Market Research Manager – Toronto

To support the teams working on our exciting projects, we are looking to expand our small but growing 8-person in-house market research department with a Market Research Manager to support our Americas division. The role is primarily internal-facing with a focus on supporting consultants in their day-to-day market research activities. There is an opportunity for some external-facing activities which include providing strategic insight to our clients regarding our approach to market research and explaining various qualitative and quantitative methodologies.

As a Market Research Manager, you have advanced knowledge of market research methods and processes and are conversant in quantitative research design, interpretation, and analysis of results. Great candidates will have demonstrated high professional achievement and leadership skills in past roles. You work confidently and respectfully with colleagues at all levels, and value building strong relationships across the organization. You exhibit a proactive approach to work, show a desire to deliver above and beyond, and thrive in an environment of significant autonomy.

What Makes Us Special

• Become part of a unique entrepreneurial team. Think independently, use your initiative, and take some risks.
• Unlock the power of opportunity. Advance your career in a thriving company with a startup feel. We invest in your professional development every step of the way.
• Work in a values-driven culture. At Simon-Kucher, our vision is to become the world's leading growth specialist. Our values guide the way we do business and communicate our distinctiveness.
• Invest in your future. All US and Canadian employees enjoy 401(k) & RRSP benefits with company matching.
• Prioritize your health and well-being. We offer a competitive suite of health benefits to help keep you and your loved ones safe.
• Enjoy balance and flexible working. Be empowered to do your best work - whether it's from home or in the office.

How You Will Create An Impact

• Use your market research experience to help consultants execute quantitative (80%) and qualitative (20%) research for our Americas division.
• Advise and assist with execution of all phases of quantitative market research studies:
• Requests For Proposals
• Partner with consultants to define project objectives, scope, and research design that align with the client's business needs.
• Manage the bid solicitation, vendor selection, and vendor onboarding process on a project-by-project basis.
• Consult teams on screener development to ensure qualification criteria is clear and bias is minimized.
• Questionnaire Design
• Collaborate with consultants to understand project objectives, initial hypotheses, and client's strategic business problems; advise on research methods to best address these business questions.
• Directly draft and review survey questions to ensure compliance with general & firm-specific best practices, optimal respondent experience, and appropriate structure/flow to address research objectives.
• Create and provide relevant resources to assist teams in questionnaire development (e.g. survey examples, methodology primers, question banks, etc.).
• Consult with teams on conceptual, practical and analytical aspects of conjoint design (e.g. MaxDiff, CBC, ACBC).
• Programming Support
• Ensure survey documents are optimized for programming (e.g. programming notes are clear, logic is structured appropriately).
• Facilitate efficient survey programming by providing resources and ensuring adherence to standard processes.
• Leverage your survey experience to act as a liaison between programmers and consultants.
• Train consultants on how to leverage self-serve functionality of survey programming platforms (Qualtrics, Sawtooth's Discover platform).
• Fieldwork Management
• Ensure alignment between vendors, programmers, client stakeholders, and internal teams in setting up and launching surveys.
• Coach consultant project teams on soft launch review process and conduct soft launch reviews.
• Assist teams with creating data quality plans to scrub bad data and ensure highest quality output.
• Assist teams with troubleshooting fielding issues and monitoring fieldwork progress.
• Analysis Support & Consultation
• Coach teams on S-K-specific best practices in survey analysis.
• Conduct demos with teams on internal analysis tools.
• Answer questions and advise teams on best practices on advanced analyses such as MaxDiff and conjoint.
• Other Responsibilities
• Act as a coach/mentor to new or less experienced consultants and market research support staff, including management of three market research coordinators.
• Manage existing market research vendor relationships and proactively seek out and build relationships with new partners to fill strategic needs.
• Help drive the future of the Market Research Center of Excellence and the company by contributing to the documentation, standardization, and continual improvement of firm-specific market research processes.

Your Profile

The ideal candidate will have prior market research experience and a deep understanding of qualitative and quantitative research methods. More specifically we're looking for someone with the following profile:

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 5+ years of direct market research experience (supplier side experience an asset, particularly expert networks).
• Hands-on experience designing, implementing, and presenting results from a range of primary and/or secondary market research methodologies.
• Experience with various quantitative research methods (design, execution, and analysis): Conjoint (DCM, ACBC), MaxDiff, crosstabs, cluster/segmentation analysis, market simulator development.
• Conceptual understanding is sufficient; training will be provided.
• Ability to understand complex business issues and advise on actionable research methods to help address them.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (particularly Excel).
• Strong technical and analytical skills.
• Entrepreneurial and proactive attitude.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with AI tools such as ChatGPT, AlphaSense, or other AI-driven tools to facilitate research design, execution and analysis.
• Understanding of market research programming platforms (e.g. Qualtrics, Decipher/Forsta, Sawtooth).
• Proficiency with other analytical tools (e.g. Tableau, SAS, SPSS, STATA, etc.).
• Experience using Lighthouse Studio/Sawtooth.
• Previous people management experience desired.

Total compensation for this role includes a base salary, performance bonus, eligibility for annual merit-based increases, and a comprehensive benefits package. The base salary range for this position in Toronto is $100,000-$105,000 CAD/year. Specific compensation within these ranges will depend on factors such as experience, skills, and location. Salary ranges are reviewed periodically to ensure alignment with market conditions.

Benefits for eligible employees include paid time off, 13 paid holidays per year, medical insurance, basic life insurance, and RRSP to eligible employees.

About Simon-Kucher

Simon-Kucher is a global consultancy with more than 2,200 employees in 30+ countries. Our sole focus is on unlocking better growth that drives measurable revenue and profit for our clients. As a trusted commercial advisor, we combine deep consulting expertise, growth specialization, and technology to scale impact. We optimize every lever of commercial strategy - product, pricing, innovation, marketing, sales, and digital - based on deep insights into what customers value and are willing to pay for. With over 40 years of experience in monetization, we are regarded as the world's leading commercial growth and pricing specialist.