Research Operations Coordinator
Location: UK based, remote
Type: Full time 5 days
Salary: £27,000-£32,000 p.a.
Reporting to: Head of Operations & Performance
Key partners: Director of Research & Insight, Strategists, Project Managers
Application: by CV and cover letter to
About Aha
Aha helps charities and purpose-driven organisations solve complex challenges through strategy, insight, creativity and innovation. We're a curious, collaborative and ambitious team that cares deeply about doing meaningful work and doing it brilliantly. We work with organisations tackling some of society's biggest challenges, and we're passionate about helping them create greater impact.
Everything we do starts with understanding people. Whether we're running qualitative research, quantitative research, analytics projects or strategic discovery work, we believe great decisions are built on great insight. As we continue to grow, we're looking for a Research Operations Coordinator to help us deliver research and insight projects smoothly, efficiently and consistently.
The Role
Research and insight sit at the heart of the work we do. We're looking for a Research Operations Coordinator to help ensure our qualitative research, quantitative research and analytics projects run smoothly from planning through to delivery.
Working closely with researchers, strategists, project managers, suppliers and participants, you'll provide the operational support that sits behind great research and insight work. From participant recruitment and fieldwork logistics to supplier co-ordination, project administration and process improvement, you'll help create the conditions for exceptional work to happen.
What You'll Be Responsible For
Research Operations Planning & Coordination
Research projects involve lots of moving parts behind the scenes. This role helps ensure those things are organised, planned and happening when they need to. That might mean helping coordinate qualitative recruitment activity, obtaining costs and quotes for proposals, keeping track of survey scripting and fieldwork timelines, supporting interview scheduling, or making sure researchers, suppliers and participants have what they need at the right time.
* Working closely with researchers and project managers to understand upcoming research and insight activities, timelines and key milestones, and helping shape realistic operational plans.
* Bringing knowledge of sequencing, timings and operational dependencies to support effective project planning.
* Helping teams stay ahead of what's coming by maintaining visibility of operational activities across projects.
* Supporting the coordination of recruitment, fieldwork and other research activities, helping ensure the right things happen at the right time.
* Spotting potential bottlenecks, risks or gaps early and working with colleagues to keep things moving smoothly.
* Keeping an eye on actions, deadlines and dependencies to help ensure nothing gets missed.
* Contributing to the operational delivery of research and insight projects by helping ensure key activities are organised and delivered when needed.
Participant Recruitment & Fieldwork
You'll play an important role in supporting participant recruitment and fieldwork activities for our qualitative research projects.
* Coordinating participant recruitment against agreed audience criteria and research requirements.
* Managing participant communications, scheduling, consent forms and incentives.
* Coordinating the scheduling for interviews, workshops, and online communities.
* Liaising with recruitment partners and suppliers to support successful delivery.
* Helping ensure participants have a positive and professional experience throughout the research process.
Supplier & Operational Administration
You'll help keep the operational side of research projects running smoothly behind the scenes.
* Obtaining quotes from recruitment partners, platform providers and other suppliers.
* Supporting supplier administration and helping ensure external partners have the information they need.
* Support tracking third-party costs and invoice processing.
* Maintaining operational trackers, records and project documentation.
* Helping ensure key project information is accurate, accessible and up to date.
Research & Insight Support
From time to time, you'll also provide practical support to researchers and strategists where needed.
This could include:
* Programming recruitment screeners or surveys.
* Supporting survey testing ahead of launch.
* Conducting desk research and gathering background information.
* Supporting the preparation of presentations and client materials.
Process Improvement
We're always looking for ways to work smarter and make life easier for our teams.
* Identifying opportunities to improve the way research and insight activities are coordinated and delivered.
* Reducing administrative burden so researchers can focus more of their time on delivering great insight.
The Kind of Experience We're Looking For
You might currently be working in research operations, fieldwork management, project coordination, agency operations or a similar role.
Ideally, you'll have:
* Experience supporting consumer research, insight or project-based work.
* Experience coordinating qualitative participant recruitment and research logistics.
* Strong organisational and administrative skills.
* Experience working with suppliers or external partners.
* The ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
* Experience working in an agency, consultancy or other fast-paced environment.
Most importantly, you'll be proactive, dependable and enjoy helping great work happen.
What You'll Be Great At
* Staying organised and keeping multiple activities moving.
* Building strong relationships with colleagues, suppliers and participants.
* Communicating clearly and proactively.
* Spotting issues early and helping solve them.
* Following through and making sure things get done.
* Finding smarter and more efficient ways of working.
* Bringing calm, structure and reliability to busy projects.
Why this role matters
If this role is done well, strategists stop doing operational work and start doing what they’re best at. Research is delivered clearly and cleanly, and completed on time and within budget. Rework stops. And the quality of insight Aha produces goes up. This role underpins the research function.
About Aha
Aha works with charities and purpose-driven organisations to solve complex problems through strategy, insight, creativity, and innovation. We believe that great thinking deserves great execution, and that people do their best work when expectations are clear and judgement is respected.