Manager, Consumer Insights

Ford • Dearborn, MI

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Strategic Manager, Customer Insights is a pivotal role responsible for owning the end-to-end delivery of strategic customer insights across assigned programs and initiatives. This individual synthesizes insights from diverse research sources, develops comprehensive Customer Insights Briefs, and ensures the voice of the customer inspires and guides product and solution development — from cycle plan inclusion through program launch.
This role serves as the primary on-site relationship manager with Ford Pro teams, partnering across both product, strategy and solution development to embed customer perspective at every stage of the process. The Strategic Manager owns, maintains, and evolves a suite of always-on customer insight tools, ensuring continuous visibility into customer needs and behaviors throughout the program lifecycle. They may also manage and mentor junior analysts.

Requirements

• 5-8 years of progressive experience in Marketing, Customer insights, Strategic Planning, or a related analytical role, preferably within the automotive or similar consumer-focused industry.
• Proven ability manage projects independently and deliver high quality strategic insights.
• Demonstrated collaboration and influencing skills, especially with cross-functional teams.
• Ability to communicate insights effectively across diverse audiences.
• Strategic Acumen and Business Orientation: Ability to connect granular customer insights to broader business objectives, market trends, and strategic initiatives. Ability to communicate the “so what” for business and customers.
• Insight Synthesis and Interpretation: Expertise in taking disparate pieces of information from different research sources and weaving them into cohesive, compelling, and actionable narratives. Ability to identify patterns, extract key themes, and draw meaningful conclusions.
• Communication and Storytelling: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills. Ability to make analytical findings and customer narratives into clear, concise, and impactful presentations for diverse internal audiences.
• Customer Empathy and Advocacy: A deep understanding of and ability to uncover deep customer needs, motivations, pain points, and behaviors, coupled with. Passion for championing the customer’s voice within the organization.
• Critical Evaluation and Analytical Thinking: Able to evaluate research methodologies and findings, identify potential biases, question assumptions, and ensure the robustness of insights and narratives.
• Research Design Consultation (not execution): An understanding of various qualitative and quantitative methodologies and their appropriate applications. Ability to provide clear guidance on research needs, objectives, and hypotheses to guide the research design process. Attend research and assist in the development of final research report.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree

Responsibilities

• Own individual customer insights projects from start to finish with minimal manager intervention, ensuring timely and high-quality delivery.
• Manage single complex projects or multiple smaller projects simultaneously, including prioritization and planning, to support various program needs.
• Take ownership over always on customer insight deliverables with frequent updates, maintenance and communications to stakeholders.
• Continue the development of our always-on resources that deliver on-demand Voice-of-the-Customer insights to working level teams and leadership
• Synthesize insights across multiple data sources (primary, secondary, internal, external) to create compelling stories and provide actionable recommendations.
• Develop comprehensive Customer Insights Briefs at program pick-off, serving as the foundational customer understanding for product development.
• Bring the customer to life with authentic and revealing insights that effectively inspire creative and engineering teams.
• Partner effectively with the full Product Execution Team (PM, Planning, Product, GMs, Marketing, etc.) throughout the GPDS lifecycle, ensuring customer insights are integrated into strategic decisions.
• Identify key learning gaps within programs and proactively leverage internal research tools and teams to close those gaps, guiding the direction of primary/secondary research as needed.
• Lead the dissemination of learnings on special topics (e.g., ADAS, BlueCruise, infotainment features, PT trends, capacitive controls, driving range, charging speed) to relevant stakeholders.
• Act as a project lead for internal or cross-functional teams on key insights initiatives.
• Potentially manage a GSR (Analyst) on specific projects, providing guidance, feedback, and support.

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage
• Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up child care and more
• Family building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility treatments, and more
• Vehicle discount program for employees and family members and management leases
• Tuition assistance
• Established and active employee resource groups
• Paid time off for individual and team community service
• A generous schedule of paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day
• Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees