Sr. Director, Brand Research

Travelers • Hartford, CT

4d

About The Position

At Travelers, Market Researchers collaborate across the company to inform business decisions, drive winning go-to-market strategies, and enable the business to capitalize on change. They provide strategic consulting and actionable insights; helping the business grow profitably, build the Travelers brand, and positively position the company in the marketplace. As a Senior Director of Brand Research, you lead the enterprise Brand Research practice, providing strategic direction and oversight for a portfolio of brand, marketing, and creative insights programs. You conduct and oversee complex, high-exposure research to understand the needs, behaviors, attitudes, and expectations of key target audiences including customers, prospects, and distribution partners. You serve as the enterprise subject matter expert on brand insights and marketing effectiveness, partnering with brand management, advertising, and marketing leaders to ensure insights drive creative development and campaign execution. You work collaboratively with cross-functional teams and senior leadership to ensure research aligns to business objectives and delivers decision-ready recommendations. This role has people leadership responsibilities.

Requirements

• 6 years of market research or related experience.
• 8 or more years of market research or related work experience.
• 3 or more years of leadership/management experience in brand equity/brand health tracking, creative and copy testing and campaign measurement research.
• Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, economics, mathematics, psychology, anthropology, or comparable analytical degree.
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office products.
• Self-motivated.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate information clearly and effectively, exhibiting an understanding of the audience and tailoring messaging appropriately.
• Highly effective collaboration skills, including with vendors, business partners, and leaders.
• Expert ability to create and cultivate relationships and use them to inform business outcomes.
• Expert knowledge of, and experience conducting, primary research, including research techniques, research design, survey and discussion guide development, data tabulation specifications, analysis and interpretation of research data, and data visualization and insights reporting.
• Expert ability to analyze multiple, disparate data sets to derive conclusions and/or research recommendations.

Nice To Haves

• MBA, Master of Research, or other advanced degree.
• Deep understanding of industry-standard brand equity and brand health models and vendor offerings (e.g., Ipsos, Kantar, Nielsen); experience partnering with brand, advertising, marketing, and media/agency stakeholders and managing specialized external research vendors and syndicated trackers.
• Deep knowledge of business and/or insurance concepts.
• Financial Services/P&C experience.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and conduct high complexity/exposure qualitative and quantitative primary research projects from initial scoping to final report generation and presentation on assigned brand, marketing, and creative insights topics, requiring mastery of sophisticated qualitative and quantitative market research methods, documentation, and tools.
• Lead enterprise-wide brand, marketing, and creative insights programs, including brand health tracking, creative and copy testing, sponsorship measurement, and content marketing impact; own the enterprise brand and marketing insights agenda end to end, from primary research design and fielding through synthesis of secondary/syndicated sources to decision-ready recommendations.
• Use a wide range of methodologies and sources to synthesize research findings into clear and actionable insights to support senior leadership decision-making.
• Develop highly complex research projects and associated deliverables, including documentation such as proposals, project plans, data specs, and final reports; act as a strategic consultant and frequently present findings to leadership.
• May recommend further research based on outcomes.
• Manage timelines and resources effectively across multiple projects, with minimal management support as needed.
• Identifies and advocates for resources, as necessary.
• Assess accuracy, credibility, and appropriateness of data while ensuring quality standards are met by the entire team; establish quality control practices across assigned staff and monitor for timely, high-quality delivery of outcomes.
• Serve as Engagement Lead for one or more businesses or corporate functions; represent the unit at interdepartmental and governance meetings.
• May lead one or more department-wide initiative; drive departmental goals and represent the Brand Research practice to senior management.
• Provide strategic guidance, mentorship, and coaching across the department in collaboration with peers; drive hiring, performance management, coaching, and development of staff within the assigned unit, fostering a high-performance culture.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Health Insurance : Employees and their eligible family members – including spouses, domestic partners, and children – are eligible for coverage from the first day of employment.
• Retirement: Travelers matches your 401(k) contributions dollar-for-dollar up to your first 5% of eligible pay, subject to an annual maximum. If you have student loan debt, you can enroll in the Paying it Forward Savings Program. When you make a payment toward your student loan, Travelers will make an annual contribution into your 401(k) account. You are also eligible for a Pension Plan that is 100% funded by Travelers.
• Paid Time Off: Start your career at Travelers with a minimum of 20 days Paid Time Off annually, plus nine paid company Holidays.
• Wellness Program: The Travelers wellness program is comprised of tools, discounts and resources that empower you to achieve your wellness goals and caregiving needs. In addition, our mental health program provides access to free professional counseling services, health coaching and other resources to support your daily life needs.
• Volunteer Encouragement: We have a deep commitment to the communities we serve and encourage our employees to get involved. Travelers has a Matching Gift and Volunteer Rewards program that enables you to give back to the charity of your choice.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior