Senior Research Manager - Product & AI , NY

Understood is a nonprofit dedicated to supporting people who learn and think differently. We develop resources that help individuals navigate challenges, build confidence, and find community.

Senior Research Manager (reports to Director of Ecosystem Research). This is a hybrid role requiring three days per week in the NYC office (Mon, Tue, Thu). Mac-based environment.

• Produce high‑quality, business‑driven insights for product, marketing, partnerships and external research teams.
• Partner with teams to clarify research questions, ensuring findings address strategic needs rather than surface‑level asks.
• Own “always‑on” scraping and product landscape updates to keep the company ahead of market trends.
• Design and maintain AI bots and low‑code/no‑code solutions to automate data collection and analysis.
• Serve as research partner for Product, Product Marketing and UXR teams, providing rapid‑response analysis and weekly Slack updates on competitor moves.
• Review deal memos for Difference Partners and facilitate knowledge exchange between portfolio and internal product teams.
• Own ad‑hoc scraping partner product landscapes as part of external revenue‑driving partnership offering.
• Independently carry out research projects from start to finish, delivering high‑quality findings for specific product initiatives.
• Proactively solve problems, adapt to change, and ensure research has meaningful results.
• Create and manage processes for both the research team and cross‑functional needs.

• 5–7 years of experience performing rigorous field scans and secondary research to evaluate markets for product creation.
• Expert experience building natural language bots and leveraging AI (e.g., Claude, ChatGPT) to automate research workflows, especially desk research.
• Ability to use low‑code/no‑code solutions to fuel AI‑driven data scraping in major company‑approved platforms like Claude and/or Perplexity.
• Strong background in Product Research, ideally within EdTech or social impact.
• Ability to synthesize findings into clear, actionable daily updates for cross‑functional peers.
• Committed to embodying and being a steward of our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

• Experience with web scraping tools or basic Python for data collection.
• Experience with working with AI agent building platforms (e.g., Cursor or N8N).
• Familiarity with the Learning and Thinking Difference (LATD) market.

The base salary range for this role is a minimum of $125,000 – $140,000 maximum. We offer a comprehensive benefits package that supports wellness for our team members and their families.

This is a hybrid role that requires a minimum of three days a week in our NYC office (Mon, Tue, Thu). Mac‑based environment; a Mac laptop is provided.

Understood is an equal opportunity employer and considers all applications without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, alienage or citizenship status, marital or familial status, domestic partnership status, caregiver status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, change of sex or transgender status, genetic information, medical condition, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, physical or mental disability (where the applicant or employee is qualified to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation), any protected military or veteran status, or status as a victim of domestic or dating violence, sexual assault or offense, stalking, or any other characteristics protected by federal, state, or local law or that of persons with whom that individual associates, or any other legally protected characteristics.

Understood does not sponsor applicants for work visas or legal permanent residence, including providing assistance with OPT extensions.