Vice President, Research, Insights and Education

National Association of Convenience Stores•Alexandria, VA

23d•$300,000 - $425,000•Onsite

About The Position

Reporting to the President and CEO and serving on the Executive Leadership team, the Vice President, Research, Insights and Education leads NACS’s research, education and professional development strategy. The role ensures NACS remains a definitive source of knowledge, benchmarking and professional development for the convenience and fuel retailing industry. The successful candidate will combine analytical rigor with commercial and member-service orientation to elevate research and benchmarking products, deepen member and industry insight, modernize the education portfolio, and use technology and data to advance the organization’s strategic plan. The position oversees the NACS State of the Industry offerings, consumer and retail insights research, the business intelligence and data analytics platform, NACS education and executive development programs across events, executive education partnerships with universities, and relationships with data, insights and thought-leadership organizations. The role leads research, analytics and insights; develops and manages education and professional development programs; represents NACS and its research externally; builds strategic partnerships and consulting opportunities; manages the relevant annual budget; and leads adoption of new research products, data platforms and education offerings. This is an in-office position with Work from Anywhere days, approximately 10% travel, and a salary range of $300,000–$425,000 annually. Compensation is commensurate with experience and other relevant qualifications.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
Strong understanding of retailer financial reporting, relevant ratios and measures of financial position.
Strong grasp of statistical reporting and insight-generation methods and principles.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, supported by effective data visualization.
Experience in data analytics, consulting, retail or consumer products, with a background in analysis and insight generation.
Ability to travel extensively to engage stakeholders, deliver presentations and pursue business development opportunities.
Mastery of Microsoft Office Suite and relevant statistical, analytical and presentation software.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Own the NACS State of the Industry enterprise platform, ensuring data quality, timeliness, credibility and relevance.
Set the multiyear research agenda in alignment with the NACS strategic plan and member needs.
Expand the benchmarking portfolio, including human resources and talent benchmarking and category and merchandising performance.
Lead consumer insights research on shopper behavior, purchase decisions, demographics and emerging trends.
Translate research and data into actionable insights, trend reports and strategic guidance for member retailers, suppliers and NACS leadership.
Develop and commercialize insights and business intelligence products and services.
Represent NACS research to media, analysts, government bodies and industry stakeholders.
Support association advocacy through data collection and interpretation on industry issues.
Oversee the methodology, collection, processing, interpretation, data warehousing and presentation of NACS industry data, and manage research deliverables against deadlines.
Serve as staff liaison to the NACS Research Committee and work with it to identify industry performance, trends and broader developments affecting the retail channel.
Gather and report additional data to support NACS advocacy and consulting activities.
Partner with data and analytics partners to strengthen and expand NACS market data offerings.
Own the strategy and development of the NACS education portfolio, including education programming at NACS events, summits and topical forums.
Lead and manage the Education team, setting priorities, assigning responsibilities, supporting team development and ensuring effective execution.
Provide expert interpretation of industry data through events, presentations and other formats.
Lead NACS executive education partnerships and expand access to leadership and management development.
Oversee the NACS webinar program and other ongoing learning offerings.
Identify education formats and delivery channels, including in-person, virtual and on-demand options.
Partner with the Transportation Energy Institute, NACS Foundation, Conexxus, retailers, suppliers, and academic and research institutions.
Serve as a visible, credible spokesperson for NACS research and industry education at conferences, in media and before policymakers.
Define data ownership, quality and governance standards for research and insights data in partnership with enterprise data governance efforts.
Champion the responsible use of artificial intelligence and automation in research analysis, insights delivery and education program design.
Ensure research, insights and education data feed executive dashboards and member-facing reporting consistently.
Lead business development for consulting and advisory services based on NACS data, insights and subject-matter expertise.
Work with stakeholder coalitions when research support is needed.
Develop and manage the annual research, insights and education budget, including event and vendor contracts.
Lead change management and adoption for new research products, data platforms and education offerings.
Balance rigor, member value, revenue generation and innovation across the research, insights and education portfolio.