Research Lead, Customer Insights

Salesforce•Atlanta, GA

14h

About The Position

Salesforce is seeking a Research Lead for its Customer Insights team, a key part of the marketing organization. This role is responsible for delivering objective, actionable insights to inform marketing strategy and external narrative. The Research Lead will manage research projects for two major programs: Buyer Insights, which guides Salesforce's go-to-market approach, and Thought Leadership, which shapes the company's public-facing narrative through major reports. This is a hands-on position requiring strong research skills, a deep curiosity about buyers and the market, and the ability to translate findings into impactful stories. Experience using AI to enhance research is essential.

Requirements

Strong foundation in primary research, with quantitative research being crucial and qualitative research being a plus.
Ability to design credible studies, interpret results honestly, and understand the limitations of data.
Experience using AI tools to build workflows and a clear perspective on their effectiveness.
Comfort with ambiguity and the ability to make progress in unclear situations, knowing when to escalate issues.
Genuine curiosity about buyers, business, technology, and the world.
Experience using AI to accelerate and enhance research work.

Nice To Haves

Qualitative research experience.
Bringing outside context into research findings.

Responsibilities

Lead and execute primary research for Buyer Insights, focusing on understanding Salesforce's buyers, their motivations, pain points, and decision-making dynamics to inform internal decision-making and strategic marketing.
Translate findings into recommendations for go-to-market strategy, product marketing, and competitive positioning.
Drive Thought Leadership Research Studies, managing the full lifecycle of major public-facing research projects, including large-scale annual reports.
Ensure findings for public-facing reports are accurate, compelling, and ready for external publication, working closely with PR and Marketing.
Design and execute mixed-method studies, translating business questions into research plans that utilize both qualitative and quantitative methods.
Manage external suppliers for most studies and conduct hands-on research when necessary, such as programming surveys or analyzing data.
Synthesize findings across buyer insights, thought leadership, and other team research to identify integrated conclusions.
Drive stakeholder alignment and research strategy by scoping studies with a clear point of view and communicating their value to stakeholders.
Proactively engage stakeholders to ensure research is scoped, prioritized, and positioned to drive real decisions.
Complement primary research findings with broader context, including competitive dynamics, industry trends, and buyer sentiment from media and social channels.
Utilize AI to stay informed about the market landscape and surface signals that enrich research.
Translate quantitative findings into clear, compelling data visualizations and narratives that communicate key insights ('so what') to any audience.
Leverage AI tools across the research lifecycle, including study design, analysis, synthesis, and storytelling, and share learnings with the team.
Manage day-to-day relationships with external research agencies and vendors, ensuring high standards of quality and on-time project delivery.