R&D Product Strategy Analyst

Mesa Associates, Inc•Crown Point, IN

About The Position

Mesa seeks a R&D Product Strategy Analyst that supports an R&D initiative focused on evaluating and defining potential software-based (software as a service, software as a product) product offerings. The position will analyze existing tools, workflows, and service delivery models (e.g., dashboards, simple and automated Excel-based tools, reporting tools, process frameworks) to determine how these capabilities can be translated into scalable, repeatable, and potentially licensed product solutions. This role is structured for a 2–5 years’ experience in product development, consulting, business analysis, or strategy roles and will focus on research, feasibility, and strategic recommendations rather than development. This role is part time.

Requirements

2-5 years of experience in product development, consulting, business analysis, or strategy roles
Curiosity and a genuine interest in understanding how systems and ideas work
Investigative mindset with a natural inclination to question assumptions and explore alternatives
Ability to identify, analyze, and solve difficult problems related to the specialty area
Strong analytical and structured problem-solving skills
Ability to operate in ambiguous and evolving environments
Strong communication and executive-level presentation skills
Ability to connect business needs with technical concepts
Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to synthesize technical data into executive-level summaries
Completion of defined R&D deliverables across all phases (marketability, feasibility, cost)
Accuracy and quality of research outputs
Ability to translate ambiguous requirements into structured insights
Supporting leadership decision-making with data-driven recommendations

Nice To Haves

Experience working in startups, small teams, or early-stage product environments
Exposure to prototyping, proof of concept development, or R&D style work
Familiarity with Agile or iterative development approaches
Past working experience with Project Management principles, such as PMBOK.
PMP certification desirable but not required.

Responsibilities

Review existing deliverables (Power BI dashboards, workflows, templates, project controls tools)
Identify repeatable patterns and opportunities for standardization or productization
Document current-state vs potential future-state solutions
Identify industries and clients utilizing similar tools (utilities, engineering consulting, etc.)
Analyze competitors offering SaaS/SaaP or workflow-based solutions
Evaluate market demand and potential adoption barriers
Work with internal SMEs (data/dev/BI resources) to validate technical feasibility
Evaluate whether solutions should remain within MS365 ecosystem or move toward standalone platform
Develop high-level cost, effort, and scalability estimates
Produce structured reports, dashboards, and presentations summarizing findings
Present recommendations to leadership on product viability
Support development of go/no-go decision materials