Research Manager - Southern

Position: Research Manager - Southern US
About Ancestry:

When you join Ancestry, you join a human-centered company where every person's story is important. Ancestry, the global leader in family history, connects everyone with their past so they can discover, preserve, and share their unique family stories. With our unparalleled collection of more than 65 billion records, over 3.5 million subscribers, and over 27 million people in our growing DNA network, customers can discover their family story and gain a new level of understanding about their lives.

Over the past 40 years, we've built trusted relationships with millions of people who have chosen us as the platform for discovering, preserving, and sharing the most important information about themselves and their families.

We are committed to our location flexible work approach, allowing you to choose to work in the nearest office, from your home, or a hybrid of both (subject to location restrictions and roles that are required to be in the office- see the full list of eligible US locations HERE). We will continue to hire and promote beyond the boundaries of our office locations, to enable broadened possibilities for employee diversity.

Together, we work every day to foster a work environment that's inclusive as well as diverse, and where our people can be themselves. Every idea and perspective is valued so that our products and services reflect the global and diverse clients we serve.

Ancestry encourages applications from minorities, women, the disabled, protected veterans and all other qualified applicants. Passionate about dedicating your work to enriching people's lives? Join the curious.

Ancestry is seeking an experienced Research Manager specializing in the United States Mid-South and South regions, eager to contribute to the organization's long-term success. The candidate will lead research projects, produce exemplary research, and must be proficient in project and client management. Successful research managers are flexible, detail-oriented, strong in technology, and meet industry standards for genealogical research. They assist team members in developing their skills and consistently meet performance metrics.

Research managers enjoy a flexible schedule, with occasional company meetings and kickoff calls with clients. They work closely with client relationship managers (CRMs) and research staff to achieve session objectives. Availability during business hours is required for communication with staff. Time management is key to meeting weekly, monthly, and annual billable targets in our billable environment.

What you will do...

* Research expertise in the U.S. Mid-South and South.

* Resource accessibility: can quickly identify when research is feasible, locate the resources, determine how to access them, and communicate promptly when the research is unfeasible.

* Skilled and efficient writer who can produce research logs and reports as well as regular client updates according to company standards.

* Session load:
Once fully onboarded and trained, manage 30-60 client projects, including defining the scope, budget, and resources necessary for each project.

* Organization:
Superior organizational skills to ensure sessions run smoothly, and delegate time to the best researcher for the project.

* Final product:
Exercise good judgment to ensure project deliverables meet company and industry standards and client expectations and satisfy session budgets, even if projects do not meet the project's goal.

* Billable hours:
Maintain an average of 5.5 billable hours per day and meet an annual billable hours requirement.

* Feedback:
Gives and receives feedback well.

* Effective communication: sets clear expectations with clients and researchers, updates clients every 4-6 weeks, and promptly addresses client and staff concerns and questions.

* Collaborate with the CRMs and researchers throughout the session for project success.

* Standards:
Supervise research to ensure accuracy and efficiency, meeting company standards and aligning with client expectations.

* Feedback: coach research staff on genealogical research, and escalate issues to the manager if repeated coaching is unsuccessful or if the problem is unrelated to genealogy (e.g., behavioral issues).

* Delegating:
Skilled at assigning and directing work within the pod and to contractors.

* Regrouping:
Conduct regular meetings with pod members and be available for consults.

Who you are...

* You have a minimum 5 years' experience with professional genealogical research.

* You have a bachelor's or master's degree in History, English, or comparable experience.

* Experience in general U.S. research with a specialty in the mid-south and southern states.

* Proficient in the application of DNA test results to genealogical research problems.

* Advanced expertise in brick wall research methodologies and evidence analysis.

* Experience managing multiple projects at the same time.

* Experience with completing research journals/logs; understanding and creating citations; creating record…