Senior Market Researcher

Vanguard is a client-owned investment company that offers low-cost mutual funds, ETFs, advice, and related services to institutional and individual investors, and financial professionals. The company works to reduce cost and complexity for all investors.

As part of Vanguard’s Corporate Marketing and Communications Team, the Senior Market Researcher provides valuable research services to Vanguard’s marketing and business teams to help them improve the client experience and grow Vanguard’s business. This Researcher consults with business partners, selects and manages research vendors, designs research approaches, conducts and manages research, develops insights and recommendations, and presents to senior leaders. Experience with advanced and innovative research methods is required. As a client-focused company, we take pride in having helped millions of clients accomplish their financial goals. Vanguard crew are driven to inspire, inform, and educate clients so they can cut through market noise and make the best choice for investment success. Employees at Vanguard benefit from career development opportunities, a policy of promoting from within, and workplace flexibility. In addition to gaining a stimulating and prominent role, you’ll be part of a company where doing the right thing isn’t just a tagline, it’s our passion.

* Serves as consultant to internal clients to understand underlying business issues and determine research methodologies to answer these business questions. Collaborates with business-unit Principals and Senior Managers and others involved in the specific project outlined. Designs and executes research to address business needs. * Works with team to integrate and disseminate data, research and analysis. Determines implications and recommends strategic direction to internal Vanguard decision makers. Assists with development of research surveys to meet study objectives. * Serves as key liaison to the businesses they support by tracking and refining research projects, providing thought leadership to the business to ensure programs are useful and necessary. Connects data elements across projects and programs that may be indicating a broader trend / need and should be elevated to more senior management. * Actively seeks to identify process improvements that could enhance the way insights are obtained, analyzed or stored, to reduce manual processes and continually seek to improve data accuracy, timeliness and actionability for the business. * Manages vendors as needed, identifying deliverables, collaborating on research, and ensuring accuracy and completeness of these deliverables. Manages the research budget for studies under their direction and coordinates in a timely manner with our internal budget manager to provide updates for Finance. * Supports the Client Insight dashboard, providing timely and accurate updates. * Coordinates work with Market Research-VOC team to ensure that a holistic, cross-business story is told in a concise, consistent manner to all business areas. * Participates in the development and implementation of business plan initiatives and strategic direction * Maintains knowledge of consulting and marketing research by manager mentoring, seminar attendance, and reading industry publications. Maintains knowledge of the financial services industry. * Participates in special projects and performs other duties as assigned.

* Undergraduate degree or an equivalent combination of training and experience. Graduate degree preferred (i.e. MBA, Masters in Market Research, Masters in Psychology, Masters in Marketing). * Minimum of five years progressively responsible and related work experience, including three years of successfully managing a variety of projects from beginning to end. * Internal and/or client facing experience required. Accustomed to consulting with and influencing senior leaders. * Strong planning, data collection, statistical analysis, and problem solving skills. * Competency with workflow and business process analysis. * Excellent verbal, written and presentation/ communication skills. * Mastery of Excel, working knowledge of related databases, and MS Office software including Access. Experience with SAS or SPSS preferred. * Demonstrated skills including negotiation, feedback, influence, change management, group facilitation, and meeting effectiveness. * Strong leadership and motivation skills to effectively manage the completion of responsibilities and objectives. * Flexibility, judgment and time management skills. * Ability to work quickly and independently with attention to detail and sensitivity to deadlines. * Ability to effectively manage multiple priorities.