Senior Research Operations Program Manager

United States

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Okta is The World’s Identity Company. We free everyone to safely use any technology—anywhere, on any device or app. Our Workforce and Customer Identity Clouds enable secure yet flexible access, authentication, and automation that transforms how people move through the digital world, putting Identity at the heart of business security and growth. 

At Okta, we celebrate a variety of perspectives and experiences. We are not looking for someone who checks every single box - we’re looking for lifelong learners and people who can make us better with their unique experiences. 

Join our team! We’re building a world where Identity belongs to you.

As a Senior Research Operations Program Manager at Okta, you will play a crucial role in building and enabling an impactful research practice. Via close collaboration across research, design, product and engineering teams, you will programmatically manage cross-functional teams’ research needs. You will proactively build the operations for a research enablement program and an engaging research participant experience for our Okta users. You’ll also collaborate with other Ops functions to plan the necessary infrastructure for this programming to be successful, following compliance and governance best practices.  

In this role, you’ll get to:

  • Work collaboratively across multiple teams to empower Okta staff to carry out impactful research
  • Help manage the general pipeline of inbound research requests from various teams across the organization, including prioritizing new and ongoing projects
  • Develop and maintain research documentation, templates and other informational resources for research methods, procedures and techniques.
  • Develop internal activities that help cultivate Okta’s broader user research culture and community. 
  • Helps teams access relevant knowledge through reviews of past research
  • Support cross-functional team members to analyze, share, and store their findings and insights
  • Grow your colleagues’ research skills and competencies through training workshops, presentations and documentation. 
  • Conduct primary research with both Okta staff and potentially customers to inform the improvement of user research operations
  • Ensure that user research programs and processes meet accessibility standards and promote inclusion among both Okta staff and customers
  • Ensure compliance with ethical research standards as well as privacy policies and regulations
  • Contribute to the continuing improvement of our research systems, such as our participant panel and research repository
  • Manage and maintain a database of existing and prospective research participants 
  • Provide leadership in program management methodologies and best practices, ensuring consistent and successful delivery of projects
  • Identify and manage potential risks, develop mitigation strategies, and resolve project challenges proactively

Qualities that would make you a great candidate for this role:

  • 3 + years of experience working in research or operational programming roles
  • A holistic and collaborative approach to solving problems
  • Proactive approach to making research a team sport  
  • A strong sense of ownership, transparency, flexibility, and ability to self-initiate projects
  • Knowledge of the practices and impacts of inclusive research and design approaches
  • Creativity in supporting challenging research recruitments 
  • Strong organizational and multitasking skills to manage multiple research programs simultaneously.
  • Strategic thinking and the ability to align research operations initiatives with organizational goals.
  • Excellent communication and collaboration abilities, with experience engaging with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
  • Knowledge of UX research approaches and methodologies (including direct research experience to ensure quality of research). 
  • Project management and/or operational expertise to ensure programs are sustainable, scalable and delivered within constraints.
  • Comfortable with ambiguity and possess a desire to overcome obstacles.
  • A curious mind, a quick learner with a bias for action, and an attention to detail.
  • An ability to train/coach others to ensure the program runs successfully and the people who you’re guiding to execute research themselves are fully supported

Education

  • Bachelor's or Master’s degree in anthropology, sociology, psychology, human-computer interaction, program management, business (or other related field) or equivalent work experience

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Below is the annual base salary range for candidates located in California, Colorado, New York and Washington. Your actual base salary will depend on factors such as your skills, qualifications, experience, and work location. In addition, Okta offers equity (where applicable), bonus, and benefits, including health, dental and vision insurance, 401(k), flexible spending account, and paid leave (including PTO and parental leave) in accordance with our applicable plans and policies. To learn more about our Total Rewards program please visit: https://rewards.okta.com/us.   

The annual base salary range for this position for candidates located in California (excluding San Francisco Bay Area), Colorado, New York, and Washington is between:$126,000—$190,000 USD The annual base salary range for this position for candidates located in the San Francisco Bay area is between: $142,000—$212,000 USD

What you can look forward to as an Full-Time Okta employee!

Okta cultivates a dynamic work environment, providing the best tools, technology and benefits to empower our employees to work productively in a setting that best and uniquely suits their needs. Each organization is unique in the degree of flexibility and mobility in which they work so that all employees are enabled to be their most creative and successful versions of themselves, regardless of where they live. Find your place at Okta today! https://www.okta.com/company/careers/.

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Okta
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Okta is the leading independent provider of identity for the enterprise. The Okta Identity Cloud enables organizations to securely connect the right people to the right technologies at the right time. With over 7,000 pre-built integrations to applications and infrastructure providers, Okta customers can easily and securely use the best technologies for their business. More than 19,300 organizations, including JetBlue, Nordstrom, Slack, T-Mobile, Takeda, Teach for America, and Twilio, trust Okta to help protect the identities of their workforces and customers.

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