Head of Business-to-Business Customer and Market Research

3M•Maplewood, MN

21h•Onsite

About The Position

As the head of B2B Customer and Market Research, you will have the opportunity to tap into your curiosity and collaborate with some of the most innovative people around the world. In this role, you will lead the development of an enterprise-wide customer and market insights discipline, with a strong focus on B2B research. This leader will establish the vision, frameworks, and operating model for a modern insights function that delivers rigorous qualitative and quantitative research, enabling data-driven decisions across strategy, commercial operations, product development, and go‑to‑market execution. This role requires a seasoned expert with deep experience transforming customer understanding into strategic action, capable of working across senior leadership teams and driving measurable business impact.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or higher (completed and verified prior to start)
Ten (10) years of customer insights or market research experience in a private, public, government, or military environment
Must be legally authorized to work in country of employment without sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H1B status).

Nice To Haves

Experience in B2B markets including industrial, transportation, or technology sectors.
Demonstrated success advising senior business leaders and shaping commercial or go-to-market strategy through customer and market understanding.
Advanced skills in qualitative and quantitative research methods, including needs assessment, segmentation, customer experience, brand and value proposition analysis, and pricing-related research.
Experience leading large-scale, multi-market research programs and managing cross-functional internal and external delivery teams.
Proven ability to turn complex research into concise, actionable guidance for business decision makers.
Proven experience in identifying and managing best in class third party vendors specialized in quantitative and qualitative market research and surveys.
Strong track record building new capabilities, scaling research operations, and establishing enterprise research standards.
Experience working across a wide variety of industries such as industrial/manufacturing, retail, technology, and transportation.
Advanced degree required.
Multilingual capabilities and experience working in global research settings are beneficial.
Demonstrated leadership experience in coaching teams, driving knowledge sharing, and building organizational insight capabilities.

Responsibilities

Build and operationalize an enterprise insights capability encompassing customer needs analysis, segmentation, Voice of Customer programs, and value proposition research, customer journey understanding, and commercial‑related insights.
Create scalable and agile research approaches that balance speed with rigor, enabling rapid delivery of insights for high‑priority strategic decisions.
Lead end-to-end research programs, from design through analysis and synthesis, ensuring findings are distilled into clear recommendations with commercial relevance.
Embed insights into core business processes by partnering with commercial, marketing, product, analytics, and strategy teams.
Establish governance standards, research protocols, and vendor management structures to ensure high-quality, consistent delivery across the enterprise.
Oversee studies across a diverse set of markets, including highly specialized or niche industrial categories.
Lead and develop a team of insights professionals and third-party vendors/agencies and foster a culture of curiosity, analytical rigor, and business-oriented storytelling.
Create organizational capability through training, reusable tools, and knowledge systems that elevate insights maturity across functions.
Represent the insights function to senior executives and serve as a trusted advisor on customer behavior, market shifts, and emerging commercial opportunities.
Responsibilities of this position include that corporate policies, procedures and security standards are complied with while performing assigned duties.
Safety is a core value at 3M. All employees are expected to contribute to a strong Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) culture by following safety policies, identifying hazards, and engaging in continuous improvement.