Associate Manager, Primary Research

Dotdash Meredith•New York, NY

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Manager of Primary Research for People Inc. is the entry point to a mid-tier management position on our team and one level below the Manager position. As a mid-level team member, you are expected to bring an experienced perspective to the primary research staff, helping ideate new approaches, strengthen business relationships with internal stakeholders, cultivate partnerships with outside research companies to elevate our quality of work, and develop executive-friendly insights narratives that drive strategic decision-making. Our team also oversees a substantial infrastructure of internal research panel communities that currently host 150K+ People Inc. consumers across 7 research panels for in-house, agile research that’s used in conjunction with our workload of outsourced research projects. The Associate Manager of Primary Research will have heavy involvement in executing panel work and be depended upon to build a portfolio of impactful and innovative panel research projects. All your work is methodologically sound but also fun, unexpected and creative in approach. You will support panel engagement tactics to keep current panelists engaged and excited. This particular role supports the Entertainment, Beauty & Style, and Health business verticals and therefore involves the management of our Entertainment, Beauty & Style, and Health panels (including a small community of physicians). The primary research team collaborates closely across all facets of People Inc.’s business including advertising sales & marketing, events, 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 People Inc.’s strong commitment to being data-driven and connected to our consumer. Your presence on the primary team will embody an environment of trust, curiosity, and openness to new ideas. Exploration and innovation are 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. This position is hybrid in-office, with the ability to work remotely for up to 2 days per week.

Requirements

Bachelor Degree from a 4-year university
5–7 years of quantitative and qualitative primary research experience across a range of methodologies and business disciplines, ideally in media or in fields related to entertainment, beauty/fashion or health
Strong organizational and project management skills
Flexible & able to pivot between projects & competing priorities
Proficiency with data tabs & analyzing complex data
Proven ability to translate research findings into clear, compelling narratives for both internal stakeholders and external audiences (e.g., advertisers, clients)
Hands-on experience with core primary research methods: surveys, focus groups, IDIs (in-person or virtual), online bulletin boards, and research panels
Familiarity with common insights approaches, including MaxDiff, Van Westendorp, Kano, etc.
Strong skills in building visually impactful presentations and infographics; you know how to make research feel like a story, not a technical report
A creative, experimental mindset — you're energized by trying new approaches, even when the outcome isn't guaranteed

Nice To Haves

Experience managing in-house research panels, including survey execution, member recruitment, and engagement best practices
Comfortable applying advanced analytics and statistical techniques (e.g., factor analysis, cluster analysis) to quantitative data
Experienced in assessing and mitigating data quality issues
Curious about, or actively experimenting with, AI tools to automate or streamline research workflows
Experience with sales & marketing research, content development, new product development, event research, pricing strategy, predictive market trends, or thought leadership
A genuine interest in entertainment/pop culture, beauty & style, and/or health

Responsibilities

Own the full lifecycle of primary research initiatives, from intake and scoping through fieldwork, analysis, and delivery.
Manage timelines, budgets, workflows, and cross-functional coordination across multiple concurrent projects.
Oversee external research vendors, ensuring methodological rigor, cost efficiency, quality control, and on-time execution.
Negotiate scope, manage contracts, and hold partners accountable to performance standards.
Proactively identify risks, streamline processes, and maintain clear stakeholder communication throughout.
Oversee the health, engagement, and performance of the Entertainment, Beauty & Style, and Health research panels.
Monitor recruitment quality, retention, engagement metrics, representativeness, and response quality.
Develop and implement strategies to sustain panel vitality and ensure panels remain scalable, reliable, and aligned with evolving research needs.
Translate business questions into rigorous, actionable research frameworks.
Partner closely with editorial, marketing, sales, and strategy teams to clarify objectives, shape hypotheses, and align research to commercial priorities.
Act as a trusted thought partner, ensuring research outputs inform decision-making and strengthen internal relationships.
Champion improvements in tools, methodologies, workflows & reporting to increase research agility, rigor, and efficiency.
Stay current on evolving best practices, including AI-assisted research approaches.