Senior Consultant, Intelligence

APCO; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 92,000 - 116,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits package

401(k) plan

Flexible time off

Job summary

APCO Intelligence, the research, analytics and AI-powered insights practice within APCO, seeks a Senior Consultant to join our Integrated Services team in Washington, D.C. (with opportunities in NY, Chicago or Raleigh).

The role blends qualitative and quantitative opinion research with AI-enabled methods to deliver data-driven client strategies. You will design and execute projects, apply AI tools across the research lifecycle, present findings to clients, and mentor junior staff while helping

Qualifications

• 4-7 years of relevant public opinion research, brand insights or market research experience.
• Hands-on experience applying AI tools within an opinion research workflow.
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in a related field.
• Master's degree and/or graduate work in a relevant field preferred, but not required.
• Entrepreneurial spirit and collaborative team orientation.
• Excellent presentation, writing and analytical skills.
• Detail-oriented with sound judgment on when AI speeds up work.
• Experience managing project budgets.
• Willingness to work across multiple geographies.

Responsibilities

• Designs, fields and analyzes AI-powered survey research studies, with depth in reputation, brand and issue programs.
• Leads hands-on execution of research projects rebuilt around APCO's AI infrastructure and partnerships.
• Serves as a day-to-day client and colleague contact on assigned accounts, presenting findings and fielding questions.
• Brings working knowledge of AI tools to the research process and pilots new AI applications.
• Partners with colleagues on Margy and other Intelligence & AI solutions, contributing sampling logic and survey methodology.
• Recommends research approaches based on objective, audience and resources.
• Tells the story of the 'why' behind the data, translating findings into client strategies.
• Mentors and coaches early career team members.
• Supports business development on existing and prospective accounts, including proposals.
• Manages project budgets and timelines on assigned workstreams.

Skills

Public opinion research

AI in research workflow

Data analysis

Presentation skills

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Margy platform

AI tools

Job description

APCO Intelligence, the research, analytics and AI-powered insights practice within the global advisory and advocacy firm APCO, is seeking a Senior Consultant to join our Integrated Services team. The position may be based in Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago or Raleigh.

Our Intelligence team combines qualitative and quantitative opinion research, data science and digital media analysis to help clients understand their operating environments, their key audiences and the media landscape – and to guide the advisory and advocacy strategies built on top of that understanding. We are in the middle of a significant transformation of how we do this work: Expert-led, AI-powered Opinion Research is our default, not an add-on. Research design, sampling, fieldwork, analysis, synthesis and delivery are being rebuilt around APCO's AI infrastructure (including our proprietary Enterprise AI Stack and Margy platform) while preserving the methodological rigor, respondent integrity and provenance that make the work defensible. This role sits squarely inside that shift.

In this hands-on role, the Senior Consultant will be responsible for the day-to-day design, execution and analysis of primary opinion research (qualitative and quantitative) – built through APCO's AI-powered research infrastructure and partnerships. We're looking for someone who already has hands-on experience applying AI across the opinion research lifecycle (instrument design, sampling, fieldwork monitoring, analysis, synthesis or delivery) and who is excited to keep pushing that experimentation further as part of a team actively building the next generation of the discipline. This is predominantly an opinion research position, but APCO Intelligence is equally invested in secondary research, digital and social media analytics, data science and other AI-enabled solutions. The ideal candidate should be able to collaborate effectively across the team’s disciplines and comfortably apply insights across data streams to tell a holistic data story and develop data-informed strategies.

Responsibilities:

• Designs, fields and analyzes AI-powered survey research studies, with particular depth in reputation, brand and issue programs
• Leads hands-on execution of research projects rebuilt around APCO's AI infrastructure and partnerships – AI-assisted instrument development, sample design, questionnaire programming, data collection management, analysis planning, AI-powered data synthesis and reporting – while upholding methodological rigor, respondent integrity and provenance standards throughout
• Serves as a day-to-day client and colleague contact on assigned accounts, confidently presenting findings and fielding questions from client teams
• Brings hands-on, working knowledge of AI tools to every stage of the research process – from questionnaire and discussion guide drafting to data analysis, insight generation and reporting – and actively pilots new AI applications for the opinion research practice, not just individual projects
• Partners with colleagues on Margy and other Intelligence & AI solutions, contributing opinion research expertise, sampling logic and survey methodology to how these tools interpret and prioritize information
• Recommends research approaches based on the research objective, audience and resources, drawing on an “insights from anywhere” toolkit that spans AI-powered opinion research, digital/social listening and data analytics
• Tells the story of the “why” behind the data, translating findings into narratives that inform client advisory and advocacy strategies
• Mentors and coaches early career team members on both research fundamentals and AI-powered ways of working
• Supports business development on existing and prospective accounts, including proposal and pitch support
• Manages project budgets and timelines on assigned workstreams, helping ensure profitable, on-time delivery

Qualifications:

• 4-7 years of relevant public opinion research, brand insights or market research experience, with hands-on tracker study experience strongly preferred
• Demonstrated, hands-on experience applying AI tools within an opinion research workflow – for example, AI-assisted questionnaire or discussion guide design, AI-powered data analysis or synthesis, automated or accelerated reporting, or similar – candidates should be able to speak to specific projects where they used AI to improve research design, speed or quality, not simply general familiarity with AI tools
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in a related field
• Master's degree and/or graduate work in a relevant field (survey research, mathematics, statistics, sociology, psychology, political science, public affairs, health policy) is preferred, but not required
• Genuine appetite to keep experimenting – eager to learn and help shape platforms like Margy, and comfortable operating in a research practice where methods, tools and workflows are actively evolving
• Deep understanding of and interest in reputation and general business issues facing communications and public affairs leaders
• Exceptional presentation, writing and analytical skills, including the ability to write strategically under tight deadlines
• Incredibly detail-oriented and deadline-driven, with sound judgment about where AI speeds up the work and where human research judgment must stay in control
• Experience managing project budgets
• Entrepreneurial spirit and collaborative team inclination

Compensation Range

The US base salary for this position ranges from $92,000/year to $116,000/year. Our compensation range for this role is inclusive of several US geographic markets. APCO targets an employee's pay within this range to be based on several factors, which include but are not limited to relevant education, skills, job-related knowledge, qualifications, work experience, credentials, internal equity and/or geographic location.

In addition to base salary, APCO offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the health, well-being and financial security of our employees and their families. Benefits for eligible US employees include medical and prescription drug coverage, dental and vision coverage, health and dependent flexible spending accounts, life and disability insurance, a 401(k) retirement savings plan, employee assistance and wellness resources, commuter benefits, additional voluntary benefit options and a generous holiday schedule with a flexible time off plan.

Careers at APCO

Through our recruitment, hiring and retention efforts, APCO is committed to building teams who bring the best possible expertise and robust perspectives to our clients. We embrace differences in experience, viewpoint and ideas, starting with our values and extending to our behaviors, policies and practices. We aim to create a positive work experience and welcoming environment where everyone feels they belong and can thrive.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourage applications from all qualified candidates regardless of race, national origin, citizenship, native language, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, religion, age, veteran status, neurodivergence, mental or physical disability, medical history, pregnancy, political belief or affiliation or any other characteristic protected by law.