Insights Manager

Wells Enterprises; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 115,000 - 162,000; Full time

Job summary

Wells Enterprises is seeking a Manager, Portfolio Insights to serve as a flexible consumer insights partner across brands like Blue Bunny and Blue Ribbon Classics. You will plan, manage and translate learning into clear recommendations that guide innovation, product, packaging and brand growth decisions.

The role requires strong research skills across qualitative and quantitative methods, vendor management, and cross-functional collaboration with Sensory, Brand and Innovation teams.

Qualifications

• Six or more years of experience in consumer insights, market research, brand strategy, innovation research or a related CPG insights role; manufacturer-side experience required.
• Bachelor's Degree in Market Research, Consumer Sciences, Psychology, Marketing or Business; Masters degree a plus.
• Proven ability to manage multiple research projects simultaneously, prioritize competing needs and keep work moving independently in a fast-paced environment.
• Hands-on experience with creative and innovation research, including concept, product, packaging, naming, claims, advertising and communication learning.
• Strong working knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research methods, including focus groups, IDIs, online communities, ethnographies, concept testing, product testing, pack testing, creative testing, segmentation, A&U, MaxDiff, TURF, conjoint or related approaches.
• Self-starter with strong initiative, sound judgment and comfort working through ambiguity; able to clarify the business question and recommend a practical path forward.
• Ability to synthesize consumer, sensory, category and business inputs into clear recommendations for brand and cross-functional teams.
• Strong project management, vendor management, communication and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide flexible consumer insights support across brands, categories and projects, with expected heavier support for Blue Bunny Ice Cream while also flexing to brands such as Nutella Ice Cream, Kinder Ice Cream, Bomb Pop, Halo Top, Trolli Gummi Pop as needed.
• Operate as a practical insights generalist who can quickly understand the business question, recommend the right research approach and move work forward without needing extensive direction.
• Independently manage end-to-end research projects, including learning plan development, vendor briefing, methodology selection, timeline management, analysis, synthesis and stakeholder readouts.
• Apply a broad range of qualitative and quantitative research techniques across innovation, product, packaging, brand and communications work.
• Partner closely with Sensory, Brand and Innovation teams to connect consumer understanding with product experience, concept fit, claims, pack communication and go-to-market decisions.
• Translate research findings into concise implications, recommendations and next steps that help teams make decisions, not simply understand results.
• Bring strong manufacturer-side business judgment, ideally from CPG, food, beverage, frozen, snacking, dessert or other consumer-led categories.
• Prioritize and manage multiple projects at once across brands and workstreams, balancing urgency, business impact, available budget and stakeholder needs.
• Proactively surface tradeoffs, risks and resourcing constraints with insights projects when demand exceeds capacity, and recommend practical sequencing or scope adjustments.
• Take initiative to identify where consumer learning is needed, where existing learning can be leveraged and where a faster or lighter approach is sufficient.

Skills

Consumer insights

Project management

Vendor management

Qualitative & quantitative methods

Strategic thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Market Research, Consumer Sciences, Psychology, Marketing or Business

Master's degree a plus

Tools

Focus groups

IDIs

Online communities

Ethnographies

Concept testing

Product testing

Pack testing

Advertising testing

Conjoint / TURF / MaxDiff

Job description

Job Description

Wells Enterprises (a Ferrero Company)

Functional Area: Insights

The Role

The Manager, Portfolio Insights is a flexible consumer insights partner who supports projects across brands, categories and business needs. The role is expected to provide primary support for Blue Bunny and Blue Ribbon Classics while flexing to other brands and categories as work requires, including brands such as Nutella Ice Cream, Kinder Ice Cream, Bomb Pop and Halo Top. This role plans, manages and translates consumer learning into clear recommendations that help teams make better decisions across innovation, product, packaging, communication and brand growth work

What You’ll Do

• Provide flexible consumer insights support across brands, categories and projects, with expected heavier support for Blue Bunny Ice Cream while also flexing to brands such as Nutella Ice Cream, Kinder Ice Cream, Bomb Pop, Halo Top, Trolli Gummi Pop as needed.
• Operate as a practical insights generalist who can quickly understand the business question, recommend the right research approach and move work forward without needing extensive direction.
• Independently manage end-to-end research projects, including learning plan development, vendor briefing, methodology selection, timeline management, analysis, synthesis and stakeholder readouts.
• Apply a broad range of qualitative and quantitative research techniques across innovation, product, packaging, brand and communications work.
• Qualitative experience should include methods such as focus groups, in-depth interviews, online communities, ethnographies, consumer immersions, shop-alongs, innovation workshops and concept co-creation.
• Quantitative experience should include methods such as concept testing, product testing, claims testing, pack testing, advertising and creative testing, segmentation, attitude and usage studies, surveys, TURF, conjoint or discrete choice where appropriate.
• Partner closely with Sensory, Brand and Innovation teams to connect consumer understanding with product experience, concept fit, claims, pack communication and go-to-market decisions.
• Translate research findings into concise implications, recommendations and next steps that help teams make decisions, not simply understand results.
• Bring strong manufacturer-side business judgment, ideally from CPG, food, beverage, frozen, snacking, dessert or other consumer-led categories.
• Prioritize and manage multiple projects at once across brands and workstreams, balancing urgency, business impact, available budget and stakeholder needs.
• Proactively surface tradeoffs, risks and resourcing constraints with insights projects when demand exceeds capacity, and recommend practical sequencing or scope adjustments.
• Take initiative to identify where consumer learning is needed, where existing learning can be leveraged and where a faster or lighter approach is sufficient.

Qualifications

What You’ll Bring

• Six or more years of experience in consumer insights, market research, brand strategy, innovation research or a related CPG insights role; manufacturer-side experience required.
• Bachelors Degree in Market Research, Consumer Sciences, Psychology, Marketing or Business; Masters degree a plus.
• Proven ability to manage multiple research projects simultaneously, prioritize competing needs and keep work moving independently in a fast-paced environment.
• Hands-on experience with creative and innovation research, including concept, product, packaging, naming, claims, advertising and communication learning.
• Strong working knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research methods, including focus groups, IDIs, online communities, ethnographies, concept testing, product testing, pack testing, creative testing, segmentation, A&U, MaxDiff, TURF, conjoint or related approaches.
• Self-starter with strong initiative, sound judgment and comfort working through ambiguity; able to clarify the business question and recommend a practical path forward.
• Ability to synthesize consumer, sensory, category and business inputs into clear recommendations for brand and cross-functional teams.
• Strong project management, vendor management, communication and collaboration skills.

The base pay range for this position is $115,000 to $162,000 annually. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience, qualifications, and other job-related factors permitted by law. This pay range represents the anticipated salary for this position at this time.

Wells Enterprises is an EEO/AA employer M/F/Vet/Dis

#Hybrid

About Us

Wells Enterprises, a Ferrero company, is one of the largest ice cream manufacturers in the United States and the maker of well-loved brands including Blue Bunny, Halo Top, Bomb Pop, and Blue Ribbon Classics and today Trolli, Butterfinger 100grand, Baby Ruth, Nutella and Kinder Bueno.

Wells Enterprises is a 2 billion company employing 4,000 employees, across 4 production plants and 2 main hub locations, Chicago and Le Mars. Guided by innovation, quality, and a people-first mindset, Wells is committed to delighting consumers and developing exceptional teams.

As part of the Ferrero Group, Wells combines its strong U.S. heritage with Ferrero’s global standards of excellence, offering a unique opportunity to grow within a dynamic, values-driven, and international environment.

At Wells, our people—and their experience—sit at the heart of our ambition. Learn more at www.wellsenterprisesinc.com.

What We Offer

At Wells, we’re proud to support our employees with comprehensive benefits that enhance health, financial wellness, and include paid time off (PTO). Eligible employees may also receive an annual incentive bonus based on Company performance. Learn more about our benefits here.