Consulting Manager, Primary Research

Mintel is seeking a Consulting Manager who will be instrumental in the development and continuing innovation of Mintel’s consulting business. This individual will oversee a team of 3-5 Consultants that require mentoring and coaching primary research capabilities, including quantitative, qualitative, and field research methodologies, to weave tight and actionable strategic narratives into client deliverables.

In addition to client project responsibilities, You are a problem solver and strategic thinker who is able to direct Mintel’s people and the research we conduct toward helping our clients grow. You are experienced as a team builder, mentor, and functional expert, will contribute to the team’s vision, manage against KPIs, and motivate successful outcomes.

You should have at least 5 years of experience in a market research agency or consulting firm, specifically with quantitative and qualitative research methodologies and working knowledge of when and how to apply them to a given client challenge. You will be asked to demonstrate skills in critical thinking, be effective presenting to high-level executives, display poise under pressure, and be able to seamlessly shift from high altitude thinking to the tangible and practical.

This is a Hybrid position based in Chicago.

What You Will Be Doing:

• Leading a Team: You will manage a small team of direct reports, providing supervision, leadership and motivation. This will include:
  • Providing one-on-one mentoring, ensuring work meets client and industry expectations, and leads with insight.
  • Guiding employees in preparing reports that tell a “story,” clearly illustrating data graphically and summarizing findings in easily-understood writing.
  • Providing project direction and support to junior team members on the overall objectives of projects, as well as day-to-day support in getting projects complete.
  • Demonstrating how to analyze and combine data in new and different ways, guiding the team to think thoughtfully about the data collected to produce actionable results and to think strategically on how we can action on client objectives.
• Managing a Schedule of Deliverables: Alongside the Director, ensuring all projects are staffed appropriately, and delivered on time. This will include developing and implementing processes, policies, and procedures that improve our projects and deliverables.
• Driving Expansion for Consulting: Shaping and scaling the direction of our Consulting offering which will include building custom capabilities and use-cases that expand our suite of services and engagement with clients, ensuring analysis and insights meet internal standards, always striving to innovate and elevate.
• Collaborating Cross-Functionally: Liaising across the Consulting team as well as other departments of Mintel, ensuring that projects are staffed with the right project team mix and that relevant cross over and information about clients/other topics occur. You will have regular interaction with account management teams to ensure client expectations, project parameters, and timelines are understood. You will also work closely with accounting upon project completion to ensure budgets, invoices and accruals are accounted for.
• Building Client Relationships: You will facilitate strong relationships with client contacts to develop strategic business insights regarding the clients’ most important business issues/needs, both short and long-term, playing a role in developing new opportunities with existing clients. This includes asking meaningful, probing questions to understand clients’ business needs and developing projects and analyses based on our team’s Primary Research teams capabilities, to address their needs and influence project outcomes.
• Presentation Delivery: You will create/ deliver presentations focused on actionable business recommendations for our clients. You will generate informed and incisive recommendations, taking a problem solving approach and gaining recognition as a trusted advisor.

What We’re Looking For:

• A Leader: You are an experienced and passionate leader who can demonstrate a track record of proficiency tracking and optimizing team utilization, efficiency, managing to KPIs, and growth planning
• Commercially-Minded: You have an instinct for commercial opportunities, develop and expand client relationships, develop business, and will drive Mintel’s value proposition
• Consumer-Led: You have a demonstrated talent for spotting trends and patterns in the data, and a nuanced understanding of consumer insights
• Strategists: You are a lateral thinker, an intuitive dot-connector, and have experience weaving compelling narratives through data across a wide range of categories
• Data-Driven: You have a strong familiarity with most forms of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies and working knowledge of when and how to apply them to a given client challenge. You should have expertise working with complex data sets. Strong data analysis and Excel skills a must. Experience with tools such as Q, SPSS, SAS or other cross-tabulation and statistics tools is required
• Naturally Curious: You are always drawn to knowing the “why” behind things and great at navigating client conversations, asking second and third level questions to get at the heart of clients’ challenges and goals
• Coach: You have expertise in primary research methodologies and experience in leading strategy and process, and the energy, intellect, humility, and passion that draws people to want to learn more from you
• Great Communicators: You are able to visualize strategic thought in evocative and engaging presentations, delivered with confidence and authority and can adapt your communication style to suit each client and internal business partner
• Collaborators: You take pride in the team you are a part of and the work you produce. Cultivating professional relationships with your colleagues is important and you are constantly finding innovative and unique ways to create an exceptional work environment

Equal Opportunity Employer: Race/Color/Sex/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/Religion/National Origin/Disability/Vets

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