Senior Manager, Research & Insights

About HLK

We believe in the power of people to drive brands.

Together, we help shape a brand's identity and inspire its next move. We believe brands have the power to influence behavior, create meaningful connections, and drive change. That's why we build brands in constant motion: brands that connect, surprise, and inspire action.

At HLK, research and insights play a critical role in helping our clients make smarter decisions, uncover new opportunities, and better understand the people they serve. We believe the strongest strategies are built on curiosity, thoughtful analysis, and a deep understanding of human behavior.

About The Role

The Sr. Manager, Research & Insights serves as a senior research and insights leader, responsible for designing, leading, and executing custom qualitative and quantitative research programs that drive business, brand, and marketing strategy.

This role partners closely with strategists, planners, creatives, account teams, and clients to uncover actionable insights and translate research findings into meaningful business recommendations. The ideal candidate is a consultative researcher who thrives in ambiguity and has extensive experience translating business challenges into actionable research plans.

We believe the best ideas emerge through collaboration, mentorship, and shared experiences, which is why this role is based on site in either our St. Louis or Chicago office.

Responsibilities

Research Strategy & Design

• Lead the design and execution of custom qualitative and quantitative research studies from concept through delivery, recommending methodologies that align with business objectives, audience needs, budget considerations, and project constraints
• Translate ambiguous business, brand, and marketing challenges into actionable research plans and learning agendas
• Design and oversee qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method research approaches including surveys, interviews, focus groups, online communities, ethnographies, diary studies, observational research, content analysis, and hybrid methodologies
• Develop questionnaires, discussion guides, analytical frameworks, coding structures, and reporting plans
• Serve as a trusted advisor to internal teams and clients on research best practices, methodology selection, and interpretation of findings
  
  

Sampling & Fieldwork Management

• Develop and manage sampling strategies for consumer, B2B, agriculture, and specialty audiences
• Evaluate, select, and manage sample providers, recruiting partners, panel vendors, and fieldwork suppliers to ensure quality and representativeness
• Oversee survey programming, testing, fieldwork execution, quotas, incidence rates, response quality controls, and data collection processes
• Manage complex studies involving multiple audiences, markets, methodologies, and recruiting requirements
• Ensure research projects are delivered on time, within budget, and according to methodological best practices
  
  

Insights & Analysis

• Analyze quantitative and qualitative data, synthesize multiple data sources, and develop actionable insights and strategic recommendations that inform marketing, communications, product, and business decisions
• Develop and present deliverables including audience profiles, consumer journeys, personas, white papers, dashboards, executive presentations, and other insight-driven outputs
  
  

Client & Agency Partnership

• Collaborate with strategy, account, media, creative, analytics, and client teams to integrate research throughout the planning process
• Present findings and recommendations to clients and senior stakeholders with confidence and credibility
• Support business development efforts by contributing to proposals, thought leadership, and new business opportunities
• Identify emerging methodologies, technologies, platforms, and partners that enhance the agency's research capabilities
  
  

What You'll Bring

• Naturally curious about people, culture, consumer behavior, and the factors that influence decision-making
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and translating complex business questions into actionable research plans
• Able to balance methodological rigor with practical business needs, budgets, and agency timelines
• Effective at building trust with clients and cross-functional teams while confidently challenging assumptions when appropriate
  
  

Qualifications

Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Marketing Research, Business, Psychology, Sociology, Statistics, or a related field
• 8 years of experience in marketing research, consumer insights, audience intelligence, or strategy
• Experience designing and leading custom qualitative and quantitative research programs from inception through reporting
• Demonstrated curiosity about consumer behavior, client businesses, markets, and culture, with the ability to uncover insights that drive strategic decisions
• Expertise in sampling strategy, vendor management, survey programming, fieldwork oversight, and research quality control
• Demonstrated ability to independently translate business challenges into research approaches and actionable recommendations
• Experience working in or with marketing, advertising, media, or research agencies
• Strong analytical, storytelling, facilitation, and client presentation skills
• Experience with Qualtrics, Forsta/Decipher, Tableau, R, or similar research and analytics platforms
  
  

Preferred

• Experience within Financial Services, Agriculture, Energy, or other complex B2B industries
• Experience managing multi-market, multi-audience, or mixed-method research programs
  
  

Compensation & Benefits

• Flexible work environment
• Casual and creative atmosphere
• Unlimited time off
• Paid sabbatical
• Parental leave
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) plan with company match