Consumer Insight Manager Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

Lead Shopper Consumer Insights

This position translates shopper and consumer behavior, into actionable insights that drive strategic decision-making across marketing, sales, and category development. This role leads the design and execution of research initiatives, synthesizes data from multiple sources, and partners cross-functionally to influence business outcomes. The Lead is expected to demonstrate strong analytical acumen, storytelling capabilities, and stakeholder engagement to elevate the voice of the shopper and consumer within the organization.

The Company is one of North America’s leading sales and marketing agencies specializing in outsourced sales, merchandising, category management, and marketing services to manufacturers, suppliers, and producers of food products and consumer packaged goods. The Company services a variety of trade channels including grocery, mass merchandise, specialty, convenience, drug, dollar, club, hardware, consumer electronics, and home centers. We bridge the gap between manufacturers and retailers, providing consumers access to the best products available in the marketplace today.

Responsibilities

• Leverages and organizes data for insight driven analytics in support of new item initiatives and assortment opportunities

• Develops promotion and merchandising recommendations

• Expert in insights best practices with the ability to identify evolving needs and actively develop solutions

• Works independently with minimal supervision to solve complex problems

• Proactively identifies and is responsible for making improvements to team processes enhancing the quality of deliverables across the team; viewed as a go-to resource, having a specialty within a system or process

• Interacts with client partner senior leadership to develop longer term brand strategies

• Has established relationships and collaborates with team members

• Independently manages a varying number of clients with mostly complex categories, relationships, and business requests

• Engages in the ongoing business planning process for each assigned client, focusing on shopper-based strategies and initiatives

• Ensures that strategies and deliverables are aligned with clients’ goals and expectations

• Actively identifies opportunities for upselling and cross-selling

• Anticipates business needs by proactively identifying challenges and opportunities

• Creates insight driven presentations with actionable tactics and strategies

• Proficient in secondary data sources and uses them to develop presentation depth

• Develops creative presentations with an eye toward storytelling, focused on flow, visualizations, headlines, and using branding guidelines

• Proactively conducts secondary research to find answers and share solutions with clients and peers

• Actively participates in team building and best practice sharing to increase team effectiveness

• Mentors and coaches new team members

Qualifications

• Education Requirements: Bachelor’s degree (Technical certifications are a plus)

• Experience Requirements: 6–8 years experience in relevant field (Syndicated Data and Category Management experience preferred)

• Travel requirement: No travel requirements

Supervisor Responsibility

Direct Reports: This position does not have supervisory responsibilities for direct reports

Indirect Reports: Does not have direct reports, but may delegate work of others and provide guidance, direction and mentoring to indirect reports

Required Knowledge and Skills

• Intellectually curious, eager to problem solve, and a quick learner

• Well-organized and strong attention to detail and accuracy

• Demonstrated ability to work with large datasets; appetite for numbers and analytics

• Deep experience with application of shopper panel data and geodemographic data sets

• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment

• Ability to work effectively and collaboratively as part of a team

• Ability to confidently work with client, customer, and internal leadership

• Demonstrated ability to effectively prioritize business requests

• Creativity with a passion for building visually compelling presentations

• Good communication – written and oral – skills and strong interpersonal skills

• Strong work ethic and desire to succeed

• Demonstrated forward-looking, strategic thinking ability

• Proven analytical skills with the ability to interpret data, problem solve, and translate into action-oriented recommendations and directions

• Ability to lead a client through a customer-driven, shopper-based strategic category plan

• Demonstrated consulting and influence skills with retailers, clients, and direct reports

• Incorporates all available data sources (POS, scan, panel, shopper, demographic, shopper) into a comprehensive solution

• Proficient in office productivity software

Job Will Remain Open Until Filled

The Company is one of North America’s leading sales and marketing agencies specializing in outsourced sales, merchandising, category management, and marketing services to manufacturers, suppliers, and producers of food products and consumer packaged goods. The Company services a variety of trade channels including grocery, mass merchandise, specialty, convenience, drug, dollar, club, hardware, consumer electronics, and home centers. We bridge the gap between manufacturers and retailers, providing consumers access to the best products available in the marketplace today.

Responsibilities

• Leverages and organizes data for insight driven analytics in support of new item initiatives and assortment opportunities

• Develops promotion and merchandising recommendations

• Expert in insights best practices with the ability to identify evolving needs and actively develop solutions

• Works independently with minimal supervision to solve complex problems

• Proactively identifies and is responsible for making improvements to team processes enhancing the quality of deliverables across the team; viewed as a go-to resource, having a specialty within a system or process

• Interacts with client partner senior leadership to develop longer term brand strategies

• Has established relationships and collaborates with team members

• Independently manages a varying number of clients with mostly complex categories, relationships, and business requests

• Engages in the ongoing business planning process for each assigned client, focusing on shopper-based strategies and initiatives

• Ensures that strategies and deliverables are aligned with clients’ goals and expectations

• Actively identifies opportunities for upselling and cross-selling

• Anticipates business needs by proactively identifying challenges and opportunities

• Creates insight driven presentations with actionable tactics and strategies

• Proficient in secondary data sources and uses them to develop presentation depth

• Develops creative presentations with an eye toward storytelling, focused on flow, visualizations, headlines, and using branding guidelines

• Proactively conducts secondary research to find answers and share solutions with clients and peers

• Actively participates in team building and best practice sharing to increase team effectiveness

• Mentors and coaches new team members

Qualifications

• Education Requirements: Bachelor’s degree (Technical certifications are a plus)

• Experience Requirements: 6–8 years experience in relevant field (Syndicated Data and Category Management experience preferred)

• Travel requirement: No travel requirements

Supervisor Responsibility

Direct Reports: This position does not have supervisory responsibilities for direct reports

Indirect Reports: Does not have direct reports, but may delegate work of others and provide guidance, direction and mentoring to indirect reports

Required Knowledge and Skills

• Intellectually curious, eager to problem solve, and a quick learner

• Well-organized and strong attention to detail and accuracy

• Demonstrated ability to work with large datasets; appetite for numbers and analytics

• Deep experience with application of shopper panel data and geodemographic data sets

• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment

• Ability to work effectively and collaboratively as part of a team

• Ability to confidently work with client, customer, and internal leadership

• Demonstrated ability to effectively prioritize business requests

• Creativity with a passion for building visually compelling presentations

• Good communication – written and oral – skills and strong interpersonal skills

• Strong work ethic and desire to succeed

• Demonstrated forward-looking, strategic thinking ability

• Proven analytical skills with the ability to interpret data, problem solve, and translate into action-oriented recommendations and directions

• Ability to lead a client through a customer-driven, shopper-based strategic category plan

• Demonstrated consulting and influence skills with retailers, clients, and direct reports

• Incorporates all available data sources (POS, scan, panel, shopper, demographic, shopper) into a comprehensive solution

• Proficient in office productivity software

Environmental & Physical Requirements
Office / Sedentary Requirements: Incumbent must be able to perform the essential functions of the job. Work is performed primarily in an office environment. Typically, requires the ability to sit for extended periods of time (66%+ each day), ability to hear telephone, ability to enter data on a computer and may require the ability to lift up to 10lbs.

Additional Information Regarding Job Duties
Job duties include additional responsibilities as assigned by one’s supervisor or other manager related to the position/department. This job description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work being performed; it is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required for the position. The Company reserves the right at any time with or without notice to alter or change job responsibilities, reassign or transfer job positions, or assign additional job responsibilities, subject to applicable law. The Company shall provide reasonable accommodations of known disabilities to enable a qualified applicant or employee to apply for employment, perform the essential functions of the job, or enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment as required by law.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of associates so classified. The Company is committed to providing equal opportunity in all employment practices without regard to age, race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, physical or mental disability, or any other category protected by law. As part of this commitment, the Company shall provide reasonable accommodations of known disabilities to enable an applicant or employee to apply for employment, perform the essential functions of the job, or enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment as required by law.