Market Research Strategy & Execution Manager

The Impact You Will Have:

We have an exciting opportunity for a Market Research & Insight Consultant Manager position at BlueCross BlueShield of MN! This position will lead market research initiatives and strategic alignment processes to expand customer experience (CX) insights across the organization and support cross-functional activation. You will identify strategic research opportunities, co-develop comprehensive learning plans, lead research deployment, manage research vendor engagements, develop actionable insights, curate insights summaries for socialization, inform activation strategies, and provide thought leadership to internal partners. You will leverage your expertise in customer experience to delve deeply into customer needs and inform opportunities to transform the customer experience. This is a high visibility role with room for growth!

A Day in the Life:

• Leads primary market research by developing research designs, leveraging robust quantitative and qualitative methodologies, managing vendor engagements when applicable, analyzing results, and developing reports and presentations to internal clients and senior leadership. 
• Co-develops learning plans and leads deployment agendas for each line of business, research calendars, and quarterly research summaries to ensure strategic alignment and member understanding across teams. 
• Translates research findings into actionable insights and recommendations. Informs and supports socialization strategies to activate key stakeholders across the company. 
• Collaborates with cross-functional teams and CX partners to inform activation strategies and measure experience improvement impacts. 
• Develops and maintains expertise in a wide variety of research methods (e.g., interviewing, surveys, focus groups, online panels, segmentation, usability, ethnography studies, UX, journey mapping, etc.). and applies the most effective combination to meet strategic objectives. 
• Establishes and manages a pool of high-quality research vendors with a broad range of approaches and expertise. Guides vendor engagements and seeks out new capabilities in order to expand our toolset with best-in-class solutions. 
• Leverages secondary research to evaluate the market landscape. Researches and analyzes market characteristics, emerging issues, and trends to support primary research. 
• Manages multiple projects simultaneously with agility & flexibility (manage project timelines, budget, deliverables). 
• Maintains a research repository and related artifacts to support research operations for strategic activation and data informed decision-making.

Nice to Have:

• Bachelor's degree.
• Masters degree preferred.
• Healthcare insurance experience preferred

Required Skills and Experiences:

• 7+ years of related professional experience. All relevant experience including work, education, transferable skills, and military experience will be considered. 
• 2+ years health plan, health care or retail health experience. 
• Ability to lead end-to-end research processes and delivery to internal stakeholders. 
• Solid quantitative and qualitative primary research expertise on various research applications including segmentation, large tracking studies, focus groups, product development, brand tracking, advertising research and ideation. 
• Ability to derive insights from data and information to inform the organization. 
• Proven track record at building recommendations that leverage customer knowledge to drive business strategy and success. 
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; experience presenting strategic insights to Executive Leadership. 
• Demonstrated presentation and storytelling skills to all audience levels. 
• Ability to lead complex projects and influence cross-functional partners. 
• Collaborative mindset and attention to detail. 
• Proficient in MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Access applications. 
• Working knowledge of market research vendors and methodologies

We offer a comprehensive benefits package which may include:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance 
• Life insurance 
• 401k 
• Paid Time Off (PTO) 
• Volunteer Paid Time Off (VPTO) 
• And more