Research Manager

AnswerLab • San Francisco, CA

4d • $130,000 - $145,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

AnswerLab helps pioneering leaders Own the Unknown — transforming uncharted territory into clarity, direction, and competitive advantage. We build strategic insight through deep human understanding and validate future possibilities with real people in real contexts. For more than 20 years, we've worked alongside some of the world's most forward-looking organizations, helping them deliver breakthrough moments when no playbook exists. As we evolve as a human-grounded experience strategy firm, our Research Managers sit at the heart of that transformation — leading the people who do the work, shaping the quality of our work, and helping our clients see what comes next. The Research Manager is a frontline research leader and a critical driver of AnswerLab's delivery excellence, research innovation, and people development. Embedded within a client-aligned portfolio, the Research Manager ensures their team delivers rigorous, strategic, high-caliber research — and that every researcher on their team is growing, supported, and set up to do their best work. This role has been intentionally designed to be client-facing and strategically oriented. With dedicated operational and "back of house" support in place, Research Managers focus on driving impact and results through exceptional research, exceptional people, and exceptional client partnerships.

Requirements

• 5+ years of professional experience leading qualitative UX research in a client-facing environment
• 2+ years managing or formally mentoring a team of researchers
• Experience in a fast-paced, client-driven consulting or agency environment
• Demonstrated experience translating research insights into strategic recommendations for senior stakeholders
• Well-versed in a wide range of research methodologies, including 1:1 usability studies (in-person and remote), contextual interviews, ethnography, co-design and innovation workshops, journey mapping, unmoderated usability, card sorting, surveys, and more
• Experience crafting and evaluating discussion guides, screeners, test protocols, and research reports
• Familiarity with AI-augmented research tools and a genuine curiosity about their role in the future of the practice
• Clear, engaging presentation skills — both in building presentations and delivering them to clients
• Ability to build trust quickly across a range of relationships, including researchers, CSLs, ResearchOps, and client stakeholders
• Strong written and verbal communication, with the ability to adapt your voice for a UX practitioner and a C-suite executive alike
• Comfortable giving and receiving direct, constructive feedback
• Curious, optimistic, and energized by ambiguous, high-stakes challenges
• A systems thinker who anticipates downstream impact and takes ownership through the finish line
• Committed to inclusive, empathetic leadership and to making AnswerLab a place where diverse talent thrives
• Bachelor's or advanced degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Sociology, Statistics, or a related field preferred
• Ability to travel approximately 25% of the time to AnswerLab offices, client sites, or offsite locations as needed

Responsibilities

• Provide consistent, individualized coaching through regular 1:1s, performance conversations, and real-time feedback
• Foster the professional development of each direct report through mentorship, stretch opportunities, and clear growth pathways
• Onboard new researchers effectively, ensuring they understand AnswerLab's standards, methods, and client expectations from day one
• Cultivate a culture grounded in AnswerLab's values: curiosity, courage, accountability, and care
• Actively participate in hiring and selection of new research talent
• Model respectful leadership that holds space for bold ideas and honest dialogue
• Partner with Customer Success Leads (CSLs) on scoping and proposal development and translate client needs into methodologically sound, compelling research
• Identify emerging client needs and opportunities within your portfolio, surfacing ideas for new research directions, creative experience strategies, or expanded partnerships
• Bring knowledge of your portfolio's industry context and client goals to bear in shaping research and experience strategy solutions that go beyond the brief
• Contribute to AnswerLab's thought leadership by sharing insights, trends, and perspectives relevant to your portfolio's landscape
• Ensure high-caliber, consistent research delivery across all client touchpoints, including project kickoffs, moderation/data collection, synthesis, and reporting
• Provide in-the-moment and structured feedback to researchers throughout the project lifecycle to drive continuous improvement and protect quality
• Participate in key client engagements — including kickoffs and report presentations — as a senior research voice and client relationship steward
• Maintain knowledge bases and facilitate knowledge sharing to build consistency and institutional learning across the team
• Monitor project health and proactively surface and resolve risks in collaboration with ResearchOps and CSLs
• Ensure research deliverables translate into clear, actionable strategic direction for clients
• Stay current on emerging research methods, tools, and technologies — including AI-augmented research — and evaluate their relevance for your portfolio
• Drive adoption of new approaches and frameworks developed through AnswerLab's Research Innovation function, serving as a bridge between innovation and frontline delivery
• Contribute to and actively participate in cross-portfolio knowledge sharing, helping to refine best practices and train the broader research team
• Treat every project as an opportunity to learn — documenting what works, surfacing what doesn't, and sharing both with equal transparency

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior