Innovation Research Operations Lead

at  Twinkl

Job Introduction
Location: Sheffield, UK (Hybrid/Remote options available)
Salary: £35,000 - £45,000 (depending on experience of US?)
Reports to: Head of Innovation

KEY SKILLS:

• Participant Recruitment & Management: Expertise in recruiting and managing research participants, with an understanding of user demographics and engagement strategies.
• Operational Excellence: Strong organisational skills with the ability to develop and optimise processes, tools, and workflows.
• Incentive Program Design: Experience in creating effective participant incentive programs, balancing engagement with cost-efficiency.
• Communication & Collaboration: Ability to work cross-functionally, liaising between research teams and other departments to ensure smooth project execution.
• Problem-Solving & Adaptability: Capable of addressing operational challenges with innovative solutions, while maintaining flexibility in a dynamic environment.
• Strategic Thinking & Execution: Ability to develop and implement strategies to scale research operations globally while addressing market-specific challenges.
• Operational Flexibility: Comfort with adapting processes and systems to suit different geographies and expanding capabilities into new markets.
  In return for everything you can bring, we can offer you an exciting role in a fast-growing and dynamic business, with plenty of career opportunities.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are looking for an Innovation Research Operations Lead to drive the growth of our research capabilities within the innovation team. In this role, you will be responsible for growing our participant pool, managing recruitment for research projects, and designing an incentive program to engage participants. You will also play a pivotal role in expanding our research operations into the US, building the infrastructure and processes needed to scale effectively.
The ideal candidate will have experience in research operations, a strong understanding of participant engagement, and a vision for how to expand research capabilities across geographies.
This is a new role within the business which will give you the opportunity to work in a highly strategic and innovation-driven environment. With opportunities for long-term professional growth in line with the growth of the research function.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Grow and Manage Participant Pool: Develop and execute strategies to grow and maintain a diverse, high-quality pool of research participants across Twinkl’s customer and non-customer segments.
• Recruitment for Research Projects: Organise and oversee participant recruitment for specific research initiatives, ensuring a match between participants and research needs. This includes surveys, one-to-one interviews, product testing and focus groups.
• Design and Manage Incentive Programs: Create and administer incentive programs to improve participant engagement and retention while ensuring they are cost-effective.
• Optimise Research Operations: Develop efficient workflows and processes that enhance the overall research experience, from recruitment to data collection.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with researchers, designers, and other teams to ensure seamless execution of research projects and alignment with their goals.
• Expand Research Capabilities in the US: Lead the early development of research operations in the US market, helping to build participant pools, setting up recruitment processes, and establishing local operational workflows.
• Create and Maintain a repository of Research: