Global Director of Research & Insights

Company Description

Sandisk understands how people and businesses consume data and we relentlessly innovate to deliver solutions that enable today’s needs and tomorrow’s next big ideas. With a rich history of groundbreaking innovations in Flash and advanced memory technologies, our solutions have become the beating heart of the digital world we’re living in and that we have the power to shape.

Sandisk meets people and businesses at the intersection of their aspirations and the moment, enabling them to keep moving and pushing possibility forward. We do this through the balance of our powerhouse manufacturing capabilities and our industry-leading portfolio of products that are recognized globally for innovation, performance and quality.

Sandisk has two facilities recognized by the World Economic Forum as part of the Global Lighthouse Network for advanced 4IR innovations. These facilities were also recognized as Sustainability Lighthouses for breakthroughs in efficient operations. With our global reach, we ensure the global supply chain has access to the Flash memory it needs to keep our world moving forward.

Job Description

Global Director of Research & Insights

The Global Director of Research & Insights (R&I) is a new position within Sandisk’s Global Consumer Insights & Analytics (“CIA”) function. The mission of CIA is to enable our “Consumer at the Center” strategy, by driving consumer centricity into decision-making that drives company growth. This Global R&I Director and their team will be the leading voices in defining, executing, and delivering insights from research across the Sandisk Consumer product portfolio. Just as importantly, this role will work across Product, Marketing & Media, Global Sales, and other groups at Sandisk to elevate the role that consumers play in shaping how we go to market.

We are seeking a strategic, results-oriented leader with a strong bias for action and a proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment. Our ideal candidate will be comfortable with ambiguity, and adept at distilling consumer research and market analyses into stories that cut through the clutter and drive action. You must possess strong leadership qualities, take ownership of the strategic consumer research & insights group and agenda for Sandisk, drive continuous improvement, establish best practices, and build strong partnerships across the organization.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Build a foundational consumer learning program at Sandisk, including best practices, vendor selection, and KPI identification,
• Develop and align specific consumer learning plans with the Global Head of CIA and the Consumer leadership team, by identifying and prioritizing key learning needs across the business,
• Partner with product, marketing, and design teams to translate insights into actionable product features and positioning,
• Work with your team to execute, analyze, and inspire action from foundational research projects in areas including brand health/equity, new idea development, product drivers, marketing performance, and more,
• Integrate just-in-time research and insights deliverables for new product innovation in line with decisions on investment and launch,
• Choose and nurture relationships with key suppliers/vendors for core research work, and
• Lead a team of R&I professionals globally to enable their growth and success.

Qualifications

REQUIRED:

• 10+ years relevant experience in a consumer-facing organization (technology, consumer electronics, or CPG industries preferred), with demonstrated abilities to translate business objectives into consumer learning plans, and to influence senior executives in broad business decisions based on consumer insights, and
• A broad mastery of the consumer research field and its tools and applications, including extensive experience in both deep qualitative research and quantitative research/data analysis, consumer-generated data, and market data.

SKILLS:

• Strong communication and relationship-building skills at executive levels, with the ability to interpret and summarize data to aid management in achieving strategic and operational goals,
• The ideal candidate will be a natural leader with excellent verbal/communications skills and a thoughtful and persuasive personal style,
• Ability to distill complex and at times contradictory consumer data and insights into compelling, data-based stories and recommendations,
• Confidence and presence collaborating with and presenting to executive staff,
• Ability to effectively manage projects; results-oriented and able to roll-up sleeves to accomplish critical tasks,
• Ability to lead a geographically dispersed team to deliver meaningful results on time and budget,
• A self-starter comfort