Senior Manager Research & Survey Panel Operations

About 1Lattice 

Role Mission & Role Objective 

• 
  

  Own end-to-end operations execution across projects and panels with a focus on quality, scalability, and client impact. 

  
  

• 
  

  Build and scale panel and ground operations while ensuring data integrity, cost efficiency, and operational excellence. 

  
  

• 
  

  Act as a strategic partner to business and research teams to enable seamless delivery and repeat business. 

  
  

• 
  

  Lead and scale panel & field operations comparable to large research environments (Kantar, Nielsen, Ipsos, etc.). 

  
  

• 
  

  Ensure strong respondent recruitment, validation, engagement, and attrition control. 

  
  

• 
  

  Establish field controls, quality standards, and scalable operating models. 

  
  

Key Responsibilities 

Operations Leadership 

• 
  

  Own end-to-end project and panel operations from commissioning to closure. 

  
  

• 
  

  Drive operational strategy, execution excellence, and continuous improvement. 

  
  

• 
  

  Build and mentor high-performing operations teams and vendor ecosystems. 

  
  

Panel & Ground Operations 

• 
  

  Lead panel operations including recruitment, validation, engagement, refresh, and retention. 

  
  

• 
  

  Ensure panel representativeness aligned with sampling and demographic frameworks. 

  
  

• 
  

  Scale on-ground field teams and vendors across regions and cohorts. Define and enforce SOPs for onboarding, refresh, and replacement cycles. 

  
  

• 
  

  Manage end-to-end B2C panel operations, including recruitment, validation, engagement, and attrition management  

  
  

Quality & Compliance 

• 
  

  Ensure quality controls, respondent validation, fraud prevention, and data integrity across operations. Implement QC frameworks, audits, and escalation mechanisms. Maintain compliance with client, industry, and data privacy standards. 

  
  

Vendor & Commercial Management 

• 
  

  Own vendor strategy, commercials, and cost optimization. Negotiate and monitor SLAs, KPIs, and performance governance. Build long-term strategic vendor partnerships. 

  
  

Operations Metrics & Reporting 

• 
  

  Define and track core operational KPIs (recruitment cost, attrition, response rates, rejection rates). 

  
  

• 
  

  Drive dashboarding and leadership reporting for decision-making. Identify risks and corrective actions proactively. 

  
  

Cross-Functional Leadership 

• 
  

  Partner with Research, Client Servicing, Technology, and Finance teams. Enable feasibility, costing, timelines, and delivery commitments. 

  
  

• 
  

  Align operations with client and business priorities. 

  
  

Process, Automation & Scale 

• 
  

  Drive process standardization, automation, and scalability.Support expansion into new geographies and respondent cohorts. 

  
  

• 
  

  Implement system-led workflows and CRM enablement. 

  
  

Candidate Profile 

Must-Have Experience 

• 
  

  10–15+ years in market research operations, panel management, or field operations 

  
  

• 
  

  Deep understanding of panel recruitment, sampling, ground ops, and research execution models. 

  
  

• 
  

  Strong operations leadership and execution mindset. Excellent stakeholder, vendor, and people management capability. 

  
  

• 
  

  Data-driven decision making with business orientation. 

  
  

• 
  

  Ability to manage scale, complexity, and multiple timelines. 

  
  

• 
  

  Comfort operating in fast-paced, high-ownership environments. 

  
  

Preferred (Good to Have) 

• 
  

  Experience with large-scale or niche panels (urban, rural, B2C, specialty cohorts). 

  
  

• 
  

  Exposure to digital + ground recruitment models. Familiarity with panel platforms, CRMs, and automation tools.