Research Manager Jobs in San Francisco, CA
Research Manager jobs in San Francisco are in strong demand, concentrated in Mission Bay, SoMa, and the Financial District across biotech, technology, and financial services. Employers hiring right now include Anthropic, University of California - San Francisco, and REFLECTION. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
Find Research Manager JobsOverview
Open roles86
Top employerAnthropic
Work type64% On-site
Companies hiring13
Showing 5 of 86+ Research Manager jobs
UX Research Manager
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Added 3d ago
Retool
UX Research Manager
San Francisco, California
Added 3d ago
Product Operations Manager, Research Services
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Added 4d ago
MERCOR
Product Operations Manager, Research Services
San Francisco, California
Added 4d ago
Research Program Manager
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Added 1w ago
OpenAI
Research Program Manager
San Francisco, California
Added 1w ago
Nurse Manager - Clinical Research Services
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Added 2w ago
University of California - San Francisco
Nurse Manager - Clinical Research Services
San Francisco, California
Added 2w ago
Research Assistant Project Manager
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Added 2w ago
University of California - San Francisco
Research Assistant Project Manager
San Francisco, California
Added 2w ago
Added 3d ago
UX Research Manager
Retool·San Francisco, California
Job functions:
$194k - $260k/yr
Hybrid
Bachelor's degree in psychology
201-500 employees
Job Description
ABOUT RETOOL
Nearly every company in the world runs on custom software for critical operations like tracking performance metrics, handling support workflows, building admin dashboards, and countless processes you might never have thought of. But most companies don't have the resources to properly invest in these tools, leading to a lot of old, clunky internal software, or worse, teams still stuck in manual and spreadsheet workflows.
AI has changed who gets to build software. The definition of "developer" now includes analysts, operators, and domain experts creating solutions directly—and the tools they reach for are multiplying by the week. That's both an opportunity and a challenge: as more people build with more AI tools, the risk of shipping ungoverned software into production grows just as fast.
At Retool, we're building the platform that makes all of it safe to ship. Build with any AI tool you want, then deploy into one place that connects to your real business data, enforces enterprise policies automatically, and lets teams create once and reuse everywhere with shared, trusted components. The cost of building software has collapsed. The cost of governing it hasn't—and that's the problem we solve.
Developers and domain experts have already automated over 100 million hours of work on our platform, freeing them to focus on creative problem-solving and strategic work that drives real business value. The people closest to the problem can now build the software to solve it, safely, and within enterprise guardrails.
Let's build the future together.
WHY WE’RE LOOKING FOR YOU:
We’re looking for a Senior UX Researcher to inform our product and design strategy, we’re reimagining how software gets built in the era of AI, and your research will light the way.
You’ll be a foundational member leading a small, strategic research team, with an opportunity to shape the culture of research at Retool, and define how insights drive impact across the organization. Though a new function, research is already deeply valued across the organization, informing key strategic designs and guiding our expansion into new customer segments and AI-powered experiences. You’ll collaborate with a curious and customer-centric group of designers, engineers, and product managers who are eager to partner with research to uncover new opportunities to elevate our products.
WHAT YOU'LL DO:
In this role, you’ll own research initiatives to inform product strategy and design, collaborating closely with cross-functional teams to deliver insights that shape Retool’s future. You will:
- Work with stakeholders to identify knowledge gaps, latent assumptions, and open questions to prioritize opportunities for impactful research.
- Plan, conduct, and analyze studies leveraging a range of qualitative and quantitative methods—from tactical usability tests, to in-depth interviews, in-product surveys, and more—to generate actionable learnings.
- Balance speed with research rigor, creatively leveraging research methods to work within constraints.
- Triangulate insights from across user research, product usage, support, and market signals, to surface meaningful patterns.
- Distill complex data into clear, compelling stories for teams across the org, from product, design, and engineering peers to executive stakeholders.
As an early member of the research team, you’ll also collaborate with your teammates to shape our research practice, evolve our processes, and help embed user-centered thinking across everything we do.
THE SKILLSET YOU'LL BRING:
- 5+ years of experience in UX research, product research, or a related field, ideally in Enterprise Saas or technical platform environments
- Proven ability to own research projects end-to-end, from scoping through to execution and analysis, leveraging a range of qualitative and quantitative methods
- Strong synthesis and storytelling skills, with an ability to distill ambiguity into clarity and make insights resonate with diverse audiences
- Experience shaping product direction through early-stage generative research and iterative usability testing
- Comfort working in ambiguous problem spaces and a bias toward action—you're as strategic as you are scrappy
- Deep curiosity about how complex systems work, especially technical workflows or developer tools
- Excellent collaboration and communication skills, with an understanding for how to bring others into the process and rally teams around user insights
- Ability to manage multiple priorities, scope projects appropriately, and deliver high-quality work on time
Additional nice-to-haves:
- Bachelor’s or advanced degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Human Factors, Computer Science, or similar field
- Experience working on AI products, along with an understanding of how these technologies work and implications for how users interact with them
- Familiarity with design thinking frameworks, usability evaluation techniques, and A/B testing
- Interest and excitement in leading and growing our small UXR team
For candidates based in the United States, the pay range(s) for this role is listed below and represents base salary range for non-commissionable roles or on-target earnings (OTE) for commissionable roles. This salary range may be inclusive of several career levels at Retool and will be narrowed during the interview process based on a number of factors such as (but not limited to), scope and responsibilities, the candidate’s experience and qualifications, and location.
Additional compensation in the form(s) of equity and/or commission are dependent on the position offered. Retool provides a comprehensive benefit plan, including medical, dental, vision, and 401(k). Pay and benefits are subject to change at any time, consistent with the terms of any applicable compensation or benefit plans.
The base pay range for this role is $194,000 – $260,000 per year.
Retool offers generous benefits to all employees and hybrid work location. For more information, please visit the benefits and perks section of our careers page!
Retool is currently set up to employ all roles in the US and specific roles in the UK. To find roles that can be employed in the UK, please refer to our careers page and review the indicated locations.
Retool
UX Research Manager
San Francisco, California
Added 3d ago201-500 employees
Job functions:
$194k - $260k/yr
Hybrid
Bachelor's degree in psychology
Job Description
ABOUT RETOOL
Nearly every company in the world runs on custom software for critical operations like tracking performance metrics, handling support workflows, building admin dashboards, and countless processes you might never have thought of. But most companies don't have the resources to properly invest in these tools, leading to a lot of old, clunky internal software, or worse, teams still stuck in manual and spreadsheet workflows.
AI has changed who gets to build software. The definition of "developer" now includes analysts, operators, and domain experts creating solutions directly—and the tools they reach for are multiplying by the week. That's both an opportunity and a challenge: as more people build with more AI tools, the risk of shipping ungoverned software into production grows just as fast.
At Retool, we're building the platform that makes all of it safe to ship. Build with any AI tool you want, then deploy into one place that connects to your real business data, enforces enterprise policies automatically, and lets teams create once and reuse everywhere with shared, trusted components. The cost of building software has collapsed. The cost of governing it hasn't—and that's the problem we solve.
Developers and domain experts have already automated over 100 million hours of work on our platform, freeing them to focus on creative problem-solving and strategic work that drives real business value. The people closest to the problem can now build the software to solve it, safely, and within enterprise guardrails.
Let's build the future together.
WHY WE’RE LOOKING FOR YOU:
We’re looking for a Senior UX Researcher to inform our product and design strategy, we’re reimagining how software gets built in the era of AI, and your research will light the way.
You’ll be a foundational member leading a small, strategic research team, with an opportunity to shape the culture of research at Retool, and define how insights drive impact across the organization. Though a new function, research is already deeply valued across the organization, informing key strategic designs and guiding our expansion into new customer segments and AI-powered experiences. You’ll collaborate with a curious and customer-centric group of designers, engineers, and product managers who are eager to partner with research to uncover new opportunities to elevate our products.
WHAT YOU'LL DO:
In this role, you’ll own research initiatives to inform product strategy and design, collaborating closely with cross-functional teams to deliver insights that shape Retool’s future. You will:
- Work with stakeholders to identify knowledge gaps, latent assumptions, and open questions to prioritize opportunities for impactful research.
- Plan, conduct, and analyze studies leveraging a range of qualitative and quantitative methods—from tactical usability tests, to in-depth interviews, in-product surveys, and more—to generate actionable learnings.
- Balance speed with research rigor, creatively leveraging research methods to work within constraints.
- Triangulate insights from across user research, product usage, support, and market signals, to surface meaningful patterns.
- Distill complex data into clear, compelling stories for teams across the org, from product, design, and engineering peers to executive stakeholders.
As an early member of the research team, you’ll also collaborate with your teammates to shape our research practice, evolve our processes, and help embed user-centered thinking across everything we do.
THE SKILLSET YOU'LL BRING:
- 5+ years of experience in UX research, product research, or a related field, ideally in Enterprise Saas or technical platform environments
- Proven ability to own research projects end-to-end, from scoping through to execution and analysis, leveraging a range of qualitative and quantitative methods
- Strong synthesis and storytelling skills, with an ability to distill ambiguity into clarity and make insights resonate with diverse audiences
- Experience shaping product direction through early-stage generative research and iterative usability testing
- Comfort working in ambiguous problem spaces and a bias toward action—you're as strategic as you are scrappy
- Deep curiosity about how complex systems work, especially technical workflows or developer tools
- Excellent collaboration and communication skills, with an understanding for how to bring others into the process and rally teams around user insights
- Ability to manage multiple priorities, scope projects appropriately, and deliver high-quality work on time
Additional nice-to-haves:
- Bachelor’s or advanced degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Human Factors, Computer Science, or similar field
- Experience working on AI products, along with an understanding of how these technologies work and implications for how users interact with them
- Familiarity with design thinking frameworks, usability evaluation techniques, and A/B testing
- Interest and excitement in leading and growing our small UXR team
For candidates based in the United States, the pay range(s) for this role is listed below and represents base salary range for non-commissionable roles or on-target earnings (OTE) for commissionable roles. This salary range may be inclusive of several career levels at Retool and will be narrowed during the interview process based on a number of factors such as (but not limited to), scope and responsibilities, the candidate’s experience and qualifications, and location.
Additional compensation in the form(s) of equity and/or commission are dependent on the position offered. Retool provides a comprehensive benefit plan, including medical, dental, vision, and 401(k). Pay and benefits are subject to change at any time, consistent with the terms of any applicable compensation or benefit plans.
The base pay range for this role is $194,000 – $260,000 per year.
Retool offers generous benefits to all employees and hybrid work location. For more information, please visit the benefits and perks section of our careers page!
Retool is currently set up to employ all roles in the US and specific roles in the UK. To find roles that can be employed in the UK, please refer to our careers page and review the indicated locations.
See All 86 Research Manager Jobs in San Francisco
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Find Research Manager JobsResearch Manager Job Market in San Francisco
Who's Hiring
- Anthropic17
- University of California - San Francisco17
- REFLECTION10
- MERCOR7
- OpenAI7
Top Industries Hiring
- Science & Research20
- Technology & Software20
- Education10
- Healthcare & Medical Services3
- Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals3
Research Manager Jobs in San Francisco: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a research manager job in San Francisco?
The strongest opportunities in San Francisco sit inside biotech companies in Mission Bay, enterprise tech firms in SoMa, and financial services organizations in the Financial District. Candidates with demonstrated experience leading multi-method research programs and translating findings for executive stakeholders stand out most. Familiarity with the fast product cycles common at San Francisco tech companies, or with clinical and translational research workflows at local life sciences firms, gives applicants a clear edge over generalist profiles.
Which companies hire research managers in San Francisco?
Companies currently hiring research managers in San Francisco include Anthropic, University of California - San Francisco, and REFLECTION, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. San Francisco's employer mix skews heavily toward venture-backed technology startups, established biotech and life sciences firms anchored in Mission Bay, and large financial institutions with dedicated research and insights functions.
Are there remote research manager jobs in San Francisco?
Yes, though availability varies: research manager roles that are primarily analytical and strategic tend to be more remote-friendly, while positions tied to lab work or in-person user research sessions are almost always on-site. About 36% of research manager openings tied to San Francisco are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, with hybrid schedules being especially common at tech companies in SoMa. Fully remote postings tend to come from firms where the research function is entirely quantitative or desk-based.
How can I get a research manager job in San Francisco with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path in San Francisco is moving up from a senior researcher or research lead role inside a local tech company or Mission Bay biotech, where internal promotion is common. Entry-level candidates should target research operations coordinator or associate researcher positions at mid-size startups in SoMa, which often promote quickly. Building a portfolio of cross-functional projects and presenting research findings to product or clinical stakeholders directly mirrors what San Francisco hiring managers look for when promoting into management.
Which industries hire the most research managers in San Francisco?
The sectors hiring the most research managers in San Francisco are Science & Research, Technology & Software, and Education, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. San Francisco's concentration of biotech campuses, consumer technology headquarters, and financial services firms with active insights teams makes it one of the denser research manager markets on the West Coast.
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See All 86 Research Manager Jobs in San Francisco
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