Research Director, Data Management

IDG; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 140,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading market research firm in Toronto seeks a Research Director to lead insights in database technologies. The ideal candidate will analyze market trends, contribute to research, and partner with sales teams. A Bachelor’s degree is required, along with over 10 years in related fields. This role offers competitive compensation between $140,000 to $170,000 CAD annually and a flexible work environment.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Flexible work location

Equal Opportunity Employer

Qualifications

• 10+ years in market research, advisory, or consulting related to database management.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Ability to travel 25-30% for client meetings and events.

Responsibilities

• Identify key market trends in database management systems.
• Analyze competitive strategies and conduct market segmentation.
• Present findings to senior management and interact with IT decision-makers.

Skills

Market research

Database management

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree

Job description

Overview

IDC is seeking a Research Director to join our established worldwide artificial intelligence, automation, data, and analytics (AAD&A) research practice, focusing on database management tools and technologies. The candidate should demonstrate an understanding of current and future capabilities across relational, non-relational, and dynamic database systems capable of handling operational or analytic workloads. The role also covers adjacent technologies used for data modeling, database development, tuning, and maintenance. Research responsibilities include analyzing market drivers, trends, buying behaviors, and the business value of these technologies. The candidate will employ IDC research methodologies to size markets and forecast growth.

Why IDC?

IDG is a dynamic data, research, and services company at the forefront of guiding the global technology market ecosystem. Our mission is to help companies grow by providing technology insights that enable better decision-making and digital transformation. IDC, the largest division of IDG, is a globally respected technology market research firm recognized for its excellence in the industry. We are also developing new AI-powered business lines to serve our customers in innovative ways.

Responsibilities

• Identify key market trends in relational and non-schematic database management systems, data lake technologies, low-code platforms, navigational, multivalue, and in-memory databases.
• Analyze competitive strategies and conduct market segmentation and sizing studies.
• Contribute to research analyzing trends, including competitive strategies and financial performance of technology providers, and end-user demand.
• Provide industry expertise for client engagements and inquiries.
• Partner with sales to generate revenue through subscriptions and custom solutions.
• Utilize knowledge of digital transformation drivers and enterprise IT challenges such as cloud migration, hybrid/multi-cloud environments, and AI applications.
• Respond to client requests for market and competitive data.
• Collaborate with analysts in creating research documents and forecasts.
• Present findings to senior management and interact with IT and C-level decision-makers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; master’s preferred.
• 10+ years in market research, advisory, marketing, or consulting related to database management. Experience in database management or design is a plus.
• Knowledge of the database tech sector and ability to analyze and guide technology providers and end-users.
• Understanding of product portfolios including infrastructure, containers, object stores, software, and services.
• Ability to analyze survey data and summarize findings clearly.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Strong interpersonal and organizational skills; ability to work independently and in teams.
• Proven ability to evaluate financial reports and identify key drivers.
• Willingness to travel 25-30% for client meetings, industry events, and projects.
• Flexible work location: remote US or onsite at Needham, MA.

About IDC: IDC provides market intelligence, advisory services, and events across IT, telecommunications, and consumer tech markets, helping clients make informed decisions. With over 1,300 analysts in more than 110 countries, IDC has been delivering strategic insights for 50 years. IDC is part of IDG, a global leader in technology media and research.

We are committed to fair pay practices, offering competitive salaries based on experience and market data, with total annual compensation ranging from $140,000 to $170,000, including base and variable pay. IDC is an Equal Opportunity Employer, evaluating all applicants without discrimination based on protected categories. For IDC Canada, applicants must have a valid SIN, and compensation will be in CAD, based on market data.