Principal Program Manager, Research & Insights Operations

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Job Category

Program & Project Management

Job Details

About Salesforce

Salesforce is the #1 AI CRM, where humans with agents drive customer success together. Here, ambition meets action. Tech meets trust. And innovation isn’t a buzzword — it’s a way of life. The world of work as we know it is changing and we're looking for Trailblazers who are passionate about bettering business and the world through AI, driving innovation, and keeping Salesforce's core values at the heart of it all.

Ready to level-up your career at the company leading workforce transformation in the agentic era? You’re in the right place! Agentforce is the future of AI, and you are the future of Salesforce.

The Experience

The Research Operations team sits within the Experience Organization, supporting Product Research and Design across Salesforce. As a Principal Program Manager and Strategic Research Program Lead, you'll drive the evolution of Research Operations toward an AI-enabled model that redefines how we run research and engage with customers. You'll bring systematic, long-term thinking to a team that connects product builders with the people who shape what we build — and you'll have the opportunity to architect the infrastructure, tooling, and strategies that scale research operations for the future.

What You'll Actually Be Doing

• Apply systematic, long-term strategic thinking to research operations — building repeatable mechanisms, infrastructure, and AI solutions that drive efficiency at scale, moving away from reactive, one-off request handling.

• Design, build, and execute comprehensive operational and participant recruitment strategies tailored for new or immature product lines and highly specialized, hard-to-find niche personas. Convert existing but inactive contacts into active, well-profiled participants.

• Serve as the steady hand in high-visibility, fast-moving initiatives — effectively translating vague or evolving research requirements into structured, actionable program plans.

• Lead, influence, and coordinate across multiple internal teams, cross-functional partners, and executive stakeholders to ensure research operations align with broader business objectives.

• Define and maintain operational health metrics for the research participant pipeline, including database growth, lead conversion rates, recruitment cycle times, and self-service adoption to surface trends and inform strategic decisions.

• Deeply analyze telemetry, platform usage, and sales data to proactively identify untapped participant sourcing opportunities, keeping the research pipeline ahead of product needs.

You're Our Person If...

• You have 8+ years of experience in Program Management, Research Operations, Technical Program Management, User Experience Research (UXR), or a closely related field within a fast-paced technology environment.

• You have experience working alongside Product Research, User Research, User Experience, Product Management, or Data Science teams.

• You have a proven track record of scaling operations or research programs from the ground up, and strong experience leading cross-functional projects.

• You have exceptional communication skills with a demonstrated ability to influence, align, and collaborate with cross-functional leadership and high-level stakeholders.

• You're comfortable working with data, with experience leveraging product telemetry, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), or sales data to drive strategic operational decisions.

• A related technical degree required.

Even Better If...

• You have familiarity with enterprise research and AI tools such as Qualtrics, UserTesting, Outset AI, ListenLabs, User Interviews, or Salesforce CRM.

• You're comfortable operating in AI-first workflows with a demonstrated interest in automation and self-service design.

• You have familiarity with compliance, privacy (e.g., General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)), and strict participant privacy protocols regarding research participants.

• You have a background in designing sourcing infrastructure for early-stage (0-to-1) products or highly technical target audiences.

Unleash Your Potential

When you join Salesforce, you’ll be limitless in all areas of your life. Our benefits and resources support you to find balance and be your best, and our AI agents accelerate your impact so you can do your best. Together, we’ll bring the power of Agentforce to organizations of all sizes and deliver amazing experiences that customers love. Apply today to not only shape the future — but to redefine what’s possible — for yourself, for AI, and the world.

Accommodations

If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please submit a request via this Accommodations Request Form.

Please note that Salesforce uses artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help our recruiters assess and evaluate candidates’ resumes and qualifications throughout the recruiting process. Humans will always make any candidate selection and hiring decisions. Please see our Candidate Privacy Statement for more information about how we use your personal data and your rights, including with regard to use of AI tools and opt out options.

Posting Statement

Salesforce is an equal opportunity employer and maintains a policy of non-discrimination with all employees and applicants for employment. What does that mean exactly? It means that at Salesforce, we believe in equality for all. And we believe we can lead the path to equality in part by creating a workplace that’s inclusive, and free from discrimination. Know your rights: workplace discrimination is illegal. Any employee or potential employee will be assessed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications – without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, transgender status, age, disability, veteran or marital status, political viewpoint, or other classifications protected by law. This policy applies to current and prospective employees, no matter where they are in their Salesforce employment journey. It also applies to recruiting, hiring, job assignment, compensation, promotion, benefits, training, assessment of job performance, discipline, termination, and everything in between. Recruiting, hiring, and promotion decisions at Salesforce are fair and based on merit. The same goes for compensation, benefits, promotions, transfers, reduction in workforce, recall, training, and education.

In the United States, compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, job level, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Certain roles may be eligible for incentive compensation, equity, and benefits. Salesforce offers a variety of benefits to help you live well including: time off programs, medical, dental, vision, mental health support, paid parental leave, life and disability insurance, 401(k), and an employee stock purchasing program. More details about company benefits can be found at the following link: https://www.salesforcebenefits.com.Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, Salesforce will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

At Salesforce, we believe in equitable compensation practices that reflect the dynamic nature of labor markets across various regions. The typical base salary range for this position is $171,200 - $273,000 annually. In select cities within the San Francisco and New York City metropolitan area, the base salary range for this role is $205,800 - $298,400 annually. The range represents base salary only, and does not include company bonus, incentive for sales roles, equity or benefits, as applicable.