Global Research Manager

Position Purpose: 

The Global Research Manager is responsible for designing, executing, and delivering high-quality internal and external research and market intelligence that supports business strategy, product development, marketing, content, and growth initiatives.

This role is highly hands-on and execution-focused, combining research excellence, market/CX insight, cross-functional collaboration, and storytelling. The Global Research Manager partners closely with internal stakeholders and external research partners to translate complex data into actionable insights for both internal and external audiences.

Primary Responsibilities:  

• Lead the end-to-end design, execution, and delivery of qualitative and quantitative research studies, including surveys, focus groups, interviews, experimental designs, and mixed-method approaches.
• Support both internal research (organizational, customer, learner, or program insights) and external research (market, industry, and topical studies).
• Lead and support market intelligence activities to track industry trends, customer needs, competitor offerings, and emerging opportunities across regions.
• Conduct ongoing market scans and competitive analysis, including positioning, pricing, product features, partnerships, and go-to-market approaches.
• Monitor macro, regulatory, workforce, and industry developments relevant to the organization’s focus areas.
• Synthesize market signals into clear, actionable intelligence that informs research priorities, product decisions, marketing strategies, and content planning.
• Develop concise market intelligence outputs such as briefs, snapshots, dashboards, and presentations for internal stakeholders.
• Lead external research to understand market dynamics, customer expectations, competitor positioning, and emerging opportunities.
• Monitor industry, regulatory, and macro-economic developments relevant to the business.
• Translate research into practical implications for strategy, product, learning, and go-to-market decisions.
• Collaborate across regions and functions to ensure insights are actionable and locally relevant.
• Support a dynamic topical research program, adapting research projects to evolving content and delivery needs.
• Translate complex research data into compelling, audience-appropriate narratives for both internal and external use.
• Create or oversee effective data presentation, including charts, infographics, dashboards, and reports.
• Write or support narrative analyses for use in reports, briefs, articles, and content marketing initiatives.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Marketing, Product, Content, Events, Sales, and other teams to align research initiatives with business needs.
• Drive the global research roadmap aligned to business priorities
• Track and evaluate the impact of research on business decisions, product development, and market performance
• Build and optimize research operations, including tools, processes, and knowledge management systems

*Provide outstanding customer service both internally and external, while performing other duties as assigned.

*Individuals may perform other duties as assigned, including work in other functional areas to cover absences or relief, to equalize peak work periods, or otherwise to contribute to the organization when needed.

Qualifications:

• MBA or Master’s in a research-related field strongly preferred; bachelor’s degree required.
• 7+ years of experience in research, insights, analytics, or market research roles
• Proven ability to manage research projects from inception to completion, including scoping, design, execution, quality control, and presentation.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities: 

• Deep understanding of research methodologies (qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods)
• Strong knowledge of market intelligence frameworks, competitive analysis, and trend forecasting
• Familiarity with global markets, regional nuances, and cross-cultural research considerations
• Understanding of market research, CX research, and competitive analysis
• Market intelligence and competitive benchmarking expertise
• Ability to work effectively with internal teams and external partners
• Knowledge of emerging tools and methodologies in market research.
• Experience with modern research and analytics ecosystems, including survey platforms (e.g., Qualtrics, Voxco, etc), data analysis tools (e.g., R, Python, SQL), and data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI). Familiarity with AI-enabled research tools, VoC platforms, and insight management systems is strongly preferred.

Supervisory Responsibilities: 

• n/a

Disclaimer - The above information on this job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job. Nothing in the job description constitutes an express or implied contract of employment or warranty of any benefits. Employment at WorldatWork is a voluntary employment-at-will relationship for no definite period of time.