Manager Qualitative Insights

material; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Material is seeking a Manager of Qualitative Insights to lead and partner with clients, guiding multiple research engagements. You will frame insights for actionable recommendations and build lasting client relationships, mentoring junior staff and coordinating with cross-functional teams.

The role blends project management, qualitative methods, and senior-level stakeholder education, with opportunities to shape reports, microsites, and strategic deliverables across Marketing and Experience

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years of market research experience.
• Strong qualitative methodologies: focus groups, ethnographies, IDIs, online communities.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Proven ability to work in cross-functional teams and manage external vendors.
• Curiosity, willingness to learn and openness to feedback.

Responsibilities

• Manage and/or lead multiple research engagements; mentor junior staff.
• Educate clients on process and frame insights into actionable recommendations.
• Develop discussion guides and moderate online and in-person sessions.
• Oversee notes, deliverables, and client-ready reports and slides.
• Coordinate with cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality work.

Skills

Critical thinking

Strategic thinking

Project management

Client relations

Mentoring

Adaptability

Education

Bachelor's degree in social science/communications/business

Masters degree a plus

Job description

Manager, Qualitative Insights

T hi s is a hybrid role to be based near one of our offices in New York City or Los Angeles

About Us

We drive intelligent growth for ambitious businesses and leading brands.

Customer understanding is more potent and drives greater value when insights go to work directly within marketing and experience priorities. To give our clients that advantage, we put an insights-driven operating system at the core of our design, go-to-market and digital experience solutions.

Material clients make smarter growth choices because they can see clearly how and when to take the shots that count. Together, we connect consumer intelligence with customer demand generation to build lasting, profitable relationships.

Job Description

As a Manager, you will be responsible for managing and in some cases leading multiple research and insights engagements at a time. You will act as a thought partner to our junior to mid-level clients, educating them about every step of the process, framing insights for actionable recommendations, while developing trust and building lasting relationships.

Specific delivery-oriented responsibilities include but are not limited to discussion and activity guide development, online and face-to-face moderation, managing internal project members, notetaking, financial project management, developing nearly client ready reports/deliverables (including slides, video deliverables, microsites), overall account/project management and managing scope/knowing when to escape roadblocks to push work through effectively. This also includes working with and collaborating with internal cross-functional teams (e.g., Insight Ops - Qual, Insights Design, India Cohort, Behavioral Sciences, Quant practice and other practices) in support of executing the highest quality work.

Insights reporting responsibilities include translating data into learnings, telling visual stories through data and comprehensive narratives that frame impactful and strategic recommendations. This process to be overseen in partnership with a Senior Project Lead/Senior Team member.

Team & client management responsibilities include establishing, supporting and building thriving relationships with junior to mid-level Insights and Marketing client stakeholders. Mentoring, coaching, and delegating appropriate work to Associates and Sr. Associates, sharing responsibility for their growth and development. You will be mentored by senior leadership and receive on-the-job formal training through Material.

Skills required for success include critical thinking, strategic thinking, project management and problem identification oriented around solutions and POV. Ability to learn and adapt to cutting edge technologies to drive efficiency. And leading through practice of skills established in the Associate/Sr. Associate role (or other relevant career experience).

Qualifications

We are open to alternative modes of education and experience that qualify candidates for the role. M any successful candidates have Bachelors degrees and/or studies in a social science, communications, or business related field and we welcome different backgrounds of study. Masters degrees are a plus.

• Minimum of 3 years of experience in market research, with a proven track record of managing multiple end-to-end research projects.
• Strong understanding of and experience with qualitative methodologies, including focus groups, ethnographies, in-depth interviews (IDIs), online communities, etc. and broad experience across different types of objectives (JTBD/Needs, Segment Illumination, Audience Understanding, Journey Mapping, Product Innovation, Positioning, etc.).
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to convey complex insights to diverse audiences.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively in cross-functional teams and manage relationships with external vendors.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively in cross-functional teams and manage relationships with external vendors.
• Demonstrated curiosity, willingness to learn (learning mindset), openness to sharing, receiving, asking for, and applying feedback.
• Adaptability to new methodologies and technologies in the market

Why work for Material?

Material is a global company and we work with best-of-class brands worldwide. We also create and launch new brands and products, putting innovation and value creation at the center of our practice. Our clients are in the top of their class, across industry sectors from technology to retail, transportation, finance and healthcare.

Material employees join a peer group of exceptionally talented colleagues across the company, the country, and even the world. We develop capabilities, craft and leading-edge market offerings across seven global practices including strategy and insights, design, data & analytics, technology and tracking.

Our engagement management team