Work Remote as Research Director at Instagram

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work has become increasingly popular and necessary for many companies. Instagram, a social media platform with over a billion active users, is no exception. As the platform continues to grow and evolve, the role of Research Director has become essential to its success. In this article, we will explore what it takes to work remotely as a Research Director at Instagram.

Why Instagram Needs a Research Director

As a Research Director at Instagram, your primary responsibility would be to understand user behavior and provide insights to inform decision making. This includes analyzing trends and data, conducting user research, and developing actionable insights. Your work would be critical to the success of the platform and its continued growth.

Qualifications for the Research Director Role

To be considered for the role of Research Director at Instagram, you would need a combination of skills and experience. This includes experience in conducting and managing research projects, familiarity with social media platforms and user behavior, strong analytical skills, and excellent communication skills. You should be able to work independently and as part of a team, and be comfortable presenting your findings to a wide range of stakeholders.

Advantages of Working Remotely as a Research Director at Instagram

One of the primary advantages of working remotely as a Research Director at Instagram is the flexibility it provides. You can work from anywhere with an internet connection, which means you have more control over your work-life balance. You can also work with a global team, which exposes you to a diverse range of perspectives and ideas. Additionally, remote work can be more cost-effective and environmentally friendly than commuting to an office every day.

Challenges of Working Remotely as a Research Director at Instagram

While there are many benefits to working remotely, there are also some challenges to be aware of. One of the biggest is the lack of face-to-face interactions with colleagues, which can make it difficult to build relationships and collaborate effectively. Additionally, remote work requires a high degree of self-motivation and discipline, as you are responsible for managing your own time and tasks.

Job Responsibilities

Manage a research area with broad scope in size and complexity
Manage multiple research managers and ICs across multiple broad initiatives
Consider factors beyond your immediate team to innovate, take appropriate risks, and balance short, medium, and long-term needs
Influence and drive strategy
Calls out risks and opportunities across multiple teams
Identify ways to elevate and up level Research with product leadership
Identify gaps and solutions for future growth and scale within the org, including system, product, function, partnership, culture and/or organization opportunities
Responsible for the quality of the team, including coaching, growing ICs and managers and addressing under-performance
Responsible for developing a cohesive and strong leadership team of managers
Be a role model for inclusive behaviors and build a diverse organization that values, respects and taps into different backgrounds and perspectives
Understands org health (engagement, retention, feedback)
Effectively diagnose and make recommendations to solve complex issues that may span multiple teams
Communicate team purpose, contribution, and how it fits in with the broader mission of the company
Make the company better through engaging in cross-company efforts like recruiting, cross-functional partnerships, diversity & inclusion, or site initiatives
Actively recruit and close top tier talent to fill strategic open positions for both IC and management roles beyond your immediate organization
Drive team execution, culture, and process across the FB research community, broader FB community and/or externally
Form internal partnerships, influence, resolve conflict, build alignment, and work effectively across teams and disciplines throughout the company to execute the strategy
Proactively identify the largest problems impacting your team's execution and effectively resolve and manage dependencies
Identify relevant metrics and track trends to report progress relative to goals. (E.g., team health, research impact, product goals)

Minimum Qualification as Research Director at Instagram

Bachelor’s degree or significant experience conducting UX research with meaningful business impact
18+ years of experience conducting and/or studying research post-Bachelor’s degree
8+ years directly managing, coaching and developing full-time researchers
5+ years experience managing managers
Experience managing across different research methodologies
Experience directly conducting primary research (either qualitative or quantitative) end-to-end (i.e., designing, fielding, analyzing and reporting out data)
Experience building teams over time through hiring, growing, and retaining high-performing researchers
Experience building and setting research strategy that connects with business strategy
Track record of translating research into business impact
Experience working with a variety of cross-functional peers and stakeholders (e.g., product managers, data scientists, designers, engineers, policy, communications, marketing)