Analyst Relations Director

Grant Thornton•Chicago, IL

About The Position

Grant Thornton is seeking an Analyst Relations Director to join the team. As Analyst Relations Director, you will lead strategic engagement with industry analysts to shape Grant Thornton Advisors' market reputation and growth. You will operate within the Marketing and Communications team and drive a global analyst relations program across the analyst firms that shape enterprise buyer decisions. This is a new and strategic role at Grant Thornton Advisors. You will drive the analyst narrative, anticipate analyst questions before they are asked, and ensure analysts understand our roadmap, differentiation and momentum as we build and scale new capabilities. This role offers high impact across multinational teams and the chance to influence enterprise-level decisions through analyst collaboration.

Requirements

Significant hands-on Analyst Relations experience, including direct ownership of relationships with firms such as Gartner, Forrester, IDC, Everest Group or TBR.
Proven experience leading or materially supporting formal analyst evaluations, including Gartner Magic Quadrants, Forrester Waves, IDC MarketScapes or Everest PEAK Matrix assessments.
Experience building, leading or owning an Analyst Relations program within a technology, professional services, consulting or business advisory environment.
Demonstrated ability to influence analyst coverage, positioning or evaluation outcomes.
Experience preparing and advising senior executives for analyst briefings and interactions.
This is a specialist Analyst Relations role. We are seeking candidates with direct, hands-on experience managing relationships with industry analyst firms such as Gartner, Forrester, IDC, Everest Group or TBR. Experience in financial analyst relations, business analysis, market research, data analytics, PR or general marketing alone will not meet the requirements for this position.

Responsibilities

Own the analyst narrative: develop and continuously evolve a clear, credible analyst storyline aligned with Grant Thornton Advisors' commercial strategy, roadmap and growth priorities
Proactively engage top-tier analysts: build and maintain strong relationships with key global analysts across firms such as Gartner, Forrester, IDC, Everest Group, TBR and specialist industry analysts, actively shaping coverage rather than responding to it
Influence perception and positioning: monitor analyst research, reports and commentary. Identify opportunities to correct misconceptions, strengthen positioning and elevate differentiation versus competitors
Lead the firm's response to ratings cycles: Magic Quadrant, Forrester Wave, IDC MarketScape and Everest PEAK Matrix
Advise senior leaders: prepare executives for analyst interactions, including message framing, Q&A and positioning around sensitive or emerging topics
Partner cross-functionally: act as a connector across Service Line Marketing, Communications, Technology and the wider business, ensuring consistency between analyst, media and investor narratives
Identify opportunities where analyst commentary supports pursuits and priority deals
Design and manage analyst advocacy programs, including participation in firm events and advisory boards
Set KPIs for analyst relations effectiveness and report regularly to the CMO and firm leadership
Manage the analyst relations budget, subscriptions and agency relationships to maximize commercial impact
Advise senior leaders Prepare executives for analyst interactions, including message framing, Q&A, and positioning around sensitive or emerging topics.