HWS: Research Ops Assistant, Part-Time

Upwork ($UPWK) is the world’s work marketplace. We serve everyone from one-person startups to over 30% of the Fortune 100 with a powerful, trust-driven platform that enables companies and talent to work together in new ways that unlock their potential.  

Last year, more than $3.8 billion of work was done through Upwork by skilled professionals who are gaining more control by finding work they are passionate about and innovating their careers. 

This is an engagement through Upwork’s Hybrid Workforce Solutions (HWS) Team. Our Hybrid Workforce Solutions Team is a global group of professionals that support Upwork’s business. Our HWS team members are located all over the world.

As a Research Operations assistant, you’ll join the User Research team and ensure a team of high-caliber researchers can do their best work. To achieve this, with guidance from the team’s User Research Recruiter, you will handle end-to-end study recruitment for moderated and unmoderated studies (from NDAs and scheduling to incentives payout). You will support the creation of unmoderated studies and handle customer communications focused on research-related inquiries.

Work/Project Scope: 

• Own the research participant recruiting process, from initial screener outreach and identifying and recruiting participants to scheduling and distributing incentives.

• Assist with the coding of surveys and unmoderated tests on various platforms. 

• Update and maintain tracking sheets.

• Update team’s procedures and practices related to recruitment, calendaring, managing incentives, and logging activity.

• This role's makeup is roughly 65% participant recruitment, 15% survey and test coding, 10% team operations, and 10% troubleshooting.

Must Haves (Required Skills): 

• Demonstrated service-oriented mindset - you seek to understand, adapt to shifting priorities, and are empathetic while resilient while in negotiating tradeoffs with stakeholders

• Advanced relationship-building skills that promote trusted partnerships with everyone on the team, our customers, and cross-functional partners

• Strong prioritization skills - able to determine what’s feasible given time and resource requirements, distinguish critical from non-critical issues, and set team focus and priorities accordingly.

• Advanced verbal and written English communication skills

• Facility for learning new technologies and applications

• General understanding of the end-to-end user recruitment process

• Experience in an in-house User Research team in the tech industry, or a research consultancy, with a project management or operations focus, preferred.

• Understanding of various qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and techniques such as interviewing, usability testing, and surveys, preferred.

• Familiarity with participant recruitment and relevant tools (e.g., Respondent.io)

• Familiarity with UX research tools (e.g., Qualtrics, Usertesting.com, Validately, etc.)

• Able to work part-time: 

  • Week 1 to 3: You are expected to be available for training and work for 8-10 hours/week.

  • Week 4 to 7 (Sept 16 - Oct 11): You are expected to work 20-25 hours/week.

  • Week 8 to Nov 15: as-needed basis, up to 5 hours/week.

Upwork is proudly committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce. We never discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical condition), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.