Communities and Connects Manager

Department: Operations Office

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Shanghai

Reporting To: Mark Alvarez

Description The Communities & Connects Manager (CCM) is responsible for the operational execution (“the how”) of Square and Connects programs. This includes configuration, participant and incentive management, fieldwork operations, community engagement, and quality assurance for all research activities.

The role is strictly operational and non–client facing.

• CST owns all client communication.
• Customer Success owns strategic guidance.
• Operations governs frameworks, processes, and compliance.

The CCM ensures precise delivery against these frameworks while maintaining high operational quality and efficiency.

Responsibilities Program Set-up and Configuration | Communities and Connects

• Deliver ongoing Communities and Connects programs, adjusting execution based on project complexity and client requirements.
• Own the full end‑to‑end setup and configuration of the Square/SQS platform, including workflow logic, client portal setup, integrations, and technical deployment.
• Ensure all Research Activity (RA) setups are complete, accurate, and aligned with activity guides and requirements.
• Run QL/QN programming, testing, troubleshooting, and deployment where applicable.
• Manage timelines, risks, and dependencies to ensure on‑time, high‑quality project delivery.

Community Operations, Recruitment & Incentives

• Manage participant recruitment and onboarding for Square and Connects, ensuring proper segmentation and strong quality control.
• Oversee day‑to‑day fieldwork operations, ensuring participation targets and sampling plans are met.
• Prepare, upload, and manage incentive lists, reward distribution, winner communications, and related participant support activities to maintain engagement, motivation, and incentive accuracy.
• Coordinate participant communications relating to recruitment, onboarding, rewards, activity participation, and support inquiries through approved support channels and ticketing platforms.
• Monitor participant support themes, service quality trends, and recurring issues, escalating systemic risks that may impact participant experience, engagement, incentive fulfillment, or community performance.
• Coordinate with external vendors for participant recruitment, ensuring compliance and quality.

Community Management & Quality Control

• Implement best practices in community operations to foster active and highly engaged communities.
• Monitor incentive strategies to maintain retention and maximize participation.
• Conduct deep quality control checks on survey performance and participant outputs to maintain research integrity.
• Identify and resolve implementation issues, ensuring alignment with setup documents and activity guides.
• Continuously improve participant experience by reviewing and acting on feedback.
• Provide reporting insights related to engagement, fieldwork performance, and platform operations.
• Own DIY support operations, including ticket triage, resolution, and escalation workflows.

Cross-Functional Collaboration and Reporting

• Work with CST, Customer Success, Service Line, and technical teams to ensure seamless handovers, operational readiness, and smooth project execution.
• Support escalation management for high‑profile structural communities in partnership with CST and Customer Success, without direct client involvement.

Operational Health and Profitability

• Support Operations in revenue recognition processes, including G&S receipts, PO and invoice follow‑ups, and other operational compliance activities.
• Ensure all operational documentation is accurate, complete, and aligned with Operations‑governed frameworks.
• Identify opportunities to improve delivery efficiency through standardization, automation, and reuse of best practices.

Risk Management & Escalation

• Identify operational risks, blockers, scope gaps or feasibility concerns early.
• Escalate promptly to Ops Manager + CST to protect project quality, timeline, and scope.
• Drive mitigation actions and ensure stakeholders remain aligned throughout delivery.
• Ensure clear alignment with Consultants and Business Operations on scope, resourcing, and expert involvement, escalating where decisions fall outside delivery ownership.

Success Measures / KPIs

• On‑time configuration and launch rate
• Ticket resolution speed and SLA adherence
• Community engagement and retention levels
• Fieldwork delivery completeness vs. target
• Accuracy of incentives and operational documentation
• Responsiveness and effectiveness in handling escalations