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Program Manager Research Operations Jobs in Oakland, CA

Mercor

Research Operations, Code

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$130K - $250K/yr

As a member of Research Ops on the Code team, you will own multi-million-dollar data programs end ... Manage end-to-end data pipelines from customer specification to final delivery. * Diagnose ...

Intuit

Group Manager, Market Research

Oakland, CA · On-site

$226K - $305K/yr

Oversee research operations through a dedicated operations leader - recruitment and member panel ... plans and programs (see more about our compensation and benefits at ). Pay offered is based on ...

Intuit

Group Manager, Research

Oakland, CA

$226K - $305K/yr

Oversee research operations through a dedicated operations leader - recruitment and member panel ... and programs (see more about our compensation and benefits at Intuit: Careers | Benefits). Pay ...

Abaka AI

Research Program Associate

Mountain View, CA · On-site

... operational coordination across ongoing research initiatives and collaborations • Manage and ... for research programs and open-source initiatives • Help improve internal workflows and ...

Meta

Data Collection Program Manager

Fremont, CA · On-site

$99K - $144K/yr

Degree must be completed prior to joining Meta • 4+ years of experience in program management, research operations, or technical operations, including direct involvement in onsite or lab-based data ...

Aeva, Inc.

Operations Program Manager

Mountain View, CA · On-site

$132K - $179K/yr

As an Operations Program Manager you will play a crucial role coordinating with Aeva cross-functional partners and contract manufacturers in ensuring the production lines for NPI and mass production ...

Aeva, Inc.

Operations Program Manager

Mountain View, CA · On-site

$132K - $179K/yr

As an Operations Program Manager you will play a crucial role coordinating with Aeva cross-functional partners and contract manufacturers in ensuring the production lines for NPI and mass production ...

Aeva, Inc.

Operations Program Manager

Mountain View, CA · On-site

$132K - $179K/yr

As an Operations Program Manager you will play a crucial role coordinating with Aeva cross-functional partners and contract manufacturers in ensuring the production lines for NPI and mass production ...

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Showing results 21-40

All JobsProgram Research Operations JobsProgram Manager Research Operations JobsProgram Manager Research Operations Jobs in Oakland, CA

Program Manager Research Operations information

See Oakland, CA salary details

$45.9K

$125.7K

$182K

How much do program manager research operations jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 18, 2026, the average yearly pay for program manager research operations in Oakland, CA is $125,732.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $98,200.00 and $152,200.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a program manager research operations?

Program Manager Research Operations are professionals who oversee and coordinate the administrative and operational aspects of research programs within organizations such as universities, corporations, or healthcare institutions. Their responsibilities typically include managing budgets, ensuring compliance with regulations, supporting research teams, and improving efficiency in research processes. They act as a bridge between researchers, administrative staff, and external partners to ensure projects run smoothly and meet organizational goals. Program Managers in Research Operations play a critical role in enabling scientific and academic research by providing strategic and logistical support.

What are the main challenges program managers in research operations typically face when coordinating cross-functional teams?

Program Managers in Research Operations often encounter challenges related to aligning diverse stakeholders, balancing multiple project timelines, and ensuring smooth communication between research, product, and operations teams. Successfully navigating these challenges requires strong organizational skills, adaptability, and the ability to manage competing priorities while maintaining research quality and compliance. Regularly facilitating meetings, setting clear expectations, and using project management tools help mitigate these challenges and ensure collaborative progress.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a program manager research operations, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Program Manager Research Operations, you need expertise in research administration, project management, and budget oversight, often supported by a relevant degree and experience in research environments. Familiarity with project management tools (e.g., Asana, MS Project), research compliance systems, and grant management platforms is typically essential. Strong leadership, organizational skills, and effective communication enable collaboration across multidisciplinary teams and stakeholders. These skills ensure efficient research operations, regulatory compliance, and successful project outcomes.

What is the difference between Program Manager Research Operations vs Research Coordinator?

AspectProgram Manager Research OperationsResearch Coordinator
CredentialsBachelor's or higher in related field, project management certifications often preferredBachelor's degree in a relevant field, research experience
Work EnvironmentOversees multiple projects, collaborates with teams, manages budgetsSupports research projects, handles data collection, assists with study logistics
Employer & IndustryResearch institutions, biotech, pharma, academiaResearch labs, clinical settings, academic institutions
Search & Comparison IntentUnderstanding managerial roles in research operationsDetails on research support roles and coordination tasks

The Program Manager Research Operations typically oversees multiple research projects, manages teams, and handles budgets, requiring project management skills. In contrast, a Research Coordinator focuses on supporting specific research studies, managing data collection, and logistical tasks. Both roles are essential in research environments but differ in scope and responsibilities.

What job categories do people searching Program Manager Research Operations jobs in Oakland, CA look for?

The top searched job categories for Program Manager Research Operations jobs in Oakland, CA are:

What cities near Oakland, CA are hiring for Program Manager Research Operations jobs?

Cities near Oakland, CA with the most Program Manager Research Operations job openings:

Program Manager Research Operations jobs near you
Infographic showing various Program Manager Research Operations job openings in Oakland, CA as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 74% Full Time, 25% Part Time, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 95% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 4% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $125,732 per year, or $60.4 per hour.

Research Operations, Code

Mercor

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$130K - $250K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision

Posted 26 days ago

Job description

About Mercor
Mercor's mission is to organize human intelligence to power the AI economy. We're a leading AI data company, building the layer between human expertise and frontier models. Millions of domain experts on the platform are paid over $4 million per day to train frontier AI models. Mercor's APEX benchmark family measures AI's real-world impact on professional work. Mercor Enterprise brings this same infrastructure to Fortune 500 companies: helping companies capture how their best people actually work, translating that expertise directly back into agents.
Mercor is creating a new category of work where expertise powers AI advancement. Achieving this requires an ambitious, fast-paced and deeply committed team. You'll work alongside researchers, operators, and AI companies at the forefront of shaping the systems that are redefining society. Mercor is a profitable Series C company valued at $10 billion. We work in-person five days a week in our San Francisco, NYC, or London offices.
About the Role
Silicon Valley's leading AI labs partner with Mercor to build the high-quality code and reasoning data that trains their frontier models. As a member of Research Ops on the Code team, you will own multi-million-dollar data programs end to end - and ownership here is technical as much as operational. You will:
  • Decompose frontier model capabilities. Reason about where a lab's frontier coding model is weak, and translate that into the data that will make it stronger.
  • Design the pipeline. Shape how data gets produced - human-expert workflows, synthetic generation, model-in-the-loop systems - not just run a fixed process.
  • Drive execution. Turn that design into delivery through a team of expert contributors, under demanding timelines, at a consistently high quality bar.
  • Own the customer. Build deep relationships with lab researchers and become the person they trust to tell them what data they actually need.

This role sits at the intersection of operator and builder. You'll spend as much time reasoning about designing tasks which fail frontier models in fair ways, designing verifiers with parity to production codebases, and constructing self-contained environments which capture real world tasks, as you will on delivery and quality. We operate with startup intensity: occasionally responsive on weekends, always a high bar. The upside is that performance incentives, high-slope career trajectory, and meaningful equity reflects that intensity.
Core Responsibilities
Frontier Model Evaluation & Data Strategy
  • Develop a working understanding of what our customers' models can and can't do, and where the capability gaps are.
  • Evaluate model outputs and benchmark performance, and create targeted loss analysis to identify what data will drive improvement.
  • Translate research goals into concrete task designs, difficulty targets, and quality specifications - including novel frontier tasks that don't exist anywhere else.

Pipeline Design & Innovation
  • Design how data is produced - human-expert, synthetic, and hybrid model-in-the-loop pipelines - and continuously improve them.
  • Prototype new generation and validation approaches; bring ideas for new data products, not just improvements to existing ones.
  • Balance quality, throughput, and cost as you scale a pipeline from prototype to production.

Operational Excellence
  • Manage end-to-end data pipelines from customer specification to final delivery.
  • Diagnose bottlenecks, restructure workflows, and implement solutions - incentive systems, workflow re-sequencing, sharper instructions, scaled review processes, and automated quality assurance.
  • Run daily internal syncs ("war rooms") to stay ahead of issues.

Customer Relationships
  • Act as the primary point of contact for leading AI labs; deliver clear, consistent reporting.
  • Proactively anticipate researcher needs and identify opportunities for expansion.

Expert Teams & Workflow Design
  • Design the human-expert labeling and evaluation flows on the platform - how tasks are structured, reviewed, and scored.
  • Source, vet, train, and performance-manage teams of domain experts (software engineers, competitive programmers, and specialists).
  • Maintain a high execution and quality standard across every stage of production.
What We're Looking For
We hire for range: people who can hold a credible technical conversation with a lab researcher in the morning and design the expert workflow that produces the data in the afternoon.
Required
  • Technical judgment. Coding literacy and genuine ML or Model Benchmark familiarity - enough to evaluate model outputs, reason about frontier-model capabilities and failure modes, read benchmark/eval work, and translate research goals into concrete task and data designs. You don't need to be a research scientist, but you do need to go deep on the technical substance.
  • Operational ownership. A track record of running complex, high-stakes projects end to end, and genuine energy for large-scale execution and gritty process optimization under pressure.
  • Communication & customer instinct. Strong analytical and communication skills; comfortable owning high-profile relationships with technical customers.

Bonus - a distinctive spike in one of these stands out
  • Pipeline building: designing data or automation pipelines; hands-on with LLMs/agents; building synthetic-data or model-in-the-loop systems.
  • Research fluency: connecting model/benchmark literature to what data would move a frontier model; having created a benchmark or published analysis of model behavior.

Backgrounds that often fit: ML/data/software engineers who love operating, technical PMs, research engineers, or strong generalist operators with real technical range. Backgrounds from consulting, finance, or high-growth startups can work if paired with real technical fluency.
Key Facts
  • Research Ops team members generate $10M+ in project revenue annually.
  • Customer requests are high-pressure and time-sensitive (e.g., standing up a vetted expert team and delivering high-quality data against a lab's spec within days).
  • Day-to-day is roughly ~30% customer engagement, ~40-50% data production (pipelines, experts, scaling), and ~15% operations and metrics review.
  • This role blends operational ownership with real technical judgment about models and data. It is not a pure project-management seat, nor a pure research seat.
  • Location: San Francisco (in person, five days a week).
Benefits
  • Bi-annual performance bonus structure
  • Generous equity grant vested over 4 years
  • Up to $15k Relocation bonus
  • $10K housing bonus (if you live within 0.5 miles of our office)
  • $1.5K monthly stipend for meals
  • Free Equinox membership
  • $200 monthly laundry reimbursement
  • $200 monthly personal wellness reimbursement
  • Health, Dental, Vision insurance

Apply