[Hiring] Research Director, Customer Success @NielsenIQ

Role Description

NIQ is seeking a Research Director, Customer Success to lead our relationship with one of the largest retailers in the United States. This highly visible role will serve as the senior research lead for a flagship U.S. brand perception tracking program, with primary responsibility for ensuring the integrity, continuity, and strategic value of the tracker over time.

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in consumer insights, brand tracking, and longitudinal measurement. They will possess a strong understanding of how methodological, questionnaire, sample, and instrument changes can impact trend interpretation, and have experience developing approaches to maintain comparability and decision-making confidence when tracker evolution is required.

Reporting to the Vice President, Consumer Behavior & Insights, this role requires a highly independent leader capable of exercising sound judgment, collaborating with this high-profile client with clarity and transparency, making executive-level decisions, and operating with significant autonomy. The successful candidate will be expected to prioritize work across the broader account team, delegate effectively, coach and develop less experienced team members, and serve as a trusted advisor to senior client stakeholders. Internally, this leader will champion AI-enabled tools and innovative ways of working that enhance quality, efficiency, and client impact.

Key Responsibilities

• Client & Account Leadership
  • Serve as the senior strategic lead and primary point of contact for a flagship brand tracking program
  • Build trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders and act as a strategic advisor across brand, customer, and business performance topics
  • In collaboration with other account lead manage account priorities, making sound business decisions and balancing client, team, and organizational needs
  • Own overall account delivery, ensuring projects are executed on time, on budget, and with exceptional quality
  • Identify opportunities to expand the relationship through additional research, thought leadership, and strategic consultation
• Insights, Measurement & Storytelling
  • Lead the development of strategic insights and recommendations that help clients make informed business decisions
  • Oversee a large-scale brand tracking program, ensuring trends are accurately maintained and thoughtfully interpreted over time
  • Provide guidance on research design, measurement, and methodology, particularly when tracker enhancements or instrument changes are introduced
  • Translate complex datasets into clear, compelling stories that resonate with executive audiences
  • Present findings and strategic recommendations confidently to senior leaders and executive stakeholders
• Operational Excellence & Quality Management
  • Establish and maintain rigorous quality-control standards across all phases of the research process
  • Leverage and evolve structured processes, documentation, and checklist-driven workflows to ensure accuracy, consistency, and efficiency
  • Maintain oversight of project execution, data quality, reporting accuracy, and final deliverables
  • Champion the use of AI-enabled tools and process improvements that enhance quality, efficiency, and team productivity
• Team Leadership & Collaboration
  • Lead, coach, and develop team members through mentorship, feedback, and day-to-day guidance
  • Prioritize and delegate work across the account team, ensuring resources are aligned to business needs and team strengths
  • Coordinate cross-functional teams while maintaining accountability for final outcomes and client satisfaction
  • Lead client and internal meetings with confidence, driving alignment, decisions, and clear next steps
  • Contribute to broader organizational initiatives, including thought leadership, methodology development, and best-practice sharing

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in market research, consumer insights, brand tracking, customer experience measurement, or a related field
• Demonstrated experience managing ongoing tracking studies and interpreting longitudinal trends
• Experience supporting large retailers, consumer brands, agencies, or other complex client organizations preferred
• Demonstrated ability to operate with a high degree of independence, exercising sound judgment and making decisions in complex and ambiguous situations
• Proven experience leading account teams, effectively prioritizing work, delegating responsibilities, and developing talent
• Exceptional presentation and communication skills, with demonstrated executive presence and experience presenting to senior and executive audiences
• Proven ability to synthesize complex research and data into compelling strategic insights and recommendations
• Demonstrated ability to lead multiple concurrent projects and manage timelines, priorities, and stakeholders
• Strong proficiency in PowerPoint and Excel and experience working with large quantitative data sets. Working knowledge of SPSS, Q, or comparable analytical software preferred
• Demonstrated experience leveraging AI tools to improve analytical efficiency, quality assurance, storytelling, and operational effectiveness
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Statistics, Social Sciences, or a related field; advanced degree preferred
• Ability to travel approximately 10%

Benefits

• Flexible working environment
• Volunteer time off
• LinkedIn Learning
• Employee-Assistance-Program (EAP)
• This role has a market-competitive salary with an anticipated base compensation of the following range: $99,800.00-$110,000.00. Actual salaries will vary depending on a candidate’s experience, qualifications, skills, and location.
• This role might also be eligible for a sales-based incentive or performance-based bonus.
• Other benefits include comprehensive health insurance, industry-leading parental leave, life insurance, education support, and more.