Market Research Manager

Are you ready to think about the future and dream big? At Port Houston, we're seeking individuals who are eager to tackle the most significant challenges of their careers. For over a century, we've been driven by vision and scale, delivering impactful initiatives that shape Houston and the region. Our sustainability and success hinge on attracting, retaining, and nurturing exceptional talent.

When you join Port Houston, you're embarking on a journey towards a fulfilling career path. Take the first step in the right direction—are you READY?

Position Summary:
The Market Research Manager leads the research and analysis function to support strategic, financial, and operational decision-making for Port Houston. This role manages a Market Research Analyst and directs studies on trade trends, economic impacts, port competitiveness, market demand, and regional economic development. The incumbent provides actionable insights that guide business development initiatives and infrastructure investments, while fostering a culture of data-driven decision-making. This position also ensures that Port Houston’s market intelligence capabilities remain innovative, relevant, and responsive to a dynamic global trade environment.

Key Responsibilities/Duties:
Design and oversee qualitative and quantitative market, trade, and economic research projects, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and industry best practices.
Develop, refine, and maintain market intelligence frameworks, dashboards, and decision-support tools to provide ongoing visibility into industry trends, competitive positioning, and performance metrics.

• Track, analyze, and report pricing, commodity trends, trade flows, and macroeconomic indicators affecting maritime and logistics industries, using both internal and external data sources.
• Gather, validate, and integrate intelligence from government databases, industry reports, subscription services, stakeholder interviews, and digital analytics platforms to identify opportunities and risks.
  
  
• Lead economic impact studies, cost-benefit analyses, feasibility assessments, and demand forecasts to support capital planning, operational strategies, and business development.
• Monitor competitor activities, including service offerings, pricing strategies, and market share, and recommend strategies to enhance Port Houston’s competitive advantage.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with finance,operations, commercial, strategy, and engineering teams to align research outputs with business development, revenue forecasting, and investment decisions.
• Measure and evaluate KPIs for market share growth, trade performance, and industry engagement, providing recommendations for performance improvement.
• Oversee economic modeling, statistical forecasting, and scenario planning, ensuring methodological rigor and relevance to strategic planning.
• Prepare and present findings and recommendations to executive leadership, Port Commission, and external partners in clear, compelling formats.
• Represent Port Houston at economic forums, industry conferences, regional partnerships, and research collaborations to share insights and strengthen strategic relationships.
• Identify and implement new tools, data sources, and analytical techniques to enhance market research capabilities.
• Manage and mentor research staff, ensuring high standards of analytical quality, professional development, and innovation.
• Maintain a centralized inventory of data, statistics, and analyses, ensuring version control, quality assurance, and accessibility for authorized stakeholders.
• Act in accordance with Port Houston core values (Respect, Excellence, Accountability, Diligence, and You).
• Perform other duties as needed.

Education/Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Statistics, Finance, Business, Urban Planning, or related field required.
• Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in economic or market research, preferably in transportation, logistics, maritime, infrastructure, or public sector environment.
• Minimum of 2 years of supervisory or project management experience.
  Experience in competitive intelligence, data-driven strategy development, and economic modeling strongly preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Behaviors:

• Strong understanding of macroeconomic trends, trade economics, supply chain logistics, competitive analysis, and regional development.
• Proficiency in statistical software (e.g., R, STATA, Python), GIS tools, and data visualization platforms (e.g., Power BI, Tableau).
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex research projects from concept to delivery.
  Excellent communication skills with the ability to convey findings to non-technical audiences.
  
  
• Knowledge of public sector budgeting, capital planning, and infrastructure investment.
  Advanced skills in time series analysis, forecasting techniques, and scenario modeling.
  Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
  
  
• Ability to source, integrate, and interpret large datasets from multiple platforms.
  
  
• Collaborative mindset with proven success in cross-functional initiatives.
  
  
• Commitment to continuous improvement and innovation in research methodologies.

Key Competencies Requires:

• Strategic Thinking & Conceptualization
• Analytical Problem Solving
• Attention to Detail
• Collaboration & Relationship Building
• Global Perspective
• Information Monitoring and Synthesis
• Results Orientation

Work Environment:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate, but due to open office environment noise level may occasionally be high.  To apply, please go to porthouston.com/careers.  Only applications submitted through the Port Houston Careers website will be acknowledged.  Port Houston is an equal opportunity employer and participates in the E-Verify program supervised by the U.S. Government. 

Thank you for choosing Port Houston in your career search.

Disclaimer:

The above information on this description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this job.  It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.