Position: Senior Consumer Insights Strategist
Compensation: Commensurate with Experience
Location: Chicagoland Area
Contact: Daniel Wilberschied - dwilberschied@smithhanley.com 
 

About the Role:
We are seeking a strategic and commercially minded Consumer Insights professional to lead and drive the consumer centricity and insights agenda in support of long-term enterprise strategy. This role focuses on uncovering actionable insights that inform growth opportunities and influence strategic planning across multiple markets and zones.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the development and execution of consumer insights for long-term (10-year) enterprise strategy and innovation initiatives.

• Discover, define, and deliver actionable consumer insights that support business growth and strategic priorities.

• Serve as a strategic partner and coordinator across zones for local market consumer-led situation assessments and planning.

• Collaborate with global and local teams to identify, develop, and deploy best practices, frameworks, and tools for consistent consumer and business understanding (e.g., brand health, consumer segmentation, demand spaces).

• Support the development and rollout of consumer insight training programs and ad hoc insight initiatives aligned with business priorities.

• Communicate insights effectively through storytelling, reports, and presentations to influence stakeholders at all levels, including executives.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required; MSc or MBA is a plus.

• Proven experience in strategic consumer insights or research within consumer goods, FMCG, retail, or related industries.

• Strong knowledge of qualitative, quantitative, syndicated, and agile research methodologies and their business applications.

• Experience managing insights across a portfolio of products, preferably on the manufacturer/client side.

• Ability to translate complex data into clear, actionable insights that drive consumer understanding and business impact.

• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to tell compelling stories that resonate across diverse audiences.

• Strong commercial acumen with advanced analytical capabilities.

• Demonstrated influence and collaboration skills, able to work independently and as part of a global team.

• Results-driven, agile, proactive, and comfortable leading with minimal supervision.