Research Manager

About AnswerLab

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.

Role Summary

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.

Key Focus Areas

1. People Management & Development

You are the primary coach for your team of researchers. You create an environment that empowers people to do their best work, put forth their boldest ideas, and truly own the unknown for our clients. 

• 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

2. Strategic Growth Partner 

You are a key thought partner in shaping how we show up for clients, from the earliest stages of a new engagement to expanding existing ones.

• 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

3. Delivery Excellence

You set and uphold the standard for what exceptional research looks like, from kickoff to presentation.

• 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

4. Research Innovation Development & Adoption

You are a champion of how we evolve our research practice, embracing new tools, methods, ways of working, and helping your team adopt them with confidence.

• 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

Key Relationships

• Reports to: Research Director (portfolio-aligned)
• Dotted-line partnership with: Managing Director, Research & Product Innovation (for research quality standards, methodology, and innovation adoption)
• Close collaboration with: Customer Success Lead(s) within your portfolio, ResearchOps, and fellow Research Managers
• Client engagement: Active partnership with client stakeholders, ranging from researchers to senior product executives, and anyone  in between

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

We know outstanding candidates come from a range of backgrounds. We are looking for people with the personal characteristics to thrive in a growing, client-focused, purpose-driven business. The ideal candidate will meet many of the criteria below.

Experience

• 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

Research Craft

• 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

Leadership & Communication

• 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

Mindset & Values

• 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

Education

• Bachelor's or advanced degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Sociology, Statistics, or a related field preferred

Additional Requirements

• Ability to travel approximately 25% of the time to AnswerLab offices, client sites, or offsite locations as needed

AnswerLab's Core Values

Value

What It Means

Find the Edge

We push into uncharted territory because breakthroughs don't happen in the safe zone

Run the Play

We treat every idea as an experiment worth trying and every outcome as data worth sharing

Push the Ask

We challenge the consensus to go beyond surface answers, because real innovation requires tough questions

Own the Outcome

We take full ownership of our work and its downstream impact

At AnswerLab, our mission is to create experiences people love. That starts with building a company that is a great place to work for people from all walks of life. We believe that a diverse team makes our work stronger, our insights richer, and our culture better — and we are committed to actively cultivating an inclusive environment where every person can thrive.

AnswerLab is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, veteran status, disability, or any other federal, state, or local protected class.

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This job description is subject to change as our business evolves.