Director Of Survey Operations

Director Of Survey Operations

The Director Of Survey Operations Will Serve As The Primary Owner Of Survey Execution, Data Quality, And Project Management Across Tunnl's Research Portfolio. Reporting To The VP Of Client Experience And Insights, This Role Will Oversee All Stages Of The Custom Research Process—From Survey Kickoff And Programming, To Fieldwork Management, Data Validation, And Delivery Of Final Outputs.

You Will Partner Closely With Strategic Research, Account Management, Product, And Data Science Teams To Ensure That Tunnl's Research Is Executed With Speed, Accuracy, And Reliability. You Will Also Mentor Junior Analysts, Design Processes To Prevent Recurring Errors, And Provide Strategic Judgment On Complex Research Challenges.

The Ideal Candidate Is Equally Comfortable Rolling Up Their Sleeves To Program Surveys Or Qc Data As They Are Leading Kickoff Calls, Communicating With Stakeholders, And Shaping Scalable Research Processes. This Role Is Positioned As A Growth Track Toward Research Director, With Both Hands-On And Leadership Expectations, And Candidates Located In The Dc-Area Will Be Preferred.

Responsibilities

• Survey Design, Programming & Fielding
• Partner with Account Management to translate research objectives into clear, well-structured surveys.
• Lead kickoff meetings and proactively ask clarifying questions to align on research goals, quotas, and deliverables.
• Program surveys into fielding platforms, ensuring accurate logic, quotas, and weighting setup.
• Oversee live fielding, monitor progress, and resolve issues in real time.
• Project Management & Stakeholder Communication
• Proactively share timelines and milestones with stakeholders without prompting.
• Communicate project status across internal channels at every stage of the process.
• Seek clarification early in the project lifecycle to reduce errors and avoid delays.
• Manage multiple concurrent projects while balancing competing inputs from internal and external stakeholders.
• Quality Control, Data Validation & Reporting
• Ensure data files are generated correctly, QC'd, and delivered on time.
• Design and enforce QC processes for survey programming, data weighting, and output validation.
• Provide thoughtful feedback on deliverables, ensuring they meet client expectations.
• Identify and resolve recurring issues by improving documentation and SOPs.
• Process Design, Documentation & Team Enablement
• Build and maintain SOPs, QC guides, and dashboards for analysts and junior staff.
• Mentor analysts by reviewing their work, assigning clear responsibilities, and ensuring they are properly trained.
• Foster proactive communication and stronger team collaboration across projects.
• Escalate risks and prioritization needs thoughtfully, balancing team capacity with client demands.
• Strategic Judgment & Research Leadership
• Assess the feasibility of new research requests, providing clear guidance to account leads and clients.
• Ensure project solutions make sense for both client value and team capacity.
• Provide insights into improvements for survey programming, weighting, and reporting workflows.
• Act as a thought partner to leadership, contributing ideas for scaling research operations.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years in survey research, public opinion research, or market research, including 2+ years managing projects end-to-end.
• Hands-on experience with survey programming, quotas, weighting, and data file generation.
• Proven ability to manage multiple complex projects with tight deadlines.
• Strong track record of proactive communication, escalation, and timeline management.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor and support junior staff.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in public affairs, advocacy, campaign, or market research environments.
• Familiarity with data visualization tools and reporting outputs (e.g., banners, cross-tabs, memos, slide decks).
• Exposure to advanced analytics, weighting methodologies, or data modeling/microtargeting.
• Exposure to Qualtrics or similar technologies
• Familiarity or experience with SPSS, R, Python, or equivalents

What Success Looks Like

• Surveys are programmed, fielded, and delivered without recurring errors.
• Projects are completed on time, with proactive timeline communication across channels.
• Analysts are trained and empowered to take on responsibilities with confidence.
• Documentation and SOPs are in place, reducing repeated mistakes.
• Stakeholders view you as a reliable, strategic partner in research execution.
• Tunnl's research operations show measurable improvements in speed, quality, and scalability.

Why You Should Apply

• Join a team driven by curiosity, teamwork, integrity, and a shared passion for solving big challenges.
• A friendly, welcoming, and supportive culture with regular social and team events.
• Eligible for the Company Bonus Plan (targeting 15% of Base Salary).
• Comprehensive benefits with excellent medical, vision, and dental coverage.
• Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) options.
• Employer-paid Life & AD&D insurance, with voluntary additional coverage available.
• Voluntary short- and long-term disability, accident, and critical illness insurance.
• Flexible hybrid work policy.
• Flexible unlimited paid vacation plus 80 hours of paid sick leave.
• 10 paid company holidays per year plus the week between Christmas and New Year's off.
• 401(k) plan with 100% match up to 3%, plus 50% match up to 5% (subject to IRS limits).
• Cell phone reimbursement stipend.
• Monthly parking or commuter stipend for VA-based employees.

About Tunnl

Tunnl Is Building A Future Where Artificial Intelligence Enables Organizations To Connect Meaningfully With The People Who Matter Most. We Help Organizations Conduct Research At Scale, Define The Right Audiences, Surface Real-Time Insights, Identify Optimal Communication Channels, And Measure Changing Attitudes Over Time.

Tunnl Serves Brands, Agencies, And Advocacy Groups Alike—Organizations Navigating Complex Communications, Reputational, And Regulatory Landscapes. These Teams Need Smarter, Faster Ways To Make Audience-Informed Decisions That Stand Up To Scrutiny And Resonate Across Stakeholder Groups. Whether You're Building A Campaign, Shaping Public Opinion, Managing Risk, Or Launching A New Initiative, Tunnl Is The Only Solution Integrating Research, Targeting, And Measurement—In One Unified Experience.