Product Testing Executive Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

Job details

Job Type: Full-time

Schedule: 40 hours per week (Monday – Friday)

Education: A degree in a relevant field (e.g. social sciences, marketing, business) can be helpful, but is not essential, we’re open to candidates with diverse backgrounds and relevant skills

Experience: 1-2 years’ relevant work experience

Ability to commute/relocate: Leeds, LS15 8GB – reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

About you

You’re fascinated by people and why they behave and think the way they do. You’re curious, creative, keen to learn, and passionate about developing new ideas and running with them. You love a challenge and thrive on working in a fast-paced and innovative environment. You might have a degree in social sciences, marketing, or business, but many of our team have wide-ranging academic backgrounds. You will also have 1-2 years’ relevant work experience in market research. The key is your ability to be proactive, personable, tenacious, organised, and detail orientated.

A bit about Blue Yonder, a Curion company

We specialise in delivering impactful insights to the world’s top CPG companies, helping them develop winning, repeatedly purchased products. Our deep data-driven product insights, sensory expertise, and state-of-the-art consumer centres enable them to uncover responses to critical client objectives. With over five decades of experience in the product testing industry, we are dedicated to guiding clients in every stage of their product development, connecting brands to consumers at every step.

An innovator in the industry, we recently developed a groundbreaking benchmarking product testing method, the Curion Score™, which has become a trusted and sought after tool within the industry. As one of the largest product and consumer insights companies in the U.S. and U.K., we have built a reputation for excellence and trust among the world’s leading consumer brands. Our commitment to innovation and expertise, coupled with a passion for delivering actionable insights, makes us a valuable partner for companies looking to develop and launch successful products.

What we offer

• We offer a competitive salary, company profit share, a bonus holiday for your birthday, regular socials, a bonus day for charity work, DE&I and wellbeing initiatives and lots of structured training throughout the year. We have a flexible working environment and if there’s something that’s important to you – be it a day you need to pick the kids up, or a specific charity you want to support – let’s talk!
• Authenticity is one of our core values, and at Blue Yonder we’re committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic team with equal opportunities. We want to attract, develop, and promote the very best people from all walks of life, so we actively encourage applications from a range of socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds, as well as others who are underrepresented in our sector, such as disabled or neurodiverse applicants.
• Please note successful applicants must have the right to work in the UK and will need to bring proof to the interview e.g. a passport or work permit.
• Should you be successful in the recruitment process, and if you require any reasonable adjustments to be made to accommodate your interview, let us know in confidence.
• All team members are expected to demonstrate Blue Yonder’s core values throughout: Partnership, Positivity, Entrepreneurship, Authenticity

As an Insight Executive you would be responsible for managing straightforward research projects and supporting the delivery of larger, more complex studies. You would coordinate projects from set-up through to reporting, ensuring high-quality execution, smooth fieldwork, accurate analysis, and excellent client service. Working closely with colleagues across the business, you would take ownership of project administration, research design, fieldwork operations, client communication, and reporting, while contributing to commercial processes and mentoring more junior team members. The role requires strong organisational skills, attention to detail, a proactive approach to problem-solving, and a commitment to delivering high-quality insights that meet client needs.

Project management

The Insight Executive manages simple projects or assists the main project manager on larger/more complex projects, with increased responsibility for design of project documentation, product preparation and packing, fieldwork, and supporting analysis and reporting. They are expected to delegate to Trainees / others where appropriate. 

• Ensure all project administration is up to date and in line with the Blue Print e.g. setting up Teams channel, setting up project folders, setting up meetings with the project team (e.g. Kick-off/briefing, Hearts & Ladders), confirming incentives with Field Ops, setting up AlertYa, ensuring MIS is up to date
• Ensure the smooth running of all projects involved in, e.g. keeping departments up to date on timings, changes etc. 
• Write initial drafts of project administrative documents (or check those prepared by others) e.g. SoW (supplier and client), consent forms, screeners, simple questionnaires and discussion guides, product reconciliation forms, table data specs
• Take the lead on designing more complex questionnaires, discussion guides and other research inputs, with input from seniors as needed
• Oversee completion of Video:lab briefing form and initial draft of video edits sheet, working with trainee execs, Video:lab and translation agencies (for subtitles etc.) to complete the edit

Fieldwork

• Lead all operational aspects of fieldwork, ensuring all fieldwork protocols are followed, including product delivery, stimulus/product preparation for testing, packing, delivery, organisation
• Ensure online scripts for screeners and questionnaires are accurate through detailed testing and checks
• Undertake key aspects of fieldwork and hosting in person (e.g. at TP/Killingbeck) 
• Take a major role in online and/or face to face qualitative moderation e.g. IDIs, online boards, focus groups, writing summaries and completing content analysis sheets as needed
• Monitor quotas, completion rates etc., liaise with internal teams to ensure fieldwork is completed accurately, on time, and on spec
• Assist with technical and administrative aspects of fieldwork e.g. creating and sending out participant Zoom links, asking participants to complete tasks, ensuring participants can access online fieldwork etc.
• Accurately complete coding of open questions 

Client management

• Be the main day to day client contact on simple projects
• Demonstrate through behaviours key principles from the client charter, and support senior team members with client requests and client management, ensuring our high standards of responsiveness and flexibility  
• Play an active role along with senior team members in client meetings (online or face to face), including at debriefs
• Proactively help the team learn about the client’s business 

Client/project deliverables

• Conduct data checks to ensure accurate data in tables and reports (qual or quant), including proof reading
• Take an active role in analysis on qual and quant projects by contributing to analysis plans and meetings
• Write initial draft of full simple reports, or report sections on more complex reports, working with seniors
• Play an active role in client debriefs, either debriefing the main report, or taking a section

Commercials, proposals & financials

• Ensure accurate project information is up to date on Synergist, including POs, billing plans and total project value. Liaise with Finance to ensure invoices and POs are raised as per the process

Working as one team

• Delegate to and coach other members of the team to help their development
• Be a good team player: proactively volunteer time when available to help others, within and across teams
• Demonstrate flexibility to get involved in, and learn about, different project types 
• Build strong working relationships with other teams, and role model this to less experienced team members
• Use initiative to make suggestions and demonstrate solution-focused approach when challenges are faced

The Innovation Executive will also:

• Proactively keep abreast of latest trends and techniques in the marketing insights field and share interesting articles etc. with the broader team
• Work with IM/CIO to explore new tools and techniques and their use to the business
• Alongside the IM, work with outside parties (app developers, web designers, tech providers etc) to deliver best in class solutions, taking responsibility for timelines and workflow development
• Develop ability to run own ‘basic’ Clickscape data set, seeking input of Oracle team as and when necessary.

This job description is not intended to be all inclusive, flexibility is assumed based on business needs

For Blue Yonder’s Insight Executive, we offer a starting salary of £26,850 based on the qualifications and experience of each individual. Blue Yonder offers a benefits package for this position which includes:

• Flexible working location and hybrid working 
• Support with work from home needs you may have 
• 24 days holiday (plus bank holidays) + one per year up to 27 days 
• Company pension scheme 
• Company profit share scheme 
• Extra day off on your birthday 
• Volunteering day every year 
• Fully renovated flexible / hybrid office in 2024 
• Bi-annual promotion and salary review windows 
• 2 major company parties a year + monthly socials organised by our own social and charity team