Senior Researcher, Consumer Insights

Sega of America, Inc.; Irvine (CA); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Sega of America, Inc. in Irvine leads SEGA West Consumer Insights within the Business Strategy organization, guiding product greenlighting, portfolio strategies, and health tracking across games and live services.

The Senior Researcher will lead end-to-end research initiatives, partner with stakeholders, design methodologies, and mentor junior researchers, ensuring insights drive business outcomes for SEGA’s portfolio.

Qualifications

• In-office attendance is an essential function of this position to ensure supervision, collaboration, and teamwork.
• Typically has 5+ years of applied custom research experience.
• Advanced proficiency with DIY survey platforms such as Alchemer or Qualtrics.
• Advanced proficiency with syndicated research tools such as GWI, YouGov Profiles, Circana, or similar platforms.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Suite, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Advanced experience analyzing data using SPSS or similar survey analysis software.
• Advanced analytical reasoning, critical thinking, and written communication skills.
• Strong interest in and expert-level knowledge of the video games industry, including SEGA’s portfolio and key competitors.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex quantitative and qualitative research projects end-to-end.
• Partner with stakeholders to define research needs and success criteria.
• Own research design, documentation, and methodology, ensuring all stakeholders are aligned on objectives and the intended use of data.
• Own the research delivery process, serving as the primary point of contact for results readouts and action items.
• Proactively lead research road mapping and budget planning for assigned areas of the portfolio, ensuring stakeholder budgets are aligned with anticipated costs over multiple years.
• Mentor junior researchers and review their work for quality.
• Other responsibilities are performed as assigned or needed.

Skills

DIY survey platforms

Syndicated research tools

Microsoft Office

SPSS

Analytical reasoning

Written communication

Video games industry knowledge

Tools

Alchemer

Qualtrics

GWI

YouGov Profiles

Circana

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Job Summary

SEGA West Consumer Insights (SWCI) sits within the Business Strategy organization and plays a critical role in informing product greenlighting, portfolio strategies, and ongoing product health tracking.

Hybrid Work Model

SWCI delivers end-to-end mixed methods consumer research across games, franchises, and live services, supporting critical business decisions from early concept through post-launch performance. The team conducts custom primary research including quantitative and qualitative methodologies, alongside secondary and syndicated analysis to help stakeholders understand player needs, behaviors, motivations, and trade-offs. Common study types include Total Addressable Market (TAM) Surveys, Audience Segmentations, Concept Tests, Playtests, Messaging and Positioning, Pricing Surveys, Discrete Choice Modelling, Brand Lift Surveys, Virtual Diaries, and Product and Brand Health Tracking. Working in close partnership with Product, Brand, Corporate Planning, and Publishing, SWCI translates business questions into rigorous research approaches and actionable insights. The team manages the full research lifecycle including stakeholder intake and study design, execution, analysis, synthesis, and reporting, ensuring insights are grounded in sound methodology and directly tied to business outcomes. The Senior Researcher role is an individual contributor role focused on independently leading complex research initiatives from intake through delivery and acts as a trusted research partner and primary point of contact for assigned projects of the SEGA portfolio. The Senior Researcher will own the research direction, ensure stakeholder alignment, and quality insights.

Duties And Responsibilities

• Lead complex quantitative and qualitative research projects end-to-end.
• Partner with stakeholders to define research needs and success criteria.
• Own research design, documentation, and methodology, ensuring all stakeholders are aligned on objectives and the intended use of data.
• Own the research delivery process, serving as the primary point of contact for results readouts and action items.
• Proactively lead research road mapping and budget planning for assigned areas of the portfolio, ensuring stakeholder budgets are aligned with anticipated costs over multiple years.
• Mentor junior researchers and review their work for quality.
• Other responsibilities are performed as assigned or needed.

Qualifications

Qualifications and Skills:

• Working in-office is an essential function of this position. This requirement of face-to-face interaction is in place to ensure effective supervision, collaboration, and teamwork. In-office attendance is required for the following reasons:
  • For effective supervision of employees and our work product, which includes ensuring all employees have necessary oversight of their work and access to supervisory assistance, which includes meetings to review work product, deadlines, and status.
  • To foster communication and collaboration among team members, which includes the following: allowing for spontaneous brainstorming sessions and exchanges of ideas, quick access to team members to enable collaborative problem-solving, and stronger cohesion among co-workers and within teams.
  • To enhance the sharing of information necessary to effective job performance and product creation.
  • To enhance understanding of our stakeholders’ work and business needs, facilitate a more seamless and organic workflow, and ultimately increase efficiency and successful outcomes.
• Typically has 5+ years of applied custom research experience.
• Advanced proficiency with DIY survey platforms such as Alchemer or Qualtrics.
• Advanced proficiency with syndicated research tools such as GWI, YouGov Profiles, Circana, or similar platforms.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Suite, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Advanced experience analyzing data using SPSS or similar survey analysis software.
• Advanced analytical reasoning, critical thinking, and written communication skills.
• Strong interest in and expert-level knowledge of the video games industry, including SEGA’s portfolio and key competitors.