Director of Shopper Insights

Mars•Chicago, IL

9d•$153,600 - $211,200•Onsite

About The Position

Mars Snacking's Human Intelligence function is rebuilding how the company understands and acts on shopper behavior — this Director owns that agenda for Shopper Insights. You'll run the team turning data such as Nielsen/Numerator, retailer, and custom research into insights driven recommendations that shape category strategy, retailer negotiations, and portfolio decisions across a portfolio of 40+ brands including iconic brands such as Snickers, M&M’s, Pringles, Cheez Itz and many more. You'll report to the VP of Human Intelligence and sit at the table for key JBP’s, strategic and tactical agendas.

Requirements

7+ years of end-to-end consumer insights or market research experience within consumer packaged goods (CPG), FMCG, or retail.
Proven track record of delivering research-driven recommendations adopted by VP/SVP-level executives to drive product launches, category strategies, or brand positioning.
4+ years of hands-on experience designing and executing both qualitative (e.g., focus groups, IDIs, ethnographies) and quantitative (e.g., concept testing, conjoint, segmentation) research studies.
Demonstrated proficiency in extracting and interpreting data from major retail and shopper panel platforms (e.g., NielsenIQ, Circana/IRI, Numerator).
Demonstrated experience presenting strategic findings directly to VP/SVP leadership and cross-functional business partners (e.g., Brand Marketing, Sales, R&D).
Documented history of influencing strategic decision-making and resource allocation through data synthesis.
2+ years of direct people management experience, with accountability for hiring, coaching, and developing a team.

Nice To Haves

AI-assisted synthesis of data at scale

Responsibilities

Shape category and sales strategy for senior leadership using shopper learning — not just present findings but change decisions.
Own the shopper-behavior input to annual planning and, when they arise, acquisition diligence — sizing target customer bases and quantifying overlap/risk.
Set the team's research agenda across syndicated (Nielsen/Numerator), retailer partner data (Kroger, etc.), and custom qual/quant.
Push the team's methods forward — shopper journey mapping, decision hierarchies, and increasingly, AI-assisted synthesis of data at scale (we're actively building this into the function).
Sit directly in retailer conversations alongside Sales & Category teams, providing the insight that influence the decisions.
Co-design assortment, shelving, and promotional strategy with Category Management.
Feed R&D's innovation pipeline with shopper-truth, not just data dumps.
Own the shopper insights budget and prioritize the portfolio of research against business impact — you decide what doesn't get funded, not just what does.
Report impact in terms the business tracks: dollars, share, decisions changed.
Lead, coach, and grow 3 direct reports and a total team of 5 while sitting on the leadership team of a broader Human Intelligence function.
Build a bench — this function is scaling, and this role will invest in developing a team of impactful associates and leaders.