Head of Research Operations

Who we’re looking for Role: Head of Research Operations Team: Research Reports To: CTO and Co-Founder Supervisory Responsibility: This role will have 2 direct reports, the Lead Survey Programmer and the Fielding and Partnerships Team lead. Both are India based. This leadership role will be responsible for overseeing the Knit research operations, programming, quality assurance (QA), and fieldwork teams. Total of 10 people, all offshore Location: USA, NYC preferred. Travel: If not located in NYC, this role will be expected to travel to NYC approximately once a month. A little about us Knit is the The Researcher-Driven AI Platform helping researchers run agency-quality quant + qual research at DIY costs & speed. Through Knit, brands like NASCAR, JBL, and Mars automate their consumer research process to get a quicker and more holistic understanding of their audiences. Role Purpose The Head of Research Operations is core to Knit’s success by overseeing and optimizing the research operations workflow to deliver consistent, high-quality data. By leading the programming, fieldwork, vendor management and QA functions, this role is expected to: • Help entirely automate survey programming without errors • Minimize fieldwork time while maximizing audience reach and data quality • Minimize QA time while upholding our high data quality standards • Automate feasibility request workflows and increase accuracy of predictions This leadership role is expected to contribute to product innovation, automation through AI tooling, and adoption of new tools and processes in the project lifecycle, to improve how Knit executes research. Business Impact As Head of Research Operations, you will own the strategy, team, and operating model that enable Knit to collect high-quality research data with exceptional speed and efficiency. You will lead Programming, Fieldwork, and Data QA, building a function that becomes a competitive advantage as Knit scales. You will be accountable for Research Operations’ contribution to three shared business objectives: • Customer retention and expansion: Improve research speed, quality, and reliability to strengthen customer relationships and drive Net Revenue Retention. • New business growth: Expand audience reach and operational capabilities to increase win rates and unlock new research opportunities. • Gross margin improvement: Optimize sample spend, team capacity, and automation so revenue can grow faster than delivery costs. Key Responsibilities Set the strategy and own performance for Research Operations. Define the vision, priorities, and roadmap for the function, translating Knit’s company objectives into clear investments, operating plans, and measurable outcomes. Establish and own the function’s OKRs, KPIs, and operating cadence. Make informed investments across speed, quality, feasibility, and cost, and hold the team accountable for results. Build and lead a high-performing organization. Lead the Programming, Fieldwork, and Data QA teams, developing strong ICs and Player Coaches and establishing clear ownership across each area. Own organizational design, hiring, talent development, and performance management. Anticipate demand and align headcount investments with revenue growth. Create a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Make data collection a competitive advantage. Own the end-to-end performance of Knit’s data collection operations. Set ambitious service standards and build the systems, processes, and team capabilities to meet them consistently as volume and complexity grow. Your team’s priorities will include: • Reducing time to final sample without compromising quality. • Strengthening data quality standards and controls across the research lifecyc