Manager, Insights and Growth

Description

Job Summary:

The Manager, Insights and Growth identifies and validates growth opportunities by anticipating market and consumer shifts and converting research into clear, actionable recommendations for the business. This is a hands-on individual contributor role. The Manager conducts the research, runs the analysis, builds the business case, and partners across functions to test and validate concepts - then recommends where the organization should invest its time, talent, and resources. Final investment decisions rest with the Chief Marketing Officer and the executive leadership team.

Essential Functions:
• Research and identify emerging trends, unmet customer needs, and growth opportunities across current markets, segments, products, and services, as well as adjacencies and new spaces
• Conduct primary and secondary research - voice of customer, surveys, interviews, competitive analysis, and market sizing - and coordinate outside research partners as needed
• Monitor market, competitor, and KPI performance; translate findings into clear implications and recommendations
• Synthesize qualitative and quantitative data into business cases that leadership can act on
• Partner with Business Enablement to apply advanced and AI-enabled analytics for faster, better-informed decisions
• Apply and build capability in design thinking tools - journey maps, personas, prototypes, and usability testing - to shape consumer-centric concepts and experiences
• Design and run structured tests - hypothesize, test, measure, recommend kill or scale - to shorten the path from insight to validated concept
• Partner with Product Management, R&D, and Engineering on concept validation and prototyping of high-potential opportunities
• Document test results and recommend which opportunities merit continued investment and which should be retired
• Prepare the analysis and materials for quarterly innovation and portfolio reviews and the annual growth strategy refresh
• Maintain the opportunity pipeline - what has been tested, what is in flight, and what has been retired - giving leaders clear visibility into what is working and where the next investment should go
• Partner with Product Management, Marketing, R&D, Engineering, Sales, Finance, and Business Enablement / Analytics; present findings and recommendations to the executive leadership team
• Build strong working relationships across functions and bring partner teams into the research and testing process
• Share insights broadly in a usable, decision-ready form
• May direct the work of analysts, interns, or agency partners without formal reporting authority
• Own the Insights & Growth Scorecard measures and quarterly Rocks, and participate in Marketing L10 meetings
• Other duties as assigned.

Key Competencies:

• Critical Thinking: Ability to analyze information objectively and evaluate sources such as data, facts, observable phenomena, and research to make a reasoned judgment.
• Customer Focus: Builds a deep understanding of consumers, customers, and channel partners, and brings their voice into business decisions.
• Business Acumen: Understands how King makes money and connects insights to revenue, margin, and growth outcomes.
• Communicates Effectively: Turns complex findings into clear, concise stories and recommendations tailored to the audience, from partner teams to the executive leadership team.
• Bias for Action: Evaluates, acts, and communicates in a timely manner. Decisive, makes timely practical, effective decisions. Takes initiative without being asked.

Requirements

Job Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Economics, Analytics, Strategy, or a related field, or equivalent experience
• 5-8 years of progressive experience in consumer or market insights, strategy, innovation, analytics, or related disciplines
• Demonstrated track record contributing to consumer-centric, data-informed initiatives that produced measurable business outcomes (e.g., revenue, retention, NPS, customer experience)
• Strong ability to synthesize qualitative and quantitative data into clear, actionable business recommendations
• Experience designing and running structured experiments (e.g., concept tests, A/B or in-market tests) and converting results into business recommendations
• Experience presenting findings and recommendations to senior leaders
• Working fluency with analytics and research tools (e.g., advanced Excel, Power BI or Tableau, survey platforms such as Qualtrics) and AI-enabled research and synthesis tools
• Comfortable owning work end to end in a lean environment, from research design through final recommendation
• Advanced degree in a related field preferred
• Experience in marketing, eCommerce, retail, consumer insights, or innovation environments preferred
• Familiarity with design thinking, journey mapping, prototyping, and usability testing preferred
• Experience with syndicated data sources, research platforms, and survey tools preferred
• Some travel required
• Embrace and foster company values of Integrity, Excellent, Selfless, Safety and Courageous.