Research Operations Lead

The best teams don't treat customer understanding as a checkpoint. They build it into the work: learning how customers see the world, carrying that perspective into everyday decisions, and making better products because of it. At Mercury, research is a democratized practice. Designers and PMs talk directly to customers, and Research Operations builds and runs the system that makes that fast, high quality, and ethical. We're looking for a Research Operations Lead to build and run that program as Mercury scales. You've done this before and have a clear point of view on how it should work. This is a builder and maker role, with most of your time spent running and improving the program yourself. *Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC. In this role, you will: Define how research works at Mercury: the processes, standards, and ways of working that let Product, Design, and Marketing run research with autonomy Own our customer research panel end to end, including customer databases, outreach, and continuous recruitment Run the day-to-day operations that keep research moving, including scheduling, incentives, consent, and privacy and ethical guardrails Consult across the team on research best practices, helping designers and PMs plan studies, choose methods, and turn feedback into insight Partner closely with design managers, designers, and PMs so customer evidence informs decisions from early discovery through post-launch usability and funnel analysis Own our research tool stack (including Dovetail, Maze, and Rally), along with vendor relationships, budget, and build-versus-buy decisions Build AI-enabled workflows that help teams prepare for customer conversations and synthesize feedback, while holding a high bar for evidence, privacy, and human judgment Pilot new ways of getting close to customers, such as rolling research programs and customer events like research dinners Manage and coach one direct report, setting priorities and supporting their growth while staying hands on in the work You should: Have 8+ years of hands-on research operations experience and a track record of building or scaling a program with measurable impact Have 1-2 years of people management experience Be a thought leader in the space Thrive in ambiguity where the discipline isn't fully figured out Be an excellent coach to non-researchers, building their judgment and confidence Use AI in your daily work and stay curious about what's genuinely useful versus merely new Communicate clearly with practitioners and senior stakeholders Nice to have: qualitative research experience, quantitative fluency, and familiarity with fintech. Mercury values diversity & belonging and is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. All individuals seeking employment at Mercury are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected characteristic. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process for applicants with disabilities or special needs. If you need assistance, or an accommodation, please let your recruiter know once you are contacted about a role. Total Rewards The total rewards package at Mercury includes base salary, equity (stock options/RSUs), and benefits. Our salary and equity ranges are highly competitive within the SaaS and fintech industry and are updated regularly using the most reliable compensation survey data for our industry. New hire offers are made based on a candidate’s experience, expertise, geographic location, and internal pay equity relative to peers. Our target new hire base salary ranges for this role are the following : US employees in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, or the San Francisco Bay Area: $189,400 — $236,700 USD US employees outside of New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, or the San Francisco Bay Area: $170,400 — $213,000 USD Canadian employees (any location): $179,000 — $223,700 CAD