Senior Analyst, Consumer Insights

Smith Hanley Associates; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Smith Hanley Associates is seeking a Senior Analyst in New York City to support investment decisions with consumer insights. You’ll blend traditional research with alternative data to understand brands, customer segments, and growth opportunities.

You’ll design surveys, analyze data, and present concise recommendations to senior stakeholders, leveraging Excel, PowerPoint, and related tools. This is a fast-paced, commercially focused role with exposure to AI-enabled analytics.

Qualifications

• 2–4 years of experience in consumer insights, market research, or related data role.
• Strong quantitative skills and comfort with large datasets.
• Ability to tell a sharp data-driven story to senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Work on both new investment opportunities and portfolio brands using consumer research and alternative data.
• Assess brand health, customer base, and growth opportunities with data-driven insights.
• Design and analyze surveys; present clear, actionable recommendations to leadership.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Commercial awareness

Storytelling with data

Excel

PowerPoint

SQL

Python

R

Tableau

Tools

SQL

Python

R

Tableau

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Location: New York City | 4 days in-office, Fridays flexible

Compensation: $110,000–$125,000 base + 15% target bonus

Market research meets consumer brands meets private equity.

This one is a little different.

We’re partnering with a highly respected investment firm focused exclusively on the consumer space. Their portfolio spans some seriously recognizable brands across retail, fitness, beauty, food & beverage, wellness, and lifestyle — and they have an internal Consumer Insights team that plays a meaningful role in figuring out which brands to invest in and how to help them grow once they do.

They’re looking for a Senior Analyst to join that team in NYC.

This is a great opportunity for someone early in their career who is analytical, curious, commercially minded, and ready to see their research actually influence major business decisions.

What You’ll Actually Do

You’ll work across both new investment opportunities and existing portfolio brands, using a mix of traditional consumer research and alternative data to answer some pretty interesting questions:

• Is this brand actually as healthy as everyone thinks it is?
• Who is buying it — and who could be?
• Where are the biggest opportunities for growth?
• Why are customers leaving?
• Does a new product or line extension have legs?
• What does search, web traffic, transaction data, social listening, ratings/reviews and survey data collectively tell us?
• And ultimately: what should the business do about it?

You’ll get hands-on with survey design and analysis, brand health tracking, custom consumer research, alternative datasets, and presentations that turn a LOT of information into a clear story.

You’ll also have the opportunity to experiment with AI-powered research and analytics tools, build smarter workflows, and figure out where AI can make the work faster and better.

Who Could Be Interesting?

There isn’t one perfect background here.

• A strategy consultant who has worked on commercial due diligence and gotten your hands dirty with consumer research and alternative data.
• An alternative data analyst who understands transaction/credit card data, web traffic, search, social listening or similar datasets — but wants to get closer to the actual business decisions.
• A market researcher with strong quantitative chops who understands survey research, segmentation, regression, TURF and other advanced methods — and wants to move beyond “here are the findings” into “here’s what we should do.”

Regardless of where you’re coming from, you probably have around 2–4 years of experience and are someone who can:

• Get into the weeds with data without getting lost there
• Tell a sharp, concise story about what the data actually means
• Understand the difference between correlation, evidence and a really good hypothesis
• Communicate with smart, senior stakeholders
• Juggle multiple fast-moving projects
• Take ownership without needing every next step mapped out
• Work comfortably in Excel and PowerPoint
• Bring some exposure to SQL, Python, R, Tableau or similar tools — a plus, not necessarily a must
• Get genuinely curious about new tools, datasets and AI

Why This One?

• Because your research isn't disappearing into a 70-slide deck never to be seen again.
• You’ll be sitting close to investment decisions, founders, operators and consumer brands, helping determine where millions of dollars get invested and how those businesses grow afterward.
• It’s analytical. It’s strategic. It’s fast-moving. And for someone who likes consumer insights but wants a much more commercial seat at the table, it’s a pretty unique opportunity.