UX Research Operations Program Manager

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: UX Research Operations Program Manager

Company: Zoox

Location: Foster City, California, United States

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Research Operations / Program Management

Date Posted: May 22, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• This role is crucial for building and scaling the operational infrastructure that enables User Experience (UX) Research teams to function efficiently, with high quality, and with significant product impact.

• The position requires a strong cross-functional operator adept at managing complex stakeholder relationships and transforming fragmented workflows into robust, scalable systems.

• Key responsibilities include owning the operational backbone of research, encompassing participant recruitment, vendor management, research data governance, feedback pipelines, insight systems, and mechanisms for driving product action.

• The role sits at a critical intersection, requiring collaboration across Research, Product, Data, Legal, Operations, IT, and external vendor ecosystems to ensure research insights effectively influence product development.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "UX Research Operations Program Manager," the responsibilities and required skills strongly indicate a role focused on the operational efficiency and scalability of research processes, a core component of a mature Research Operations function. The emphasis on systems, cross-functional collaboration, and data governance aligns with typical Senior or Lead Research Operations Manager roles. The "4+ years" experience requirement suggests a mid-to-senior level.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Research Operations Infrastructure Development: Design, build, and maintain core systems, workflows, dashboards, documentation, and playbooks essential for scaling UX Research operations. Proactively identify and address operational gaps in areas such as study intake, participant recruitment, data handling, feedback triage, and insight activation. Develop and implement repeatable processes to enhance researcher efficiency and reduce operational friction.

• Cross-Functional Program Management: Act as a central point of contact, fostering strong partnerships with Research, Product, Design, Legal, Operations, IT, Business Applications, Data, Support, and external vendors. Manage stakeholder alignment, coordinate resources, communicate process changes effectively, facilitate ownership transitions, and mitigate operational risks across diverse teams. Develop a deep understanding of partner team workflows to effectively connect people, systems, and decisions.

• Participant Recruitment, Vendor, and Panel Operations: Lead and optimize participant recruitment processes, managing both internal and external participant pools. Oversee research vendors, recruitment platforms, fieldwork partners, participant databases, scheduling workflows, and self-service recruiting processes. Drive improvements in recruitment speed, quality, reliability, and compliance, ensuring researchers can access precisely the right participants for their studies.

• Customer Feedback and Insight Operations: Establish and manage systems that transform customer feedback and research findings into structured, visible, and actionable product signals for product teams. Support and enhance feedback pipelines, dashboards, tagging taxonomies, AI-enabled classification, research repositories, and insight tracking workflows. Ensure research insights are actively leveraged by connecting them to owners, decisions, follow-up actions, and product calls to action.

• Research Data Governance and Compliance: Manage critical workflows related to Personally Identifiable Information (PII), restricted research data, consent artifacts, Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), access control, and data retention policies. Collaborate closely with Legal, Privacy, IT, Security, Business Applications, and research stakeholders to ensure responsible handling of research data. Maintain clear, up-to-date documentation on data ownership, system access, compliance requirements, and operational handoffs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly outline a strategic role focused on building and optimizing the operational framework for UX research. The emphasis on "scaling systems," "cross-functional program management," and "data governance" indicates a need for someone who can think systematically and execute complex operational initiatives. The specific mention of "converting fragmented workflows into durable systems" points to a need for process re-engineering and standardization.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is listed, a Bachelor's degree in a related field such as Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, Psychology, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related technical or social science discipline is often preferred for program management roles.

Experience: 4+ years of experience in program management, research operations, UX operations, product operations, technical program management, or a closely related field.

Required Skills:

• Program Management: Proven ability to manage complex, multi-faceted programs from initiation to completion, including planning, execution, monitoring, and closing.

• Research Operations Expertise: Working knowledge of UX Research workflows, encompassing participant recruitment strategies, study operations best practices, ethical data handling, and effective insight delivery mechanisms.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Demonstrated experience managing interdependent programs and initiatives across diverse teams such as Research, Product, Data, Legal, Operations, IT, and external vendors.

• Process & Systems Development: Experience in building scalable processes, tools, dashboards, documentation, or operational systems that improve efficiency and effectiveness.

• Stakeholder Management: Strong capabilities in managing diverse stakeholder expectations, fostering alignment, and communicating effectively with technical and non-technical audiences.

• Organizational Skills: Excellent organizational and project management skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks, manage multiple projects simultaneously, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

• Data Governance & Compliance Acumen: Sound judgment and practical experience in handling sensitive data, participant information, privacy considerations, and compliance-related workflows.

Preferred Skills:

• UX Research Environment Experience: Prior experience working directly within a UX Research, Human Factors, Product Experience, or Product Research organization.

• Vendor & Panel Management: Experience managing relationships with research vendors, operating participant panels, utilizing research repositories, implementing feedback systems, or managing insight operations platforms.

• Technical Tool Proficiency: Familiarity with tools commonly used in operations and research environments, such as Looker, Salesforce Data Cloud, Jira, Confluence, Figma, UserInterviews, Fieldwork, or similar systems.

• AI & Data Analytics: Experience with AI-enabled feedback classification, developing tagging taxonomies, creating insightful dashboards, or managing customer feedback pipelines.

• Complex Product Environments: Experience in industries like autonomous vehicles, robotics, complex mobility solutions, AI products, or other highly technical product development environments.

• Communication & Translation: Ability to effectively communicate and bridge the gap between researcher needs, product decision-making processes, and operational infrastructure requirements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The required skills are a strong indicator of the scope of this role. The blend of program management, operational process building, and specific UX research workflow knowledge is key. The preferred skills highlight areas that would allow a candidate to onboard faster and contribute more immediately, particularly familiarity with specific tools and complex technical domains.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Process Optimization Case Studies: Showcase examples of how you have identified inefficiencies in research or operational workflows and implemented solutions that led to measurable improvements in speed, quality, or cost-effectiveness. Quantify the impact of your process improvements whenever possible.

• System Implementation & Management: Provide evidence of building, deploying, or managing operational systems, tools, or platforms. This could include participant recruitment systems, feedback management tools, or data governance frameworks. Highlight challenges overcome and lessons learned.

• Cross-Functional Program Delivery: Demonstrate successful management of complex programs involving multiple stakeholder groups. Illustrate how you facilitated alignment, managed dependencies, and ensured successful delivery of program objectives.

• Documentation & Playbooks: Include examples of SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), playbooks, or comprehensive documentation created to standardize processes, onboard new team members, or ensure compliance within an operational context.

• Metrics and Reporting: Showcase examples of dashboards or reports you've developed to track operational performance, identify trends, and inform decision-making. Focus on metrics relevant to research operations, such as recruitment completion rates, participant satisfaction, or insight activation velocity.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Demonstrate experience in mapping current-state research workflows, identifying bottlenecks, and designing optimized future-state processes. This should cover areas like study intake, participant screening, scheduling, data collection, and insight dissemination.

• Implementation & Automation: Provide examples of how you have implemented new processes or automated manual tasks within an operational context, leveraging technology where appropriate to drive efficiency and reduce human error.

• Measurement & Performance Analysis: Show how you establish key performance indicators (KPIs) for operational processes, collect data, and analyze performance to identify areas for continuous improvement. This includes defining metrics, setting targets, and reporting on progress.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role focused on Research Operations and Program Management, a portfolio demonstrating tangible results in process improvement, system implementation, and cross-functional program execution is critical. Candidates should be prepared to articulate the 'how' and 'why' behind their projects, focusing on the impact on research team efficiency and product outcomes.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $123,000 - $168,000 per year (Base Salary)

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Insurance: Includes health, long-term care, long-term disability, and short-term disability insurance.

• Retirement & Equity: Zoox Stock Appreciation Rights and Amazon Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), indicating a strong focus on long-term employee investment.

• Paid Time Off: Generous PTO package including sick leave, vacation, and bereavement leave.

• Additional Leave: Unpaid time off options are also available.

• Life Insurance: Standard life insurance coverage.

• Sign-on Bonus: May be offered as part of the overall compensation package.

Working Hours: The role is listed as full-time, with a typical expectation of 40 hours per week. Given the hybrid nature and the demanding environment of a tech/automotive startup, flexibility and dedication are often required to manage complex projects and cross-functional coordination.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is specific to base salary, and the job description clearly states that total compensation includes salary, RSUs, and Stock Appreciation Rights, plus a potential sign-on bonus. This is a common structure in high-growth tech companies. The salary range is competitive for a Program Manager with 4+ years of experience in the San Francisco Bay Area, considering the cost of living and the specialized nature of Research Operations. Research for similar roles in Foster City, CA, with 5-10 years of experience, typically falls within or slightly above this range.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Autonomous Vehicles, Mobility-as-a-Service, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence. Zoox operates at the cutting edge of transportation technology, developing a fully autonomous vehicle fleet and the supporting ecosystem. This industry is characterized by rapid innovation, a strong emphasis on safety and reliability, and complex engineering challenges.

Company Size: Zoox is a significant player in the autonomous vehicle space, likely employing several hundred to a few thousand individuals, indicating a dynamic, well-resourced, but still relatively agile environment.

Founded: Zoox was founded in 2014, giving it a decade of experience and development in a nascent industry. This history suggests a company that has moved beyond the initial startup phase, established foundational technologies, and is now focused on scaling and operationalizing its solutions.

Team Structure:

• The Research Operations team, while not explicitly detailed in size, will likely be a specialized function supporting a larger UX Research department. This department, in turn, supports product and engineering teams.

• The reporting structure for this role is not specified but would typically fall under a Head of UX Research, Director of Operations, or a senior Program Management lead, with significant dotted-line reporting to various functional leads (Product, Engineering, Legal, IT).

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Zoox, like most advanced tech companies, relies heavily on data to inform product development, operational improvements, and strategic decisions. This role will be instrumental in ensuring research data is collected, governed, and presented effectively.

• Agile & Iterative Development: The fast-paced nature of autonomous vehicle development necessitates agile methodologies. Processes and systems must be adaptable and able to support iterative research and development cycles.

• Systems Thinking & Scalability: The core of this role is building durable, scalable operational systems. This requires a mindset focused on long-term efficiency, robustness, and the ability to support growth.

Company Website: https://zoox.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Zoox's position in the autonomous vehicle industry implies a culture of intense problem-solving, rigorous engineering standards, and a commitment to innovation. The Research Operations role is critical for enabling the UX research function to keep pace with the rapid development cycles inherent in such a high-stakes technological field.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a mid-to-senior level Program Manager within the Research Operations domain. It requires a blend of strategic thinking for system building, tactical execution for process management, and strong interpersonal skills for cross-functional collaboration. The "4+ years" requirement and the breadth of responsibilities suggest a role that offers significant autonomy and ownership.

Reporting Structure: The role is expected to report to a leader within the UX Research or Operations function, with extensive collaboration and influence across Product, Design, Engineering, Legal, and IT departments. This dotted-line reporting and influence structure is typical for operational program managers who bridge multiple disciplines.

Operations Impact: The core function of this role is to enhance the efficiency, quality, and impact of UX Research. By building robust operational systems, this individual directly contributes to:

• Faster Product Iteration: Enabling researchers to conduct studies more quickly and efficiently.

• Higher Quality Insights: Ensuring reliable participant recruitment and data integrity.

• Increased Product Relevance: Facilitating the conversion of research findings into actionable product improvements that meet user needs and business objectives.

• Risk Mitigation: Ensuring compliance with data privacy and governance regulations.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in Research Operations, potentially leading to roles focused on specific areas like participant recruitment strategy, data governance, or insight management platforms.

• Leadership: Progress into a Senior Program Manager, Lead Research Operations Manager, or a management role overseeing a team of Research Operations professionals as the function scales.

• Cross-Functional Mobility: Leverage operational expertise to move into Product Operations, Technical Program Management, or other strategic operational roles within Zoox or the broader tech/automotive industry.

• Skill Development: Opportunities to gain experience with cutting-edge technologies in AI, robotics, and autonomous systems, coupled with advanced program management and system design skills.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role offers significant potential for growth within a high-impact, rapidly evolving industry. Success here could lead to specialized operational leadership or broader program management roles, especially given Zoox's ambitious goals and the critical nature of operational efficiency in scaling autonomous vehicle technology.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Zoox operates with a hybrid work model. This means that while the role is based in Foster City, CA, employees are expected to work from the office for a portion of the week, likely collaborating with teams and utilizing office resources. This setup aims to balance the benefits of in-person collaboration with the flexibility of remote work.

Office Location(s): The primary work location is Foster City, California, a hub within the San Francisco Bay Area known for its tech and biotech presence. This location offers access to a rich talent pool and a vibrant ecosystem of related industries.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: The hybrid model and the nature of product development at Zoox suggest an environment that encourages collaboration through shared workspaces, meeting rooms, and common areas.

• Technology & Tools: Employees will have access to the necessary IT infrastructure, software, and potentially specialized hardware or simulation tools required for their roles, including the operations and research-related technologies mentioned in the skills section.

• Team Interaction: The hybrid setup facilitates regular in-person interaction with research teams, product managers, and engineering leads, fostering strong working relationships and efficient communication.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time, typically 40 hours per week. However, in a high-growth, innovative company like Zoox, especially in the autonomous vehicle sector, there can be an expectation of flexibility to meet project deadlines and critical operational needs. This might involve occasional extended hours or weekend work during peak periods, balanced by the hybrid work flexibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid work environment is a key aspect. Candidates should be comfortable with a mix of in-office and remote work, understanding that in-office days are likely for focused collaboration, team building, and leveraging shared resources.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will likely conduct an initial call to assess basic qualifications, experience, and cultural fit. Be prepared to briefly articulate your experience in program management and research operations.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A deeper dive into your experience, focusing on your approach to operational challenges, stakeholder management, and specific examples from your past roles. This is a good time to highlight your understanding of research workflows.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with key stakeholders from Product, Engineering, Legal, or Research teams. These will assess your ability to collaborate, communicate, and understand the needs of different functional groups. Expect scenario-based questions.

• Portfolio Presentation/Case Study: A common step for operations roles. You may be asked to present a case study from your portfolio demonstrating how you’ve solved an operational problem, built a system, or managed a cross-functional program.

• Final Round: This might involve a discussion with a senior leader to assess strategic alignment, leadership potential, and overall fit with Zoox's mission and culture.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your solution, the process you followed, and the measurable impact (e.g., % increase in efficiency, reduction in errors, time saved).

• Showcase Process & Systems: Highlight your experience in designing, implementing, and optimizing operational processes and systems. Use diagrams or flowcharts where appropriate.

• Demonstrate Cross-Functional Skills: Use examples that clearly show how you collaborated with diverse teams, managed conflicting priorities, and achieved alignment.

• Data Governance & Compliance: If applicable, include examples of how you've handled sensitive data, ensured compliance, or implemented data governance policies.

• Tailor to Zoox: Research Zoox's mission and current challenges in the AV space. Frame your portfolio examples to show how your skills can address their specific needs.

Challenge Preparation:

• Operational Challenge: Be ready for a hypothetical scenario where you need to build or improve a research operations process. Consider how you would approach participant recruitment for a complex study, or how you would set up a system for managing research feedback.

• Stakeholder Management Scenario: Prepare to discuss how you would handle a situation with conflicting priorities from different departments or a challenging stakeholder.

• Process Improvement Framework: Familiarize yourself with common process improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma principles, agile frameworks) and how you've applied them.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for this role will likely be rigorous, focusing on practical application of program management and operations skills. A well-prepared portfolio that clearly demonstrates impact and relevant experience will be a significant advantage.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Project Management Platforms: Jira, Confluence (for documentation, workflow tracking, and knowledge management).

• Collaboration Suites: Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet) or similar for daily operations and communication.

• Design & Prototyping Tools: Figma (often used by UX teams, so understanding its role in research workflows is beneficial).

• Recruitment Platforms: UserInterviews, Fieldwork, or similar specialized platforms for participant recruitment and scheduling.

• Data Visualization & BI Tools: Looker (explicitly mentioned) for creating dashboards, tracking KPIs, and analyzing operational performance.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Business Intelligence: Looker is a key tool for reporting and analysis, likely used for tracking research operational metrics, participant demographics, and feedback trends.

• CRM/Data Platforms: Salesforce Data Cloud (mentioned as a bonus) suggests experience with platforms that manage customer data, which can be relevant for understanding participant pools or feedback sources.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: Salesforce (or similar) might be used for managing vendor relationships, participant databases, or broader customer data.

• Workflow Automation: While not explicitly listed, familiarity with tools or concepts related to workflow automation (e.g., Zapier, internal scripting) could be advantageous for streamlining research processes.

• Integration Tools: Understanding how different systems (CRM, research tools, project management) connect and share data is valuable.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency with Jira, Confluence, and Looker is highly desirable given their explicit mention. Experience with recruitment platforms and a general understanding of how CRM and data platforms integrate with operational workflows will be critical for success in this role.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Data-Driven Excellence: A strong emphasis on using data to inform decisions, measure impact, and drive continuous improvement in operational processes.

• Collaboration & Partnership: A culture that values strong working relationships across teams, encouraging open communication and shared problem-solving.

• Innovation & Agility: A commitment to pioneering new technologies and approaches, requiring adaptability and a willingness to experiment and iterate quickly.

• User-Centricity: While this role serves internal researchers, the ultimate goal is to ensure research insights lead to better products for end-users, maintaining a focus on the end-user experience.

• Operational Rigor & Scalability: A dedication to building robust, reliable, and scalable systems that can support the company's ambitious growth.

Collaboration Style:

• Proactive Engagement: Expect to actively reach out to and engage with various teams to understand their needs and align on operational strategies.

• Transparent Communication: Openly sharing progress, challenges, and decisions is crucial for building trust and ensuring alignment across cross-functional partners.

• Feedback-Oriented: A culture that encourages constructive feedback to improve processes, systems, and collaboration. This role will likely be a conduit for feedback between researchers and other departments.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the documentation and sharing of best practices, operational procedures, and lessons learned to build collective expertise.

📝 Enhancement Note: Zoox's culture is likely to be fast-paced, innovative, and highly collaborative, driven by a mission-oriented team. The values emphasize both technical rigor and strong interpersonal skills, essential for bridging diverse functional groups.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Scaling Operations in a Rapidly Evolving Field: The autonomous vehicle industry is dynamic. Building research operations infrastructure that can keep pace with Zoox's rapid development and innovation will be a significant challenge.

• Balancing Speed and Rigor: Ensuring research can be conducted quickly to support product timelines while maintaining high quality, ethical standards, and data governance compliance.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Managing the diverse needs and priorities of multiple departments (Product, Engineering, Legal, IT, Research) to achieve consensus on operational processes and systems.

• Data Complexity and Governance: Navigating the complexities of research data, PII, and compliance requirements in a highly regulated and data-sensitive industry.

• Tool Integration and Optimization: Integrating various tools and platforms to create a seamless operational workflow, potentially involving legacy systems and new technologies.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into Autonomous Technology: Gain unparalleled exposure to the cutting edge of robotics, AI, and automotive technology.

• Advanced Operations Strategy: Develop expertise in scaling operational functions within a complex, high-growth technology company.

• Cross-Disciplinary Skill Building: Enhance skills in program management, data governance, vendor management, and stakeholder communication by working with experts across multiple domains.

• Industry Conferences & Training: Opportunities to attend relevant industry events, workshops, or pursue certifications related to program management, operations, or UX research.

• Mentorship & Leadership: Potential to be mentored by experienced leaders and grow into leadership roles as the Research Operations function matures.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role presents significant challenges, particularly in building scalable systems for a cutting-edge technology company. However, these challenges also translate into substantial growth opportunities, allowing the candidate to develop highly sought-after skills and expertise in a critical operational domain.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach building a scalable participant recruitment process for Zoox's autonomous vehicle research, considering the need for specific user profiles and safety compliance?"

  • Preparation: Think about segmentation, screening criteria, vendor management, ethical considerations, and how to measure success (speed, quality, cost).

• "Describe a time you had to manage conflicting priorities between Product, Engineering, and Legal regarding research data handling. How did you achieve alignment?"

  • Preparation: Focus on your communication strategy, negotiation skills, understanding of each stakeholder's perspective, and ability to find a mutually agreeable solution that prioritizes compliance and research goals.

• "Imagine our UX Research team is struggling to get their insights actioned by Product teams. What operational systems or processes would you propose to improve insight activation and traceability?"

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you specifically about Zoox and the autonomous vehicle industry?"

  • Preparation: Research Zoox's mission, recent developments, and the broader impact of AV technology. Connect this to your passion for operations and research enablement.

• "How do you ensure your operational processes align with a company's values, especially in a fast-paced, innovative environment like Zoox?"

  • Preparation: Discuss how you'd integrate values like user-centricity, data-driven decision-making, and collaboration into your operational design and implementation.

• "Describe your experience working in a hybrid environment and how you maintain strong cross-functional relationships remotely and in-office."

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Case Studies: Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for each project. Clearly define the problem, your role, the actions you took, and the quantifiable outcomes.

• Visual Aids: Use clear, concise slides with diagrams, flowcharts, and key metrics to illustrate your points. Avoid text-heavy slides.

• Focus on Impact: Emphasize the "so what?" – how did your work benefit the research team, the product, or the company?

• Highlight Operations Skills: Ensure your presentation showcases your ability to build systems, optimize processes, manage stakeholders, and handle governance/compliance.

• Be Prepared for Q&A: Anticipate questions about your decision-making process, challenges faced, and alternative approaches you considered.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will rigorously test your ability to apply program management and operations principles to real-world UX research challenges within a complex, high-stakes industry. A strong, data-backed portfolio and clear communication are paramount.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Zoox's careers page.

• Portfolio Curation: Prepare a portfolio that highlights 2-3 key projects demonstrating your experience in program management, research operations, process optimization, and cross-functional collaboration. Focus on projects with quantifiable results and clear impact.

• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to emphasize keywords from the job description, such as "Research Operations," "Program Management," "UX Operations," "Stakeholder Management," "Data Governance," and "Process Optimization." Quantify your achievements wherever possible.

• Interview Rehearsal: Practice articulating your experience using the STAR method, preparing specific examples for common interview questions related to operational challenges, stakeholder management, and problem-solving. Rehearse your portfolio presentation.

• Company Research: Deeply research Zoox, its mission, its products (autonomous vehicles), and its culture. Understand the unique operational challenges and opportunities within the autonomous vehicle industry.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.

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