Research Operations Program Specialist

PENN Entertainment, Inc. is North America’s leading provider of integrated entertainment, sports content, and casino gaming experiences. From casinos and racetracks to online gaming, sports betting and entertainment content, we deliver the experiences people want, how and where they want them.

We’re always on the lookout for those who are passionate about creating and delivering cutting-edge online gaming and sports media products. Whether it’s through ESPN BET, Hollywood Casino, theScore Bet Sportsbook & Casino, or theScore media app, we’re excited to push the boundaries of what’s possible. These state-of-the-art platforms are powered by proprietary in-house technology, a key component of PENN’s omnichannel gaming and entertainment strategy.

When you join PENN Entertainment’s digital team, you’ll not only work on these cutting-edge platforms through theScore and PENN Interactive, but you’ll also be part of a company that truly cares about your career growth. We’re committed to supporting you as you expand your skills and explore new opportunities.

With locations throughout North America, you can build a future at PENN Entertainment wherever you are. If you want to challenge conventions in gaming, media and entertainment, we want to talk to you.

About the Role & Team
Our team is at the center of a rapidly growing industry. We are the largest, most innovative provider of gaming entertainment in North America. From ESPN BET, iCasino, to lifestyle content through theScore, we deliver the experiences people want, how and where they want them. We’re looking for an ambitious, process oriented and humble Research Operations Program Specialist to join our Design Operations team to support scaling and enabling research across the organization.

 You will partner directly with UX Research (UXR) leadership and researchers to be a research advocate, establish best practices, streamline and scale research programs and tooling, and support with amplifying the impact of the research across the organization. You’ll bring exceptional project management skills to the team, along with an understanding and passion for user research and its methodologies.

About the Work

• Support with the creation, maintenance and socialization of research processes across the UXR team and broader Product org.
• Streamline the research participant management process for our researchers, support with building a research participant panel, exploring the addition of new recruitment channels, monitoring the health of the participant database, and owning our research incentive guidelines.
• Manage our participant consent template library, staying up-to-date on gaming industry & company PII-protections, creating and socializing data privacy protocols, liaising with our gaming license internal partners, and coordinating with legal to maintain our study terms and conditions.
• Maintain and improve processes for updating and managing the UX Research repository, including establishing a tagging taxonomy and other mechanisms to improve usability and adoption.
• Optimize our process and mechanisms of analyzing, synthesizing, and sharing research insights, coordinating with other teams conducting research (e.g. marketing or business intelligence) in order to create a comprehensive source of insights.
• Support with the creation, rollout and maintenance of research democratization and continuous discovery programs. Including consulting with PWDR’s on ongoing research, and quality assurance support for research studies.
• Help to develop case studies demonstrating the value and impact of UXR across the organization, up-leveling the org’s understanding and maturity with UXR/human insights.
• Keep the UXR team organized via effective knowledge management, updating and streamlining the UXR team’s documentation, playbooks, and template libraries.
• Partner with UXR managers on people-focused programs, such as identifying UXR professional-development and mentorship opportunities, optimizing the UXR onboarding experience, and so on.
• Assist with management of our research team’s tech stack. inclusive of evaluating tools, onboarding through procurement, implementation, building training resources and ongoing management. 

About You

• 2-4 years experience in Research Operations, Program Management or UX Research roles.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Psychology, Human-Computer Interaction, Business Administration, or a related field. 
• An understanding of the research lifecycle, and experience working with UX Research teams across multiple research methods and activities, spanning both qualitative and quantitative disciplines.
• Experience defining UX Research workflows such as user recruitment and scheduling, participant management, vendor and tool management, policy and legal governance, and research repository management.
• Experience with vendor management and research tool procurement, onboarding, contracts, and budgeting.
• Experience developing and maintaining team resources and communications, including templates, playbooks, documentation, and training materials.
• Exceptional project management and organizational skills.
• Experience with change management best practices.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills; at ease speaking with teams across the organization, educating about UX research.
• Experience with mixed-method research platforms.
• Experience with CRM and participant management platforms.
• Comfortable with fast-paced work environment and managing responsibilities for multiple projects at any given time. 

What We Offer 

• Competitive compensation package
• Fun, relaxed work environment
• Education and conference reimbursements.
• Opportunities for career progression and mentoring others 

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Recently being recognized as a top workplace in the United States, we believe people work their best when they can be themselves. We are looking for hungry, innovative thinkers to help us challenge the status quo of the gaming industry.  Diversity, equity, and inclusion are vital to all of our processes, programs, and structures. Your story, who you are, and your experience matter here.