Associate Manager, Consumer Insights
El Segundo, CA (Hybrid)
Full Time
Our client is looking for an experienced, strategic, and passionate Consumer & Shopper Insights Associate Manager. This is an exciting opportunity to use insights to drive growth via a wide range of data sources (primary research, syndicated/panel data, etc.) to influence strategic business decisions across Innovation, Shopper & Retail Marketing, and Brand. The Associate Manager will report to the Director of Consumer Insights and collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders across Brand Marketing Upstream, Brand Marketing Downstream, Impact Marketing, Sales/Category Management, and R&D.
Responsibilities include:
Manage end-to-end research projects from inception to conclusion, including recommending appropriate methodologies, managing RFP process, and managing vendor relationships to ensure research meets desired objectives.
Act as an analytical and strategic consultant by demonstrating holistic thinking, strategic agility and thought leadership with all levels of stakeholders. Develop strong partnerships with stakeholders to proactively identify business challenges and opportunities. Identify foundational and customer-specific knowledge gaps and create and lead a research agenda to deliver actionable insights.
Support consumer learning agenda, including but not limited to:
Shopper & Retail Marketing (30-40%)
- Lead research initiatives to understand shopper behaviors, purchase drivers, and barriers across key retail channels (e.g., grocery, club, drug, ecomm, etc.)
- Partner closely with Sales & Category Management to develop retailer sell-in decks that drive data-backed recommendations for scaling distribution and optimizing assortment
- Identify opportunities across the omnichannel shopper journey cycle to optimize efficacy of point-of-sale marketing materials
Downstream Go-To-Market (30-40%)
- Leverage syndicated data sources (i.e., IRI POS and panel data, etc.) to monitor and diagnose the brand/category and address ad-hoc business issues
- Own ongoing score carding of key CI metrics (e.g., brand awareness, HH penetration, repeat rate, brand equity, etc.)
- Conduct post-launch evaluations to assess the success and incrementality of new product innovations
Upstream Innovation (10-20%)
- Support the Consumer Insights Manager on quantitative and qualitative research to develop and optimize the innovation pipeline (e.g., flavors, form factors, functional benefits, etc.)
- Track emerging trends in the beverage and wellness space to identify white space opportunities
Impact (10-20%)
- Lead consumer research to analyze the effectiveness of messaging around our impact program and initiatives (clean water access, hydration aid, sustainable packaging, grant programs, etc.)
- Assess the awareness and influence of our Impact program and initiatives on brand perception and purchase decisions
Qualifications:
- 3-5 years in consumer insights, market research, and/or marketing consultant roles, with experience in custom qualitative and quantitative consumer research. 2+ years working with Client brand preferred
- Minimum Bachelor's Degree. Advanced Degree a plus.
- Expertise in POS syndicated data (e.g., IRI/Circana, Nielsen, SPINS) and panel data (e.g., IRI/Circana, Numerator)
- Experience in product innovation testing (i.e., from scrappy concept testing to full BASES)
- Well-versed in a broad range of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies (e.g., MaxDiff, conjoint, TURF). Robust experience with qual moderation a plus.
- Proficiency in DIY survey platform tools (Suzy, Qualtrics, etc.)
- Strong stakeholder management skills - adept at collaborating with cross-functional teams with competing priorities
- Data-driven storyteller with robust analytical skills - a clear communicator who can deliver findings in an engaging and impactful manner, leveraging insights to address business challenges
- Strong organizational and prioritization skills - able to manage multiple projects simultaneously and quickly pivot when necessary
- Proactive and results oriented - ability to work independently under ambiguous direction and has an innate sense of urgency/attention to deadlines