Job Description

Darwin Research Group is seeking an operations-minded, people-focused Research Manager to lead our research team and ensure efficient, high-quality production of our flagship product: a library of syndicated profiles analyzing the most important hospital systems, cancer treatment centers, and physician groups in the United States, as well as other company research offerings.

In this role, you will report to the Research Director. You will be the operational anchor, working with substantial independence to manage people, optimize workflows, maintain standards, and continuously improve how Darwin’s products are produced.

This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who thrives at the intersection of people management, production excellence, and content quality. You do not need to arrive as a health care expert. Yet, you must bring the intellectual curiosity, motivation, and learning aptitude required to thrive in a start-up environment, establish product knowledge and credibility quickly, and build deeper expertise over time.The position is located in our Scottsdale office.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Supervision

• Mentor and manage a team of 10-12 early-career researchers responsible for producing the company’s primary product and other research offerings
• Handle day-to-day personnel tasks, conduct performance reviews, deliver coaching sessions, and lead career development planning for the team
• Identify, develop, and promote growth of high-potential team members toward advanced research analyst and consultant roles
• Lead hiring, onboarding, and training of new research team members
• Foster a culture of accountability, integrity, quality, and continuous development

Production & Operations Management

• Own the end-to-end workflow and deadlines for research product production
• Balance workloads across the team, optimizing for capacity, skill development, and deadlines
• Work closely with the Operations team, the owner of our internal systems, research applications, and client delivery processes, to ensure production and workflow changes are properly reflected in systems
• Track throughput and quality, identify and resolve bottlenecks, and make resource allocation/staffing recommendations to the Director
• Drive the general research interview process that provides valuable insights for the syndicated profiles and other Darwin product offerings

Content Quality & Subject Mastery

• Develop deep knowledge of our profile and research report content, research methodologies, and quality standards
• Review work for completeness, consistency, and proper response to editorial feedback
• Ensure interview insights are accurately incorporated into each report; maintain high standards for interview analysis, annotation, and incorporation into research reports
• Maintain awareness of relevant healthcare industry trends to build credibility as a leader who can provide meaningful content, analytical feedback, and report offering recommendations
• Collaborate with editorial staff and peer reviewers on language, style, and layout decisions

Strategic Support & Product Input

• Over time, grow to support the Director’s strategy, client, and commercialization efforts
• Bring a “product manager” mindset to Darwin report offerings: what do our clients need, what’s working, what’s not, what needs to change?
• Identify holes, gaps, or opportunities to improve product offerings
• Support custom research projects and client engagements when appropriate (especially after year one)

What Success Looks Like

• Product production is smooth and consistent, with met deadlines and top-quality output
• Assigned researchers understand expectations, grow in capability over time, and see a career development path
• Career paths and workflows are clear, efficient, and proactively managed
• The Research Director spends more time on strategic work, not supervising daily production operations
• You quickly become a credible voice in discussions about improving research and product content and offerings, quality, and structure

Qualifications

Required

• 5–8 years of professional experience, including at least 2 years in a formal team leadership, operations, or project management role
• Proven track record in managing workflows, prioritizing competing demands, and optimizing team productivity in a fast-paced environment
• Demonstrated ability to mentor early-career professionals, deliver constructive performance feedback, and design clear career progression paths
• Strong organizational skills, exceptional attention to detail, and the ability to make sound, independent decisions
• Ability to rapidly understand new industries, concepts, and research methodologies
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the high emotional intelligence needed to navigate a growing startup environment
• Experience in healthcare and/or life sciences (deep expertise not required)
• Comfort with ambiguity, shifting priorities, and evolving product requirements

Strongly Preferred

• Direct experience in research operations, publishing, or content creation
• Experience with standardized content products, syndicated reports, or recurring publication cycles
• Experience working in a start-up environment
• Track record of significant, large-scale process improvement
• Bachelor’s degree in business, communications, social sciences, or related field

Who Thrives in This Role

You're energized by making things run smoothly . You like building systems, solving workflow puzzles, and creating order out of chaos. You're equally comfortable having a coaching conversation with a struggling team member or building a capacity planning spreadsheet. You can credibly assess the quality of work even in areas where you're not the official expert. You prefer to solve problems yourself rather than escalate everything up the chain- but you know when to involve your boss. You enjoy coaching and managing a team and working in an evolving environment.

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