Program Manager, Research Ops (temporary)

Sago•New York, NY

14h•Onsite

About The Position

Sago is seeking a temporary Program Manager, Research Operations for a three (3) month assignment, with potential for extension. This onsite role is responsible for the day-to-day delivery of research programs, team performance, staffing, quality, participant experience, and client partnerships within a secure research environment. The Program Manager will report to the Program Director and act as the primary onsite representative to client stakeholders. This is a hands-on leadership position requiring active participation in operations, including supporting studies, resolving issues, covering gaps, and coaching the team in real time to ensure smooth service delivery.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Research Operations, Psychology, Communications, or a related field preferred, or equivalent operational leadership experience.
5+ years of operations, program management, customer experience, research operations, or related leadership experience.
Experience managing teams in a fast-paced operational environment.
Experience serving as a primary client-facing contact or stakeholder partner.
Experience managing schedules, staffing plans, hiring support, onboarding, and day-to-day operations.
Demonstrated experience coaching employees, improving performance, correcting behaviors, and driving accountability.
Experience supporting research operations, participant-facing programs, laboratory operations, customer experience teams, or complex service delivery environments.
Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Outlook, and calendar management tools.
Proficiency in Google Workspace tools including Docs, Sheets, Calendar, and Chat.
Familiarity with workforce scheduling, resource planning, operational reporting, quality tracking, and performance management tools.
Ability to quickly learn new technologies, operational platforms, and client-specific systems.
Strong people leadership, coaching, corrective feedback, and performance management skills.
Excellent client relationship management and professional stakeholder communication skills.
Strong operational judgment, problem-solving, escalation management, and decision-making abilities.
Proficiency in workforce scheduling, coverage planning, and resource management.
Commitment to quality, accountability, compliance, and continuous improvement.
Ability to balance leadership responsibilities with hands-on operational execution.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary onsite point of contact for client stakeholders, representing the program with professionalism and responsiveness.
Provide clear updates on program performance, staffing needs, risks, quality trends, and improvement opportunities.
Anticipate and resolve operational issues, escalations, and service failures.
Directly manage Senior UX Research Assistants and Operations Coordinators.
Set and reinforce expectations for quality, professionalism, participant experience, documentation, compliance, and operational execution.
Coach team members through direct observation, feedback, retraining, corrective action, and performance improvement plans.
Correct poor operational behaviors in real time and model expected standards.
Own team scheduling, coverage planning, workload balancing, time-off coordination, and contingency staffing.
Partner with Talent Acquisition and internal stakeholders to recruit, interview, and select team members.
Lead onboarding and training plans for new hires.
Monitor onsite operations to ensure procedures, security expectations, participant standards, and client requirements are followed.
Conduct quality reviews, direct observations, and operational audits to identify gaps and risks.
Investigate complaints, compliance issues, quality concerns, and escalations, implementing corrective actions.
Actively participate in daily operations during staffing shortages, peak demand, or unexpected issues.
Support participant coordination, scheduling, onsite logistics, room flow, study handoffs, and troubleshooting.
Maintain a practical understanding of frontline workflows to improve processes and coach effectively.
Ensure team adherence to confidentiality, participant privacy, security protocols, documentation, and facility requirements.
Partner with client and internal stakeholders to support audits, reviews, risk mitigation, and process changes.