How to hire an operations research manager

How to hire an operations research manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step operations research manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an operations research manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new operations research manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an operations research manager do?

Post an operations research manager job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your operations research manager job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an operations research manager for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an operations research manager to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an operations research manager that fits the bill.

   This list presents operations research manager salaries for various positions.

   Type of Operations Research Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Operations Research Manager	Top executives devise strategies and policies to ensure that an organization meets its goals. They plan, direct, and coordinate operational activities of companies and organizations.	$19-63
   General Manager Of Operations	General managers of operations are employed to oversee the overall operations of businesses. Their responsibilities include the improvement of the efficiency of the operations and overall management... Show more	$23-79
   Manager, Center Operations	The duties of a manager of center operations depend on one's industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around overseeing business operations, setting targets, assessing the workforce's performance, and performing corrective measures on any issues or concerns... Show more	$18-46

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Research Operations
   • Research Projects
   • Project Management
   • Clinical Trials
   • Oversight
   • Data Collection
   • FDA
   • Logistics
   • Federal Regulations
   • IRB
   • NIH
   • Direct Reports
   • Research Studies
   • Management System

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Finance and billing accountability across Medicaid, manage care commercial insurance, insurance verification, contract management, and benefits administration.
   • Assist in report preparation for IRB, CTRC, and other regulatory agencies and/or committees.7.
   • Reorganize clinical research program, develop new process and procedure guidelines to provide optimal patient care and compliance with FDA standards.
   • Assist in the preparation of IRB applications and regular correspondence with IRB regarding adverse events, annual renewals and protocol amendments.
   • Conduct all aspects of the research process including methodology, questionnaire development, data tabulations/analysis through SPSS and final report presentation.
   • Design and engineer station sortation layout to maximize productivity and to integrate new home delivery process in station during holiday season.

   More operations research manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your operations research manager job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An operations research manager salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, operations research managers' average salary in arkansas is 68% less than in connecticut.
   • Seniority. Entry-level operations research managers earn 69% less than senior-level operations research managers.
   • Certifications. An operations research manager with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an operations research manager's salary.

   Average operations research manager salary

   $74,064yearly

   $35.61 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level operations research manager salary

   $41,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average operations research manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Connecticut	$130,183	$63
   2	New York	$127,882	$61
   3	California	$113,606	$55
   4	Massachusetts	$113,203	$54
   5	Virginia	$101,878	$49
   6	Washington	$91,333	$44
   7	Minnesota	$88,065	$42
   8	Nevada	$87,274	$42
   9	Michigan	$86,288	$41
   10	Ohio	$85,182	$41
   11	Pennsylvania	$82,821	$40
   12	Illinois	$81,885	$39
   13	Colorado	$73,193	$35
   14	Arizona	$69,450	$33
   15	Texas	$67,472	$32
   16	Florida	$63,300	$30
   17	Missouri	$62,436	$30
   18	Montana	$60,230	$29
   19	Utah	$59,211	$28
   20	Tennessee	$59,036	$28

   Average operations research manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Mayo Clinic	$184,718	$88.81	194
   2	Meta	$176,263	$84.74	908
   3	Bain & Company	$173,076	$83.21	2
   4	Genentech	$149,024	$71.65	17
   5	Sarepta Therapeutics	$147,209	$70.77	5
   6	Biogen	$144,936	$69.68	3
   7	Intuitive Surgical	$137,790	$66.25	11
   8	Amazon	$137,424	$66.07	1,484
   9	Veeva Systems	$136,996	$65.86	22
   10	MUFG EMEA	$135,552	$65.17
   11	Rivian	$132,951	$63.92	22
   12	Amgen	$130,497	$62.74	45
   13	Recorded Future	$129,811	$62.41
   14	Vertex Pharmaceuticals	$129,644	$62.33	20
   15	LinkedIn	$129,330	$62.18	7
   16	Shutterstock	$128,904	$61.97
   17	Kaiser Permanente	$127,318	$61.21	64
   18	Entegris	$127,213	$61.16	7
   19	General Electric	$126,486	$60.81	258
   20	General Motors	$123,910	$59.57	92

4. Writing an operations research manager job description

   A good operations research manager job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an operations research manager job description:

   Operations research manager job description example

   Collage Group is seeking a Manager of Research Operations to join our innovative and growing team in our mission to help organizations unleash the power of culture to drive brand growth at a time when America is undergoing a seismic cultural transformation. The Manager of Research Operations will have experience with providing consumer survey management support to multiple teams, including experience managing sample vendors, survey programming in platforms (we use Confirmit and Decipher) and advising teams on survey methodology. Additionally, we are looking for someone who can help us improve vendor negotiations, streamline data processing (e.g., cross tabbing), and integrate survey data with other data types to better build a 360 view of consumer attitudes and behaviors. At Collage, you will manage a multitude of projects simultaneously across both our Custom and Syndicated teams while ensuring a high level of quality across all projects. Responsibilities range from driving panel recruiting strategy and sampling best practices to managing the day-to-day fielding and operations. Juggling, a natural aptitude for organization, and a professional, calm, and friendly work ethic are equally important for success in this fast-paced environment. What you will do…. • Manage field process throughout all custom and syndicated projects
   • Manage sample feasibility and acquisition to ensure we’re recruiting the right audience -- on time, within budget, and all quotas filled
   • Collaborate cross functionally to scope and implement initiatives
   • Strategize, develop, and implement tools, systems, and processes to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of research initiatives and analyst teams
   • Create project plans and support documentation for each initiative
   • Ensure all work is always delivered with highest level of quality
   • Directly manage or oversee survey testing process
   • Serve as SME on all programming and field work related questions
   • Maintain strong relationships with supplier contacts
   • Continually seek out ways to improve internal systems for efficiency and usefulness, working in collaboration with Research, Product and Engineering teams
   • Maintain flexibility and willingness to take on additional duties as products and or process needs change What you have done…. • 5+ years of relevant supplier-side market/consumer research experience
   • Experience managing multiple work streams across various stakeholders at once
   • Strong ability to prioritize. Knows what’s important and what’s more important. Ability to adapt to fast-changing priorities and deadlines.
   • Ability to thrive and drive impact in a constantly evolving, agile environment
   • Intellectual curiosity with interest in market research and consumer insights
   • Outstanding organizational, written and communication skills that enable effective execution and timely management
   • Extensive experience with MSFT software including Excel, Word, and PPT. Solid understanding and usage of databases, analysis tools, standard reporting tools
   • Deep experience with survey programming software such as Confirmit and Decipher About Collage Group Founded in 2009, Collage Group is the leading Cultural Intelligence Platform supporting over 250 of the most iconic US brands in their efforts to unleash the power of culture to drive brand growth. Through our insights, data, tools, and best practices, we provide brands with unrivaled insight into how to use culture to more effectively and efficiently understand, engage, and target consumers in the midst of this country’s seismic demographic shift. We provide brands with the tools to build Cultural Fluency to activate consumers across race, ethnicity, generations, gender, and sexual identity. Collage Group is a group of creative, analytical, diverse, hardworking, and fun-loving individuals with an insatiable curiosity into the new collage of behaviors and patterns that drive consumers. We are inspired by the possibilities of this moment and the opportunity to help organizations unlock their cultural capacity by relentlessly seeking out the predictive insights and brand impact that is unique to the Collage model. All employees must be authorized to work in the United States. Collage Group provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. Powered by JazzHR 0VViuORuq5

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right operations research manager for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your operations research manager job on Zippia to find and recruit operations research manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit operations research managers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new operations research manager

   Once you've found the operations research manager candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new operations research manager. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire an operations research manager?