Research Director

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Senior Research Director based in the United States.

• Lead and optimize a research pod, establishing clear priorities, accountability, operating rhythms, and quality standards while contributing to the evolution of 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 when client needs, project complexity, or research challenges require additional expertise.
• 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 ensure deliverables are aligned with stakeholder expectations.
• Act as a strategic research advisor and solutions architect for high-value prospects and customers, helping define approaches for complex or non-standard research requirements.
• Partner with Sales on discovery calls, capabilities presentations, proposals, and other new-business activities that support client acquisition and long-term growth.
• Own and strengthen enterprise client relationships, working closely with insights professionals to deliver successful research outcomes and identify opportunities for retention and expansion.
• Ensure projects meet agreed quality and speed standards while balancing multiple client engagements and competing internal priorities.
• Establish a strong feedback loop between customer delivery and Product, identifying gaps between AI-generated research outputs and expert researcher expectations.
• Identify and document "last-mile" requirements needed to transform research outputs into stakeholder-ready deliverables and help drive improvements across the product.
• Champion adoption of new research workflows, tools, and product capabilities across the research organization.
• Contribute to the broader commercial and operational objectives of the research function, including customer retention, expansion, and conversion of new opportunities into recurring business.

• 10+ years of market research experience, including at least 3 years managing teams, with significant experience on the supplier side within a market research agency environment.
• Demonstrated expertise across quantitative and qualitative research, including leading discovery and scoping calls, developing questionnaires from scratch, 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 delivering outcomes that support 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.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex initiatives in fast-moving, ambiguous environments where priorities and business requirements can change quickly.
• Strong project and prioritization skills, with the ability to manage multiple research engagements alongside internal organizational 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, with the ability to build credibility with enterprise clients, internal leadership, Sales, Product, and research teams.
• A collaborative, proactive mindset with a bias toward action, continuous improvement, and measurable business impact.
• Experience working in an early-stage startup or similarly lean environment is a plus.

• 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 help shape the future of consumer research.
• Collaborative environment focused on growth, ownership, continuous improvement, and meaningful client impact.