Staff Market Researcher

Thumbtack•San Francisco, CA

2d•$193,800 - $294,800

About The Position

Market Research at Thumbtack partners closely with marketing and product teams to serve as an advocate for our customers and pros. As a senior, genuinely mixed-methods researcher, you'll scope and run both qualitative and quantitative studies end to end — from brand, positioning, and message testing to strategic segmentation and product discovery — and turn them into insights that shape marketing strategy and key product decisions. You'll do this with a high degree of independence in a fast-paced environment, and you'll use AI fluently to work faster and at greater scale.

Requirements

10+ years of market research experience in fast-paced, consumer-facing organizations, with a track record of senior, staff-level independent impact.
Genuinely mixed-methods and hands-on with quant: you personally run surveys end to end — design, programming, fielding, weighting, and analysis — and bring a strong qualitative toolkit (e.g., in-depth interviews, focus groups, diary studies, unmoderated testing).
Deep expertise in survey design and analysis, segmentation, weighting and response effects, competitive analysis, and large-scale quantitative data, plus positioning, message testing, value proposition, and brand/advertising research.
High AI fluency: hands-on use of AI to accelerate and scale research, paired with the judgment to evaluate outputs critically and apply them responsibly.
Highly independent and influential: self-directed in scoping and driving studies to decisions with minimal oversight, with a track record of moving marketing and product decisions through research — including with skeptical stakeholders.
Proficiency with research tools (e.g., Qualtrics, dScout) and data analysis tools (e.g., SPSS, R, Python), and a strong grasp of when to apply qualitative vs. quantitative methods.
Degree in a human-behavior-related field (e.g., Market Research, Business, HCI, Economics, Psychology) or equivalent practical experience (MA/MS/PhD preferred), with excellent communication, influence, and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

Independently scope and run mixed-method studies end to end — including surveys you design, program, field, weight, and analyze yourself — ranging from strategic, exploratory work to tactical tests.
Partner closely with marketing, brand, product, design, and data science to identify high-impact research opportunities, and influence decisions.
Use AI tools across the research lifecycle (synthesis, analysis, instrument and guide drafting, reporting) to work faster and at scale, while critically evaluating AI outputs for accuracy and bias.
Turn qualitative and quantitative data into compelling, trustworthy stories through reports and presentations that influence direction at all levels of the company.
Choose the right method (or combination) for the problem — surveys, segmentation, brand and message testing, in-depth interviews, diary studies, unmoderated testing, and more.
Champion the needs of pros and customers, and bring an outside-in market and competitive perspective to how we position and communicate.