Senior Research Director

This is a senior research leadership role based in the United States, combining people management, strategic consulting, and hands-on ownership of complex research engagements for enterprise and Fortune 500 clients.

About the role

You’ll lead a pod of researchers while directly shaping high-impact projects at the intersection of consumer research, client strategy, AI-enabled research delivery, and commercial growth. As a trusted research expert, you’ll translate complex business questions into effective research solutions and stakeholder-ready insights. You’ll also partner with Sales and Product to support new business opportunities and improve AI-powered research workflows. Success will be measured through research quality, customer satisfaction, retention, expansion, and converting new opportunities into long-term partnerships.

Responsibilities

• Lead and optimize a research pod, establishing clear priorities, accountability, operating rhythms, and quality standards while contributing to broader research processes.
• Manage and develop Research Directors and Research Managers through hiring, onboarding, coaching, performance management, conflict resolution, upskilling, and team engagement.
• Own research project success across the pod, serving as the senior escalation point for client needs, project complexity, or research challenges.
• Drive in-depth project discovery and scoping to understand research objectives, business context, customer expectations, and success criteria.
• Build and maintain detailed research context for clients, capturing relevant norms, standards, preferences, and requirements to align deliverables with stakeholder expectations.
• Act as a strategic research advisor and solutions architect for high-value prospects and customers, defining approaches for complex or non-standard research requirements.
• Partner with Sales on discovery calls, capabilities presentations, proposals, and other new-business activities to support client acquisition and growth.
• Own and strengthen enterprise client relationships, delivering successful research outcomes and identifying opportunities for retention and expansion.
• Ensure projects meet agreed quality and speed standards while balancing multiple client engagements and internal priorities.
• Establish a feedback loop between customer delivery and Product, identifying gaps between AI-generated research outputs and expert researcher expectations.
• Document "last-mile" requirements to transform research outputs into stakeholder-ready deliverables and drive product improvements.
• Champion adoption of new research workflows, tools, and product capabilities across the research organization.
• Contribute to commercial and operational objectives, including customer retention, expansion, and converting new opportunities into recurring business.

Requirements

• 10+ years of market research experience, including at least 3 years managing teams, with significant supplier-side experience in a market research agency.
• Demonstrated expertise across quantitative and qualitative research, including leading discovery and scoping calls, developing questionnaires, creating analysis plans, and producing stakeholder-ready insights, toplines, and reports.
• Proven experience owning relationships with enterprise and Fortune 500 US-based clients, particularly senior insights professionals, with a track record of retention and account growth.
• Strong ability to operate as a strategic research consultant, translating ambiguous customer needs into practical research approaches and high-quality solutions.
• Experience leading complex initiatives in fast-moving, ambiguous environments with shifting priorities.
• Strong project and prioritization skills, managing multiple research engagements alongside internal initiatives.
• Effective people leadership skills, including setting expectations, creating accountability, developing talent, managing performance, resolving conflict, and maintaining team morale.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, building credibility with enterprise clients, internal leadership, Sales, Product, and research teams.
• Collaborative, proactive mindset with a bias toward action, continuous improvement, and measurable business impact.
• Experience in an early-stage startup or lean environment is a plus.

Benefits

• Base salary: $170,000–$190,000 USD annually.
• Equity options.
• Medical, dental, and vision healthcare coverage.
• Additional insurance coverage.
• 401(k) with company match.
• Flexible time-off policy.
• Remote working environment with access to hybrid collaboration opportunities.
• Company-provided laptop.
• One-time onboarding technology stipend.
• Opportunity to work with AI-powered research technology and shape the future of consumer research.
• Collaborative environment focused on growth, ownership, continuous improvement, and meaningful client impact.