Research Manager, North America – Data Centers

Blue Signal Search; United States; Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Dental & vision coverage

Retirement benefits

Paid time off

Home office support

Employee rewards

Job summary

Blue Signal Search seeks a senior research leader to shape the North American research direction, build and coach an expanding analyst team, and ensure insights align with client and market needs.

You will partner with senior research and commercial leadership, influence prioritization, and contribute a high-visibility voice across the data center sector, with hybrid in-person and national remote work options.

Qualifications

• Leadership experience setting direction, mentoring people and building capability.
• Direct knowledge of the data center sector and market forces shaping capacity, investment, power, and demand.
• Experience in research, market intelligence, strategy, or advisory functions.
• Ability to assess research-market fit and prioritize investigations with a product mindset.
• Ability to clearly communicate complex market developments to executives and clients.
• Ability to cultivate industry relationships and translate conversations into differentiated insights.
• Demonstrates judgment, curiosity, and attention to detail in a growing environment.

Responsibilities

• Set the North American research agenda balancing recurring coverage, emerging themes, and client needs.
• Lead, coach, and develop a growing analyst team with clear expectations.
• Turn market signals and conversations into research priorities for commercial relevance.
• Establish regional standards for analysis that are timely and evidence-based.
• Build a strong industry network to uncover trends and opportunities.
• Collaborate with commercial and product leads to differentiate research needs.
• Present as a senior voice on North American data center trends to clients and industry peers.
• Inform global leadership about regional priorities, capacity, risks, and investment needs.

Skills

Leadership

Data center market knowledge

Research & market intelligence

Product-minded prioritization

Executive communication

Industry networking

Analytical rigor

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

Hybrid in Herndon, VA and Remote Nationwide

Our client is a fast-growing market intelligence organization serving the global data center ecosystem, helping industry leaders navigate investment, development, and strategy decisions in one of the world's most dynamic infrastructure markets. As demand for deeper North American intelligence grows, they are seeking an accomplished research leader to shape regional research direction, develop a growing analyst team, and ensure insights stay closely connected to what clients and the broader market need. This is a high-visibility opportunity with significant autonomy, senior industry exposure, and the chance to build a recognized professional presence across the data center sector.

This Role Offers:

• Significant autonomy to influence the evolution, priorities, and market relevance of the North American research function.
• Close partnership with senior research and commercial leadership, providing substantial visibility and influence.
• A platform to expand your professional reputation and become a highly connected voice within the data center ecosystem.
• Comprehensive benefits including health, dental and vision coverage, retirement benefits, paid time off, home office support, and additional employee rewards.

Focus:

• Set the North American research agenda, balancing recurring market coverage, emerging themes, client needs, and longer-term strategic questions.
• Lead, coach, and develop a growing analyst team, creating clear expectations for quality, ownership, workload, and professional growth.
• Turn market signals and customer conversations into research priorities that strengthen the usefulness and commercial relevance of the research offering.
• Own standards for regional analysis, ensuring conclusions are timely, defensible, consistent, and grounded in reliable evidence.
• Cultivate a strong industry network across key stakeholder groups to uncover emerging trends, opportunities, and competitive insights.
• Partner closely with commercial and product leaders to distinguish research needs from product requests and identify where new capabilities can create value.
• Serve as a senior voice on North American data center trends through client briefings, presentations, industry conversations, and selected external thought leadership.
• Keep global research leadership informed on regional priorities, team capacity, risks, opportunities, and investment needs.

Skill Set:

• Bring leadership experience that includes setting direction, raising standards, mentoring people, and developing team capability.
• Offer direct, credible knowledge of the data center sector and the market forces influencing capacity, development, investment, power, and customer demand.
• Have meaningful exposure to research, market intelligence, strategy, advisory, investment analysis, or another evidence-driven function.
• Can assess research-market fit and operate with a product-oriented mindset when deciding what the team should investigate, improve, or deprioritize.
• Communicate complex market developments clearly and confidently with senior clients, executives, and industry stakeholders.
• Know how to cultivate industry relationships and convert conversations into differentiated market understanding without compromising analytical rigor.
• Demonstrate sound judgment, curiosity, and attention to detail while creating structure and accountability in a growing environment.
• Are comfortable working across research, commercial, and product teams, influencing priorities without relying solely on formal authority.