Director, Research & Consumer Insights

Are you interested in joining a team of go-getters dedicated to serving and uplifting the community? Join Detroit Pistons team and our mission to empower our community!

The Director of Research & Consumer Insights is a key leader within the Business Intelligence team, accountable for transforming fan, partner, and market data into actionable insights that drive revenue across Corporate Partnerships and digital performance marketing. This role is responsible for uncovering actionable insights about our fans, customers, and marketplace to inform marketing, corporate partnerships, and business strategy. The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker with a passion for turning data into stories that influence key business decisions. 

Responsibilities:

Leadership & Collaboration:

• Lead, mentor, and develop the Consumer Insights team; set goals, uphold excellence, and promote innovation.
• Act as a strategic partner to Sales Leadership, Partnership Activation, Marketing and Ticketing, presenting insights to senior stakeholders in persuasive, executive-ready formats.
• Partner within the larger Business Strategy & Analytics function to drive database growth, operational efficiency, and integrated measurements across properties.

Research Strategy:

• Design and implement a comprehensive research plan and roadmap to support organizational goals.
• Lead qualitative and quantitative research initiatives (surveys, focus groups, panels, intercepts) to uncover drivers of purchase, loyalty, and engagement across ticketing, membership, retail/merch, and content.
• Translate complex findings into clear, actionable insights that inform go-to-market strategy, creative messaging, asset packaging, and partner storytelling.

Consumer Insights Development:

• Monitor consumer trends, behaviors, and preferences to identify growth opportunities.
• Translate complex data into clear, actionable insights that inform marketing, sales, and product strategies.
• Establish insight standards, playbooks, and SLAs for recurring deliverables, e.g., quarterly trend reports, consumer profiles and personas, and campaign readouts.

Partnership Analytics & Revenue Enablement:

• Identify sponsorship revenue opportunities at the asset, category, and prospect levels, craft compelling data stories and valuations for current and prospective partners.
• Conduct deep-dive analyses to address urgent business questions, e.g., partnership category trends, partner performance diagnostics, and audience growth opportunities.
• Assist in the development of persuasive narratives and sales enablement materials (proactive prospecting stories, partner recaps, category insights) that convert insights into revenue.
• Serve as the subject matter expert for asset measurement—including TV-visible signage, social media impact, and brand lift—to support pricing, packaging, and renewal/upsell strategies.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Partner with Marketing, CRM, and Partnership teams to integrate insights into campaigns and initiatives.
• Present findings to senior leadership and stakeholders in a compelling, data-driven manner.

Vendor & Tool Management:

• Manage relationships with research and insights vendors and oversee the selection/optimization of tools and platforms for data collection and analysis.

Performance Measurement:

• Establish KPIs for research projects and ensure timely delivery of insights that impact business outcomes.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, Statistics, or related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 7+ years of experience in consumer research, market insights, or related roles.
• Expertise in survey design, data analysis, and insight storytelling.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong communication and presentation skills with the ability to influence senior stakeholders.
• Proficiency in research tools and analytics platforms.
• Knowledge of corporate sponsorships within the sports & entertainment industry.
• Ability to operate in a fast past, high demand environment successfully managing multiple projects and stakeholders simultaneously.
• Overall positive and professional demeanor with a customer-oriented mindset.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.