research velocity, and coverage gaps
Identify where AI reduces friction in the research workflow — from recruitment to readout, and implement or build those improvements.
Provide guidance, review and help coordinate rolling research schedules: Qualitative user interviews, usability tests, concept tests, often on tight timelines.
Support repository of findings into clear, actionable reports for cross-functional team discovery and use.