Senior R&D Operations Specialist, Design & Research
Clio - Cloud-Based Legal Technology
full-time
Posted on:
Location Type: Hybrid
Location: Toronto • 🇨🇦 Canada
Visit company websiteSalary
💰 CA$126,200 - CA$170,800 per year
Job Level
Senior
About the role
- Lead the operational foundation for Design & Research, managing tools, systems, and budgets that keep our teams focused on delivering exceptional work.
- Shape and maintain the rhythms and rituals that connect our teams within Design (design critiques, sprints, workshops, office hours, etc.) and within the organization (Product & Design All Hands, etc.) ensuring they’re consistent, purposeful, and well supported.
- Coordinate research operations by managing participant recruitment, scheduling, incentives, and insights management in partnership with Strategic Research and DI teams.
- Develop and maintain shared documentation and guidelines that strengthen collaboration between Design, Research, Product, and Engineering.
- Identify and implement process improvements that increase clarity, reduce friction, and enable faster, more informed decisions across the organization.
- Design and evolve onboarding programs that help new designers and researchers ramp quickly and feel connected to Clio’s mission, practices, and culture.
- Track and report on key operational metrics including team health, delivery velocity, and efficiency to inform leadership planning and resourcing decisions.
- Partner with Design & Research leadership to align on operational vision, priorities, and long-term goals that support the growth and maturity of the practice.
- Support the evaluation and rollout of new tools and vendors, ensuring we’re investing in the right infrastructure to scale design and research effectively.
- Contribute to building a collaborative, high-performing culture that values curiosity, transparency, and shared learning across teams.
Requirements
- 5+ years of experience in design, research, or product operations.
- Strong organizational, communication, and program-management skills.
- Comfort navigating ambiguity and bringing structure to complex systems.
- Proficiency with design and research tools (Figma, Miro, Maze, Pendo).
- Experience maintaining process documentation and operational metrics.
- A pragmatic, collaborative approach to problem-solving and continuous improvement.
- Experience working in fast-paced, iterative product development environments.
- Deep understanding of good user experience, IA, and visual design
- Demonstrate a keen interest in improving your craft by using AI
Benefits
- Competitive, equitable salary with top-tier health benefits, dental, and vision insurance
- Hybrid work environment, with expectation for local Clions (Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Dublin and Sydney) to be in office min. twice per week.
- Flexible time off policy, with an encouraged 20 days off per year.
- $2000 annual counseling benefit
- RRSP matching and RESP contribution
- Clioversary recognition program with special acknowledgement at 3, 5, 7, and 10 years
Applicant Tracking System Keywords
Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.
Hard skills
design operationsresearch operationsprocess documentationoperational metricsuser experienceinformation architecturevisual designprogram managementcontinuous improvementparticipant recruitment
Soft skills
organizational skillscommunication skillsproblem-solvingcollaborationadaptabilitycuriositytransparencyleadershipteam buildingstrategic thinking