Associate Director, Primary Research

Job Description

Job Title
Associate Director, Primary Research

The Associate Director of Primary Research for Dotdash Meredith is a seasoned position on our team expected to shape research strategy, ideate new approaches and cultivate partnerships with outside research companies to elevate our quality of work. You will be looked to as an experienced leader who develops talent while managing strategic conversations with executives throughout the company.

Dotdash Meredith reaches over two-thirds of the internet population. At the heart of our work as the ''primary research team'' for DDM is a deep commitment to bringing rich, detailed explanations of consumer behavior, attitudes, and values across a range of business categories including health, food and cooking, home design and décor, entertainment and celebrity, beauty and style, finance and travel. Our proprietary intelligence through a healthy balance of qualitative and quantitative methodologies empowers our business leaders to make targeted, informed decisions based on extensive market knowledge.
Our team also oversees a substantial infrastructure of internal research panel communities that currently host 130K+ DDM consumers across 7 research panel sites for in-house, agile research that's used in conjunction with our workload of outsourced research projects. The new Associate Director of Primary Research will have heavy involvement in guiding and executing our research panel strategy, such as ideating how to recruit young, multi-platform panelists, engagement tactics to keep current panelists and fun, innovative and meaningful ways to use the panels to impact DDM's business.

The primary research team collaborates closely across all facets of DDM's business including advertising sales, brand licensing, digital product design, magazine design, commerce and content creation to shape brand strategy and bring a consumer-driven POV to short-term, day-to-day decision-making. We work in close collaboration with many others within the larger Data Strategy & Insights division, such as syndicated and digital 1st party analytics teams, to deliver multi-dimensional storytelling that embodies DDM's strong commitment to being data-driven and connected to our consumer.

As an Associate Director helping to lead this team, it will be your responsibility to build deep partnerships with Dotdash Meredith business leaders. Through these close connections, you will proactively identify research opportunities for business impact based on real conversations across the company. You will evolve as a trusted liaison for guiding executives through crucial decisions using research intelligence, while developing and mentoring junior research staff on more sophisticated methodologies and complex research requests.

Your presence as a leader of the primary team will embody an environment of trust, curiosity, and openness to new ideas. Exploration and innovation is strongly expected to inspire less-experienced staff, push thinking and set the tone of an ever-changing mentality toward research practices. Lastly, you will convey passion and value for powerful storytelling to ensure hard work isn't lost through a stale, predictable or unclear deliverable to a busy business executive.

About You:
• Seasoned quantitative and qualitative research professional with proven track record of executing diverse range of methodologies, ideally across a wide range of business disciplines, including sales & marketing, content development, new product development, target audience development, pricing strategy, predictive market trends, thought leadership, etc.
• Strong portfolio of translating primary research into powerful narratives that provide a clear course of action for internal stakeholders as well as external audiences such as advertisers or clients. A passion for storytelling with research.
• Must possess extensive experience with many of these primary research methodologies-surveys, focus groups & IDIs (in person or virtual), online bulletin boards & communities, UX testing, new product development research strategy, etc.
• The ideal candidate has deep experience with in-house research panels, e.g., how to coordinate site builds with panel suppliers, new member recruitment tactics and best engagement practices.
• You consider yourself an expert at applying advanced analytics and statistical analysis to quantitative data to pull out optimal intelligence.
• Experience with data tabs is required. Proficiency with SPSS and advanced analytics (factor analysis, cluster analysis, etc.) not required by a plus.
• Strong skills set in developing visually impactful research presentations and presenting to large audiences. You have an appreciation for research reporting that emphasizes storytelling and feels less technical and not 'research-y'.
• You are comfortable nurturing deep business relationships with business executives to evolve as a trusted confident in decision making. Strong interpersonal and group communication skills.
• You have a genuine enjoyment in the role of mentor, leader, and trusted advisor for junior research staff. You know how to balance your management style to give guidance and support while still allowing direct reports to take ownership of their work and develop independence and confidence.
• You embrace an atmosphere of free-thinking and exploration. You have a passion for innovation and evolving research approaches. You are comfortable trying something new, even if it feels somewhat risky.

It is the policy of Dotdash Meredith to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, the Company will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. Accommodation requests can be made by emailing ddm.hr@dotdashmdp.com.

Pay Range
Salary: $80,000 - $120,000

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-r7yz08-18-224-37-68-42 in your application.