Consumer Insights Specialist -Floor Care Products

Job Summary:

Midea America Corp. is a U.S. subsidiary within Midea Group, the Fortune 500 giant known for making life easier for millions around the globe. As the world’s top maker of home appliances, Midea is proud of its 166,000 employees and presence in 200 countries, including here in the U.S.

Headquartered in Parsippany, N.J., with an innovation hub in Louisville, Kentucky, Midea America provides practical innovations that surprise and delight, creating moments to cherish at home.

Midea's lineup of appliances - from refrigerators to air conditioners, laundry solutions, and floor care are high quality, reliable, and affordable. By thoughtfully engineering performance, convenience, and design into every product, Midea delivers on the promise of every appliance.

To support this growth in the US, Midea is expanding its research and innovation capabilities at Midea America Research Center (MARC) in Waltham Massachusetts. With this objective, MARC is seeking a Consumer Insights Specialist to help pioneer the future of floorcare innovation.

You will be responsible for working with domestic and international R&D teams to help bring the cross-functional vision to life. You will be working side by side with our in-house Designers, Engineers, Marketing and sales teams to revolutionize the way people clean their homes.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• None.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Plan, execute, and manage end-to-end consumer research to support floor care product development, innovation, and optimization (e.g., vacuums, carpet cleaners, hard floor care).
• Translate business and design questions into clear research objectives, methodologies, and discussion guides.
• Lead qualitative research including in-home usage tests, ethnography, focus groups, IDIs, and concept evaluations.
• Design and analyze quantitative studies (surveys, conjoint, segmentation, usage & attitude, claims testing).
• Partner closely with Product Management, Industrial Design, Engineering, Marketing, and UX to inform product decisions.
• Synthesize findings into clear, actionable insights and recommendations tied to product strategy and consumer needs.
• Identify consumer pain points, unmet needs, and usage behaviors specific to floor care tasks and environments.
• Support appearance, usability, and performance evaluations, including prototype testing.
• Manage relationships with external research vendors (agencies, recruiters, fieldwork partners).
• Ensure research rigor, data quality, and methodological best practices.
• Create compelling presentations and storytelling deliverables for stakeholders at multiple levels.
• Contribute to long-term learning agendas and category knowledge for floor care.
• Stay current on consumer research methods, tools, and trends relevant to durable goods and home care.

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Strong foundation in both qualitative and quantitative research methods.
• Proven ability to moderate consumer sessions and adapt questioning in real time.
• Expertise in insight synthesis—connecting data to design, product, and business implications.
• High level of critical thinking and problem framing.
• Comfort working with ambiguous or early-stage concepts and prototypes.
• Ability to communicate insights clearly through storytelling, visuals, and executive summaries.
• Strong collaboration skills across cross-functional product teams.
• Detail-oriented with strong project management and organizational skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously with competing timelines.
• Proficiency with common research tools (e.g., Qualtrics, User Testing, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Understanding of consumer behavior related to home, cleaning, and appliances preferred.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Market Research, Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Human Factors, Marketing, or a related field required.
• Master’s degree a plus but not required.
• 3–7 years of professional experience in consumer insights, market research, UX research, or a related role.
• Experience conducting research for physical products, durable goods, or home/appliance categories strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience owning research projects from brief to insight delivery.
• Experience working in cross-functional, product-driven environments.
• Agency and/or in-house research experience acceptable.

Physical Requirements:

Examples:

Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds