Insights Manager, Consumer Research & Strategy

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

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.