Research Director

Jackman Reinvents•Toronto, ON

1d•CA$140,000 - CA$160,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Jackman’s strategy team is persistent, thorough and creative in our pursuit of actionable human insights, from reviewing industry performance and best practices to conducting in-depth customer research. We don’t simply follow the market; we work to understand the cultural and societal context at the core of a business and turn that understanding into competitive advantage. The researchers on our team come from different backgrounds, but we share a passion for the mindset of consumers – how they feel, how they behave, and what drives them.

Requirements

A university degree (BA/BSc, MA/MSc, HBA/BComm) with strong academic performance.
8+ years in a leading research, insights or management consulting practice, with significant primary research experience.
A strong command of both qualitative and quantitative methods — including segmentation and multivariate analysis — and the judgment to identify the right approach for the objective at hand.
A track record of translating ambiguous questions into research that directly drives impact.
Proven ability to own and lead multiple workstreams and guide small teams, managing resourcing, timelines and budget.
A confident communicator and facilitator who is credible and compelling with senior audiences.
A genuine desire to develop others.
Curiosity about applying new approaches and tools — including AI — to improve process, paired with a deep respect for research as a craft.
Comfort operating within an environment of uncertainty, across functions, across industries, and with full end-to-end ownership.
Maintains a fastidious attention to detail.

Nice To Haves

Experience in retail, consumer-facing categories and B2B an asset.

Responsibilities

Own the research end to end. Lead the design, method selection, analysis and presentation across qualitative and quantitative studies — from ethnography and focus groups to segmentation and concept testing — while managing resourcing, timelines, budget and a zero-defect standard.
Translate ambiguity into structure. Turn business objectives and preliminary hypotheses into clear research plans that address the questions that matter most.
Generate insight that drives decisions. Run segmentation and multivariate analysis and craft client-tailored narratives, stress-tested against our proprietary customer, competitive and brand frameworks so conclusions carry real implications for a Reinvention.
Innovate our craft. Pilot new methods, tools and AI-led approaches, bringing fresh thinking rather than running the standard playbook and sharing what works with the team.
Partner cross-functionally and facilitate. Act as a thought partner to the Strategy, Creative and Activation teams, moderate qualitative fieldwork, facilitate working sessions and workshops, and present confidently to senior client and internal audiences.
Build strong relationships. Develop trusted relationships with working- and peer-level client stakeholders, identify opportunities for additional research, and support business development proposals and pitches.
Lead and develop the team. Coach and advise junior researchers as a formal advisor, and contribute new methods and tools that make research sharper, without compromising rigour.