The CATI Survey Study Manager is responsible for the end-to-end management of complex quantitative survey research projects, with a primary focus on Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) studies. This position oversees questionnaire programming, CATI field operations, project implementation, data collection quality assurance, client communications, and survey reporting. The ideal candidate has extensive experience managing federally sponsored survey studies, including work conducted for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and possesses a strong understanding of survey methodology, respondent engagement, and regulatory compliance requirements.

The successful candidate will serve as a key liaison between research teams, programmers, field operations staff, and federal clients to ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and according to the highest standards of data quality.

Project Management

• Manage all phases of quantitative survey research studies from project kickoff through final reporting and delivery.
• Develop and monitor project schedules, staffing plans, and deliverables.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams including researchers, programmers, field supervisors, interviewers, and data analysts.
• Manages the identification and resolutions of issues impacting assigned projects. Escalates to management as needed. 
• Serve as the primary point of contact for clients and stakeholders.
• Lead project meetings, prepare status reports, and communicate project progress, risks, and mitigation strategies.

CATI Field Operations Management

• Oversee CATI data collection and survey inbound/outbound help desk activities.
• Ensure adherence to established survey protocols and quality standards.
• Identify quality issues early and implement coaching strategies that reduce protocol deviations and quality defects.
• Coach and improve interviewer/agent and quality control monitor performance to achieve quality measure of 1% or fewer of examined calls not meeting quality standards.
• Monitor key field metrics including response rates, cooperation rates, refusal conversion outcomes, and sample productivity.
• Manage sample releases, dialing strategies, and fieldwork timelines.
• Collaborate with field supervisors to maximize productivity and respondent participation.
• Escalate health events during telephone calls using established protocols.
• Stay current with the latest trends, software, and best practices in survey operations. Share learnings with the Business Intelligence and Insights team.
• Identify opportunities to improve survey processes, tools, and methodologies, ensuring the organization leverages people and tools effectively and meets or exceeds customer needs.
• May travel as required – Less than 10%  

Supervisory Responsibilities and Work Schedule         

• This job supervises CATI interviewers and quality control monitors.
• CATI interviews and QC monitors work Monday to Friday 10AM-9PM.  This position will work in the corporate office from 930am to 530pm with 30 minutes for lunch and remain on call Monday through Friday throughout the remainder of the interviewing shift.

Federal Survey Research

• Manages Federal projects including client relationship management. Monitors the performance and progress of assigned Federal program with support & oversight from Manager and Federal team. Prepares and coordinates internal and external Program Management Reviews and briefs under the supervision of the Program Manager. 
• Ensures compliance with applicable regulations and contractual requirements.
• Ensure compliance with federal data security, confidentiality, and privacy requirements.
• Develop and maintain project documentation required for federal contracts and task orders.
• Support survey studies involving special populations, including military Veterans.
• Contributes to proposal development efforts as requested.

Data Quality and Reporting

• Implement quality assurance protocols throughout questionnaire programming and field operations.
• Monitor real-time survey data for completeness, consistency, and quality.
• Review interviewer recordings and operational metrics to ensure compliance with study protocols.
• Prepare field reports, response rate summaries, and project performance dashboards.
• Coordinate survey data delivery and documentation for clients and internal stakeholders.

Client Relationship Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with federal agency clients.
• Present project updates, findings, and recommendations to clients and stakeholders.
• Respond to client requests and oversee implementation of study modifications.
• Support proposal development and business development efforts for new survey research opportunities.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Bachelor's degree in Survey Research, Statistics, Sociology, Psychology, Public Health, Political Science, Market Research, Data Science, or a related field. Master's degree preferred.
• Minimum 5–8 years of experience managing quantitative survey research projects.
• Minimum 3 years of experience managing CATI-based survey studies.
• Demonstrated experience programming CATI questionnaires.
• Experience overseeing telephone survey field operations and interviewer teams.
• Experience managing federal government survey research projects.
• Experience working within federal contracting environments and delivering client-facing survey projects.
• Proficiency with CATI survey platforms and questionnaire programming (Forsta/Qualtrics/Voxco/Blaise/Nebu).
• Strong understanding of survey methodology and questionnaire design.
• Experience with sample management, disposition coding, and response rate calculations.
• Demonstrated outstanding written (prose and presentation) and oral communications skills, especially the ability to articulate complex, abstract statistical concepts or strategic situations and strategies to audiences with and without business industry experience at all levels of an organization. 
• Demonstrated experience with project tracking tools and Microsoft 365, especially Teams, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook. Microsoft certifications preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting survey research for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
• Experience conducting Veteran satisfaction, healthcare experience, benefits, caregiver, or Veteran outreach surveys.
• Familiarity with federal survey standards and requirements.
• Experience with mixed-mode and multi-mode survey methodologies.
• Experience managing large-scale probability-based survey studies.
• Experience working on longitudinal survey studies involving baseline and follow-up interviews.
• Experience serving as a CATI Quality Monitor, CATI Floor Supervisor, Quality Assurance Specialist, Interviewer Coach, or Call Center Trainer.
• Experience programming in and managing operations with Voxco.
• Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM).

ABOUT VISTRA:  Vistra Communications, doing business as Vistra and Vistra Federal Solutions, is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) headquartered in Tampa, FL with an office in Alexandria, VA providing professional support serviced to Defense, Federal, and Civilian Agencies.  Approximately 25% of our “team member” employees work in the National Capital Region, providing communications, outreach, and organizational transformation services to our public sector customers.  Vistra provides medical, dental, and vision benefits, life and disability insurance, employer matching 401(k) retirement plan, Paid Time Off, Parental and Bereavement Leave, and Professional Development, among other benefits.  

US Citizenship Required: Due to the requirements of the federal contract that this position supports, U.S. citizenship is required. Citizenship will be confirmed via I-9/E-Verify at the start of employment.