---
title: 'Research Operations Lead at Mercury'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/research-operations-lead-mercury-san-francisco-ca-new-york-ny-portland-or-or-9322hv7tbst2'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-18'
---

# Research Operations Lead at Mercury

- **Company:** Mercury
- **Location:** San Francisco CA New York NY Portland OR OR Within Canada OR, United States
- **Compensation:** $170k–$237k
- **Work type:** remote
- **Posted:** 2026-10-14
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-18
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/mercury/jobs/6218808004

## Job description

The best teams don't treat customer understanding as a checkpoint. They build it into the work: learning how customers see the world, carrying that perspective into everyday decisions, and making better products because of it.

At Mercury, research is a democratized practice. Designers and PMs talk directly to customers, and Research Operations builds and runs the system that makes that fast, high quality, and ethical. We're looking for a Research Operations Lead to build and run that program as Mercury scales. You've done this before and have a clear point of view on how it should work. This is a hands-on leadership role: you’ll set the strategy and priorities for research enablement, develop the team, and personally lead work where senior judgment matters most.

In this role, you will:

- Own the strategy, roadmap, and operating model for research at Mercury, enabling Product, Design, and Marketing to run research with autonomy
- Apply senior research judgment to complex or high-stakes work, using recurring gaps to strengthen the standards and guidance that raise research quality across Mercury.
- Partner closely with design managers, designers, and PMs so customer evidence informs decisions from early discovery through post-launch usability and funnel analysis
- Own our research tool stack (including Dovetail, Maze, and Rally), along with vendor relationships, budget, and build-versus-buy decisions
- Own and improve Mercury’s AI-enabled workflows for research planning, customer conversations, and synthesis, maintaining high standards for evidence, privacy, and human judgment
- Pilot new ways of getting close to customers, such as rolling research programs and customer events like research dinners
- Make customer learning visible across Mercury, surfacing patterns that deepen teams’ understanding of the people they serve.
- Manage and coach one direct report, setting priorities and supporting their growth while staying hands on in the work

You should:

- Have 8+ years of hands-on research operations experience and a track record of building or scaling a program with measurable impact
- Have 1-2 years of people management experience
- Be a thought leader in the space
- Have qualitative research experience and quantitative fluency
- Thrive in ambiguity where the discipline isn't fully figured out
- Be an excellent coach to non-researchers, building their judgment and confidence
- Use AI in your daily work and stay curious about what's genuinely useful versus merely new
- Communicate clearly with practitioners and senior stakeholders

*Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC.

Mercury values diversity & belonging and is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. All individuals seeking employment at Mercury are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected characteristic. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process for applicants with disabilities or special needs. If you need assistance, or an accommodation, please let your recruiter know once you are contacted about a role.

## #LI-AK1

Total Rewards The total rewards package at Mercury includes base salary, equity (stock options/RSUs), and benefits.

Our salary and equity ranges are highly competitive within the SaaS and fintech industry and are updated regularly using the most reliable compensation survey data for our industry. New hire offers are made based on a candidate’s experience, expertise, geographic location, and internal pay equity relative to peers.

Our target new hire base salary ranges for this role are the following:

US employees in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, or the San Francisco Bay Area: $189,400—$236,700 USD

US employees outside of New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, or the San Francisco Bay Area: $170,400—$213,000 USD

Canadian employees (any location): $179,000—$223,700 CAD

## About Mercury

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Mercury provides banking and financial workflow solutions for startups and ambitious companies.
- **Entity Type**: Private (venture-backed)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, USA (offices also in New York, NY and Portland, OR)
- **Founded**: Not publicly available
- **Founders**: Not publicly available

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Fintech, Business Banking, Financial Operations
- **Target customers**: B2B – primarily startups and growing companies
- **Mission or purpose statement**: “Transformative banking for ambitious entrepreneurs” – making banking better and simplifying financial operations so businesses can focus on growth.

## Products & Services
- **Mercury Banking**: A powerful business bank account (checking, savings, debit and credit cards) that serves as the nucleus of financial operations. (Service)
- **Bill Pay & Spend Management**: Tools to pay bills, send invoices, monitor spending, and understand cash flow – all from one platform. (SaaS/Service)
- **Financial Operations Platform**: Integrates payments, invoices, bill pay, cash flow monitoring, and spend management into a single dashboard. (SaaS)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available
- **Key Metric**: Over 200,000 startups use Mercury; employees count exceeded 1,000 (950+ as of one source, 919 U.S.-based employees reported by Great Place to Work).
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Backed by top-tier venture capitalists (specific names not disclosed in available sources). Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group, Column N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust (Members FDIC).
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - Within days of Silicon Valley Bank’s failure (March 2023), Mercury picked up more than $2 billion in deposits and retained 92% of those customers six months later.
  - Recognized on Fortune’s Best Medium Workplaces 2023 (ranked 16th), Forbes Fintech 50, and Fast Company’s Most Innovative.
  - 96% of employees say Mercury is a great place to work (Great Place to Work certified).

## Competitive Advantages
- **All-in-One Financial Hub**: Combines banking, payments, bill pay, and spend management in one platform, reducing the need for multiple tools.
- **Startup-First Design**: Built specifically for high-growth companies, with features that scale from early stage to established enterprise.
- **High Customer Retention**: Proven stickiness after the SVB crisis demonstrates strong trust and product-market fit.
- **Top-Tier Backing and Recognition**: Endorsed by leading investors and media, reinforcing credibility.

## Strategic Focus
- **Product Expansion**: Continuing to build out financial workflows (bill pay, spend management) to become the single source of truth for business finance.
- **AI Integration**: Hiring for roles like Senior Machine Learning Operations Engineer, AI Engineering, and Model Risk Manager – indicating a push to embed AI/ML into products and internal processes.
- **Remote-First Talent**: Embracing a remote-first culture with physical offices in SF, NY, Portland, and hiring across the US and Canada.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture & Values**: Emphasizes “build relentlessly,” “think actively,” “be super helpful,” and “act with humility.” Employees report a strong sense of purpose and collaboration.
- **Remote & Hybrid Flexibility**: Remote-first with optional in-office hubs. Open roles are listed as “Any office or remote” in the US and Canada.
- **Benefits Package**:
  - Health, dental, vision insurance
  - 12+ weeks paid parental leave
  - $600 custom work-from-home equipment setup
  - Annual $1,000 learning & development budget
  - Paid 6-week sabbatical after 5 years
  - Weekly $100 food budget
  - Monthly $100 wellness budget
  - Monthly $50 cellphone reimbursement
  - Unlimited vacation (with mandatory minimum)
  - 401(k) matching up to 4% of base salary
  - Inclusive fertility and family-forming benefits (Carrot Fertility)
  - Pet-friendly offices with free lunch, snacks, and beverages
- **Growth Opportunities**: 950+ employees (as of one source) and growing; strong commitment to career development and high-impact work.
- **Diversity & Inclusion**: Stated priority to embrace every individual and provide tools for great work.

## Sources
1. [mercury.com/jobs](https://mercury.com/jobs) – Benefits, culture, open roles
2. [mercury.com/about](https://mercury.com/about) – Company overview, values, press mentions, Forbes quote
3. [job-boards.greenhouse.io/mercury](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/mercury) – Current job listings
4. [linkedin.com/company/mercuryhq/jobs](https://www.linkedin.com/company/mercuryhq/jobs) – LinkedIn jobs page
5. [greatplacetowork.com/certified-company/7025113](https://www.greatplacetowork.com/certified-company/7025113) – Employee satisfaction certification, headcount

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