[Remote] Research Program Manager

Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Vertisystem is seeking a Research Program Manager to own end-to-end operational execution for high-visibility research workstreams. The role manages vendor lifecycles, budgets, procurement, program infrastructure, multi-market timelines, stakeholder communications, knowledge transfer, and operational problem-solving across concurrent programs.

Responsibilities

• Vendor operations (end-to-end): Own the full vendor lifecycle — SOW scoping and negotiation, PO creation and amendments, invoice reconciliation, contract renewals — across multiple concurrent research vendors and markets. Serve as primary ops point of contact for vendor PMs
• Budget management : Maintain rolling forecasts and burn-rate tracking across all active workstreams. Flag risk early, propose reallocation plans, and produce leadership-ready budget status reporting on a regular cadence
• Procurement & compliance : Navigate internal procurement systems (Guided Buying) and sourcing processes to stand up new vendor engagements, ensure contracts are compliant, and coordinate with sourcing managers on competitive bids
• Program infrastructure : Build and maintain the operational scaffolding — canonicals, trackers, intake systems, status dashboards — that researchers, vendors, and XFN partners rely on as source of truth. Continuously improve these systems as programs scale
• Multi-market coordination : Manage complex interdependent timelines across markets, vendors, and internal stakeholders simultaneously. Identify dependencies and sequencing risks before they become blockers. This includes international markets across various time zones
• Stakeholder communication : Synthesize program health, risks, and decisions into clear, stakeholder-ready artifacts for senior leadership and XFN partners. No one should have to ask you for status — it's proactively surfaced
• Knowledge transfer & continuity : Document processes, decision rationale, and institutional knowledge so the program doesn't break when people rotate. Maintain living documentation others can onboard from independently
• Operational problem-solving : When something breaks — a vendor misses an SLA, a budget line is over, a recruitment pipeline stalls — you diagnose, propose options, and drive resolution without waiting to be told

Skills

• Vendor lifecycle management (SOW scoping/negotiation, PO creation, invoice reconciliation, renewals)
• Budget ownership — forecasting, burn tracking, risk flagging, and reporting status to leadership (not just logging spend)
• Procurement system experience (Buy@, Coupa, or equivalent)
• Managing complex interdependent timelines across multiple vendors, markets, and internal XFN stakeholders simultaneously
• Building and maintaining operational infrastructure from scratch (canonicals, trackers, intake systems) that multiple teams depend on as source of truth
• Stakeholder-ready communication — synthesizing program health for senior audiences
• Comfortable in ambiguity — can take a loose brief and stand up the scaffolding independently
• Advanced Sheets/Excel (financial modeling, dashboards, not just data entry)
• Familiarity with using AI tools to streamline and scale work
• 7-8+ years in program/operations management, ideally in UX research ops, consulting, or a similarly fast-paced XFN environment

Company Overview

Company H1B Sponsorship