Manager, Customer Insights

About ETS:

For more than 75 years, we have amplified products and services based rigorous research and our belief in the power of learning. Driven by our mission to advance quality and equity in education, ETS provides learning solutions, pioneering research and trusted assessments that help guide learners around the world on their path to new possibilities.

Our portfolio of trusted measures include TOEFL®, TOEIC®, GRE® and Praxis®. Along with research, development and innovation that explores new frontiers in learning and measurement our educational measurement solutions and research contribute to the development of new methods and tools, inform important dialogue with education policymakers, and shed light on critical issues and potential solutions - all with the aim of creating a world where all learners can improve their lives through education.

With new senior leadership at the helm, ETS aims to continue changing the lives of all learners as we expand our organization's global footprint. Our goal is to remain at the forefront of assessment and measurement efficacy within the education and ed tech space as it continues to grow and evolve.

Position Summary

The Manager, Customer Insights will act as a strategic partner and thought leader with ETS strategic business units (SBUs), marketing, and functional centers of excellence (FCEs) to guide decision-making about key business issues. S/he is responsible for leading all facets of consumer and business-to-business insights-related market research activities for designated Strategic Business Units (SBUs) and product lines. The Manager, Customer Insights will identify knowledge gaps, prioritize market intelligence needs, design market research programs, direct custom research projects, and translate key learnings and insights into actionable business strategies to support the development of sales, marketing, and product development plans. S/he will represent the “Voice of the Customer” within ETS, identifying risks and opportunities from the perspective of existing and prospective customers.

The Manager, Customer Insights will serve as a member of innovation teams and will design, execute, and direct market research to support innovation and product development initiatives. S/he will identify and evaluate prospects and customer needs, conduct product/service ideation and brainstorming sessions, concept tests, product validation, positioning, pricing optimization, naming, brand equity, customer satisfaction studies, etc., translate research data into actionable insights and make recommendations for innovation/new product development and other business/market opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Adhere to ethical standards and comply with the laws and regulations applicable to the job function.
• Partner with strategic business units, marketing, and product innovation and development teams. Identify, prioritize, and translate their business needs into market research studies and programs to support the development of strategic, business, marketing, tactical, and new product development plans.
• Develop and direct the annual market research plan and the budget for assigned business units and for new product innovation and development initiatives.
• Conceptualize, design, execute, and direct global market research programs and custom market research studies, ensuring delivery of the required customer/prospect insights and market intelligence.
• Serve on cross-functional marketing and product innovation and development teams, representing the “voice of the customer” and providing insights about consumer/institutional/corporations' needs, behaviors, market characteristics, and market opportunities.
• Design customer/prospects insights qualitative and quantitative studies, prepare data collection instruments and stimulus materials including product concepts, focus group/online panel discussion guides, surveys, and in-depth interview protocols.
• Screen, recruit, and manage institutional, corporate, and consumer virtual panels. Develop all stimuli materials and data collection instruments. Serve as a moderator and interviewer for qualitative research (e.g., online discussion boards, focus groups, and in-depth interviews).
• Analyze and translate data from qualitative and quantitative studies into insights for B2B, B2C, and B2I target constituencies. Write reports with insights and make actionable recommendations.
• Ensure delivery of results by established deadlines and within budget, and quality control end products and final presentations to internal staff or clients. Present findings and make actionable recommendations to management about courses of action and strategies.
• Manage the vendor RFP and selection process. Direct and oversee the work of market research suppliers.
• Identify and expand network of key market research suppliers and innovation agencies. Assist in the selection, hiring, and training of Customer Insights staff and support personnel.
• Maintain market research data storage and retrieval systems. Ensure that key learnings from market research studies are readily available to internal clients and staff.
• Stay abreast of the latest developments in the field of Market Research. Identify new consumer research techniques to aid the continued advancement of the market research group. Incorporate industry best practices and proactively share developments and knowledge with the enterprise.
• Keep a current inventory of tools and best practices to facilitate effective market research to support innovation and new product development.
• Identify, evaluate, and make recommendations for prospective market research vendors.

Education

• Master of Business Administration or Master's degree in Market Research, Consumer Insights, Psychology, Sociology, or a related field is preferred.

Experience

• Minimum of 10 years of experience as a market research/consumer insights manager.
• Minimum of 7 years of experience leading, designing, and managing new product development/innovation market research projects
• Minimum of 5 years of experience leading, designing, and managing international market research projects.
• Strong organizational and time management skills. Excellent project management skills and ability to manage multiple projects concurrently, prioritize assignments, and work under pressure to complete assignments within tight deadlines. Strong ability to work independently and collaboratively in teams. Strong problem-solving skills and customer service orientation. Strong detail orientation across all aspects of research planning, execution, analysis, and presentation.
• Deep understanding of market research concepts and terminology and the full range of qualitative and quantitative market research methodologies to conduct consumer and business-to-business research. Excellent ability to moderate qualitative interviews, online discussion boards, and focus groups. Strong working knowledge of the full range of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, with in-depth knowledge of and ability to apply new product development/innovation techniques and best practices. Superior survey writing, data mining, and analytical skills. Superior ability to synthesize large quantities of data, translate data into insights, communicate insights, and develop actionable recommendations from market research studies. Strong ability to work within an ambiguous and rapidly changing business environment.
• Strong statistical analysis skills and ability to synthesize large quantities of data and translate data into consumer insights and key findings. Superior data mining and analytical skills, determining connections between multiple data points and deriving insights from these data. Excellent data visualization and reporting skills.
• Excellent strategic thinking, analytical, and report-writing skills. Excellent written and oral communication skills. Ability to express complex concepts in a concise and audience-relevant manner. Strong ability to take disparate pieces of data/information and translate it into meaningful market/Customer Insights. Superior consultative and “storytelling” skills to translate data into actionable insights, communicate analysis, and provide recommendations to senior management (including C-suite), division management strategic business units, sales, new product development, marketing, business development, and functional centers of excellence, in a form and level appropriate to each audience is paramount.
• Excellent interpersonal skills. Ability to forge good working relationships with internal clients at all levels, industry experts/analysts, and service providers.
• Acts on his/her own without being prompted. Handles problems independently. Resolves issues without relying on extensive help from others; does more than is expected or asked.
• Ability to lead teams and meetings effectively.
• Ability to understand the big picture and determine whether findings/product ideas have implications for one or more product lines or divisions, and effectively communicate information to appropriate areas.
• Must be highly proficient with Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and SPSS.
• Ability to travel (up to 10% of work hours)

#LI-NA1

ETS believes in a Total Rewards philosophy for our employees, and they include:

• Health, Vision, Dental insurance plans to choose from
• Generous continuous learning support, from individual learning grants to up to 6 classes a year for tuition reimbursement as well as on-line learning access!
• Generous PTO and vacation time to balance your work and life
• Additional 8 hours of PTO for volunteer work
• Retirement plan (401(a)) and traditional Roth (403b) with company contribution
• Commuter Benefits, Pet Insurance, 1 year subscription to Calm App

ETS is mission driven and action oriented

• Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging is at the forefront of the ETS employee's daily work. To further foster an inclusive environment ETS is home to a wide variety of Affinity groups that celebrate the diversity of our talented employees.
• How about cultivating growth, innovation, and continuous transformation for the next generation of rising professionals as leaders? ETS offers multiple Business Resource Groups (BRG) for you!
• Are you passionate about volunteering and being active in your career and community? ETS offers our Center for Advocacy & Philanthropy (CAAP) where we encourage ETS employees to become active volunteers in their communities and schools through the ETS Cares Giving Campaign. Our employees can support any 501c3 or eligible charity of their choice.

ETS is an Equal Opportunity Employer comprised of people with different experiences, strengths, and backgrounds who share a passion for advancing quality and equity in education. We are dedicated to building teams that reflect the various backgrounds, experiences, and identities of those we serve. The Talent Acquisition team strives to ensure candidates enjoy a fair and equitable hiring process. We believe our differences empower us to be a better team, making better decisions and delivering better results.