Research Operations Manager

Role: Research Operations Manager
Rate: $32/hour W2
Schedule: Hybrid (3 days onsite)
Location: Philadelphia, PA

We are seeking a highly organized Research Operations Manager to support a fast-paced Market Research and Consumer Insights team for our Fortune 30 client. This role will serve as a key liaison between research teams, vendors, procurement, finance, cybersecurity, privacy, and compliance stakeholders to ensure the successful onboarding, management, and governance of research vendors and tools. The ideal candidate will bring experience supporting market research, consumer insights, research operations, or related organizations, combined with strong budgeting, accounts payable, and vendor management expertise.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and track departmental budgets, forecasts, invoices, and spending across multiple research initiatives.
• Partner with Accounts Payable and Finance teams to ensure accurate invoice processing and budget reporting.
• Coordinate vendor onboarding, compliance reviews, and approval workflows.
• Support contract administration activities, including tracking agreements, renewals, and vendor documentation.
• Work closely with Procurement, Cybersecurity, Privacy, Legal, and AI Governance teams to ensure compliance requirements are met for new vendors, software, and research tools.
• Monitor vendor performance, approvals, and ongoing compliance requirements.
• Maintain project trackers, dashboards, and documentation using tools such as Smartsheet and Jira.
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders and external research vendors to ensure projects remain organized and on schedule.
• Assist with process improvements related to vendor governance, budget management, and operational workflows.

Required Qualifications

• Experience supporting a Market Research, Consumer Research, Consumer Insights, Research Operations, or similar organization.
• Strong experience with Budget Management, Financial Tracking, and Accounts Payable processes.
• Experience with Vendor Management, Vendor Compliance, Vendor Onboarding, or Procurement support activities.
• Experience coordinating cross-functional approvals and compliance processes.
• Working knowledge of Oracle.
• Experience using Jira.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to quickly learn new systems, processes, and tools.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Smartsheet.
• Telecommunications industry experience.
• Experience working with research vendors, survey providers, consumer insight firms, or related partners.
• Exposure to contract management platforms or vendor governance systems.

Ideal Background
Candidates with experience in the following environments are highly encouraged to apply:

• Market Research
• Consumer Insights
• Research Operations
• Customer Experience (CX) Research
• User Research
• Brand Research
• Insights & Analytics Organizations
• Vendor Management or Procurement Operations supporting research functions

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