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Research Lab Jobs in Portland, OR (NOW HIRING)

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Research Lab information

See Portland, OR salary details

$9

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How much do research lab jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 4, 2026, the average hourly pay for research lab in Portland, OR is $23.36, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $16.30 and $29.04 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a research lab?

A research lab is a specialized facility where scientists, researchers, or students conduct experiments and investigations to advance knowledge in a particular field. Research labs can be found in universities, hospitals, private companies, or government institutions and are equipped with tools and equipment tailored to their focus area. These labs support a variety of activities, such as basic or applied research, testing, and product development, often following strict safety and ethical guidelines.

What is the difference between Research Lab vs Research Assistant?

AspectResearch LabResearch Assistant
Required CredentialsTypically advanced degrees (Master's or PhD)Bachelor's or ongoing graduate studies
Work EnvironmentLaboratory settings, research facilitiesAssist in experiments, data collection in labs or field
Employer & Industry UsageUniversities, research institutes, corporate R&DUniversities, research projects, government agencies

Research Lab refers to a facility or organization conducting scientific research, often led by senior researchers. A Research Assistant is a role within a research lab, supporting experiments and data analysis. While both are involved in research activities, Research Lab is the environment or organization, whereas Research Assistant is a specific job position within that environment.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in a research lab position, and why are they important?

To thrive in a Research Lab position, you need strong analytical skills, scientific knowledge in your field, and typically at least a bachelor's or advanced degree in a related discipline. Familiarity with lab equipment, data analysis software (such as SPSS, R, or MATLAB), and adherence to safety protocols are commonly required. Attention to detail, critical thinking, and effective teamwork are crucial soft skills for success. These abilities ensure accurate experimentation, meaningful results, and a safe, collaborative research environment.

What are some common challenges faced when working in a research lab environment?

Working in a research lab often involves navigating tight deadlines, adapting to rapidly changing project priorities, and troubleshooting experimental setbacks. Collaboration is key, as you'll frequently work alongside other researchers, lab technicians, and sometimes students, which requires strong communication skills. Additionally, maintaining meticulous records and adhering to strict safety protocols are essential to ensure the accuracy and reproducibility of research findings. Overcoming these challenges can be highly rewarding and can help foster valuable problem-solving and teamwork skills for your future career.
What are the most commonly searched types of Research Lab jobs in Portland, OR? The most popular types of Research Lab jobs in Portland, OR are:
What are popular job titles related to Research Lab jobs in Portland, OR? For Research Lab jobs in Portland, OR, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Research Lab jobs in Portland, OR look for? The top searched job categories for Research Lab jobs in Portland, OR are:
What cities near Portland, OR are hiring for Research Lab jobs? Cities near Portland, OR with the most Research Lab job openings:
Infographic showing various Research Lab job openings in Portland, OR as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 76% Full Time, 18% Part Time, and 6% Contract. Highlights an 88% In-person, and 12% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $48,587 per year, or $23.4 per hour.

Director, Product Management, Activity & Research

Nike

Beaverton, OR • On-site

$242K - $253K/yr

Full-time

Posted 23 days ago


Nike rating

7.6

Company rating: 7.6 out of 10

Based on 274 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

7th of 104 rated fashion retailers


Job description

WHO YOU'LL WORK WITH
As the Director of Activity & Research, you will report to the Senior Director of Product for Marketing Technology (MarTech). You will lead product strategy across Nike Run Club (NRC), Nike Training Club (NTC), and the product partnership with the Nike Sport Research Lab (NSRL). You will partner closely with design, engineering, data science, research scientists, biomechanics experts, sport experts, trainers, coaches, marketing, and cross-functional business leaders to advance Nike's activity apps while transforming emerging research, athlete insight, and early-stage capabilities into reliable, scalable, user-facing features that help consumers and athletes achieve their goals.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
You will have:
  • Bachelor's degree in business, product management, computer science, data science, sports science, or a related field. Will accept any suitable combination of education, experience or training
  • 9+ years of product management, digital product, consumer mobile app, sport technology, research translation, or innovation leadership experience, including 5+ years directly leading and developing teams.
  • Deep passion for sport, movement, and helping athletes achieve their goals through research-backed, intuitive, and motivating digital experiences.
  • Proven ability to define multi-year product strategy, make portfolio-level prioritization trade-offs, influence senior leaders, and align cross-functional teams across product, design, engineering, research, data science, marketing, sport, privacy, and operations.
  • Strong ability to translate athlete insights, advanced research, behavioral data, coaching needs, emerging technology, and AI/ML opportunities into scalable consumer product experiences, roadmaps, requirements, and success metrics.
  • Experience leading consumer-facing mobile products or platforms that improve onboarding, habit formation, personalization, motivation, coaching, community, activity tracking, performance feedback, or goal progression.
  • Excellent executive communication and product storytelling skills, with the ability to translate complex research and technical concepts into clear narratives and actionable decisions.

Preferred Qualifications:
  • Experience with digital fitness, wellness, coaching, activity tracking, wearable integrations, training plans, guided content, challenges, achievements, or community-based motivation features.
  • Familiarity with Nike Run Club, Nike Training Club, Nike Sport Research Lab, or comparable products and organizations that combine sport science, coaching, content, community, personalization, performance insights, and progress tracking to support athlete goals.

WHAT YOU'LL WORK ON
As the Director of Activity & Research, you will define and lead the product vision for Nike's activity ecosystem-advancing NRC and NTC while building a stronger bridge between Nike Sport Research Lab insights and consumer-facing digital experiences. You will help determine how Nike turns advanced research, athlete learning, movement science, coaching methodology, sensor data, and emerging AI/ML capabilities into trustworthy, motivating, and scalable features that help athletes start, train, improve, recover, and reach their goals.
Product Strategy, Research Translation & Portfolio Leadership
  • You will own and drive the multi-year product strategy and roadmap for NRC, NTC, and NSRL-enabled digital capabilities in close partnership with design, engineering, data science, research scientists, sport experts, marketing, and business stakeholders-translating athlete needs, research priorities, and business goals into portfolio strategy, investment priorities, measurable outcomes, and delivery plans.
  • You will identify opportunities to improve how athletes discover workouts and runs, follow training plans, receive coaching guidance, track activity, understand progress, respond to performance insights, build habits, participate in challenges, and celebrate achievements.
  • You will lead senior stakeholder engagement-providing regular updates, shaping investment recommendations, clarifying trade-offs, and ensuring product decisions balance athlete value, scientific integrity, brand impact, business outcomes, technical feasibility, privacy, responsible AI, and operational readiness.

Product Discovery, Experimentation & Delivery Leadership
  • You will lead product discovery and definition across activity and research initiatives-clarifying athlete journeys, research hypotheses, opportunity spaces, requirements, acceptance criteria, readiness gates, risk considerations, and backlog priorities across related teams.
  • You will shape experiences that connect coaching, training plans, guided runs, workouts, activity tracking, wearable and sensor data, personalized recommendations, performance feedback, achievements, and community challenges into simple, motivating journeys for athletes at every level.
  • You will collaborate with globally distributed teams-driving alignment across time zones, coordinating dependencies, supporting release readiness, and ensuring research-backed product capabilities are launched, measured, trusted, maintained, and continuously optimized for athletes across markets.

Research Commercialization & Capability Scaling
  • You will create repeatable pathways for moving promising NSRL research and prototypes from concept to pilot to production-defining validation criteria, athlete testing needs, product readiness, measurement plans, and long-term operating models.
  • You will help teams distinguish between exploratory research, experimental product bets, and production-ready capabilities, ensuring the right level of rigor, governance, privacy review, and technical investment at each stage.
  • You will champion a feedback loop between athletes, product teams, and research partners so Nike can continuously learn from real-world usage and use those learnings to improve future coaching, training, performance, recovery, and motivation experiences.

We offer a number of accommodations to complete our interview process including screen readers, sign language interpreters, accessible and single location for in-person interviews, closed captioning, and other reasonable modifications as needed. If you discover, as you navigate our application process, that you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please complete the Candidate Accommodation Request Form.

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