Title: Growth Lead, Custom Research
Location: Remote, United States
Compensation: $150-170k + bonus
Contact: Lindsey Bartlett - lbartlett@smithhanley.com
This is not your typical sales role.
I’m partnering with a well-established organization in the life insurance and financial services industry looking for someone to lead the growth of its custom, primary research business.
The interesting part? You’re not building a book from scratch or spending your day cold calling.
This organization already has deep relationships with major financial services companies. The opportunity is to uncover where those existing clients have bigger business questions... and turn those questions into custom research engagements.
What you’ll do:
- Partner with account leaders to identify research opportunities within existing clients
- Lead consultative conversations with senior clients
- Translate business challenges into custom research solutions
- Shape qualitative and quantitative approaches alongside the research team
- Develop proposals, scope projects, establish pricing and close engagements
- Help internal teams recognize where additional research opportunities exist
- Own the commercial strategy and revenue growth for the custom research practice
Who we’re looking for:
- Strong market research background (this is important)
- Experience selling or growing custom research / insights engagements
- Solid understanding of both quantitative and qualitative methodologies
- Comfortable discussing research design and developing proposals
- Strong executive presence and client relationship skills
- Commercially minded, but collaborative (not a lone-wolf hunter)
- Life insurance, annuities, employee benefits or adjacent financial services experience strongly preferred
The sweet spot?
Someone who understands research deeply but has always gravitated toward the client, consulting and commercial side of the business.
You know how to hear a business problem, figure out what research could solve it, build the solution and get the client excited enough to buy it.
If that sounds like you (or someone you know) I’d love to connect.
