Sr DIR, Client Sales & Insights

Our Critical Sales Skills

At the heart of our commercial success is a team of professionals who combine strategic insight, customer-centricity, and executional excellence. These skills represent the core capabilities required to drive value for our clients and sustainable growth for our business.

• Effectively Presents Solutions: Delivers tailored, compelling solutions that align with customer needs and drive action.
• Knows the Buying Influences: Identifies key decision-makers and understands their motivations and influence.
• Manages Buyer Indifference: Recognizes and explores customer hesitation to uncover new needs or opportunities.
• Understands Customer Needs: Operates as a recognized expert to articulate customer needs in the customer's business language and business context.
• Being Resilient: Bounces back from setbacks with composure and positivity; helps others stay productive during tough times.
• Manages Ambiguity: Stays focused and calm in uncertain situations; guides others through change.

What will you be doing?

The Sr. Director, Client Sales & Insights serves as a strategic partner to senior client stakeholders, translating complex business questions into insight-led solutions that drive measurable growth and strengthen Circana's value across the account.

This role combines deep data expertise, commercial acumen, and consultative problem solving to deliver actionable recommendations and expand solution penetration. The Sr. Director works directly with client-side Analytics teams, serving as a bridge between technical outputs and business application, ensuring alignment on methodologies, assumptions, and implications.

The ideal candidate is highly proficient working with complex datasets, able to independently structure analyses, diagnose performance drivers, and translate outputs into clear, compelling business narratives. This leader proactively identifies unmet client needs, scopes high-impact analyses, and connects insights to revenue-driving opportunities, while mentoring team members and elevating overall quality, rigor, and storytelling.

Location: This is a hybrid position located in Chicago, IL. You will be required to work onsite 2 days a week in our Chicago, IL office.

Job Responsibilities

• Drive Client Growth: Proactively identify and pursue opportunities by linking insights to client business challenges, expanding solution adoption, and contributing to contract growth and renewal strategy.
• Lead Problem Definition & Scoping: Define and structure ambiguous business questions into clear analytical plans, aligning on objectives, deliverables, and success criteria upfront to reduce rework and improve efficiency.
• Own Insight Development End-to-End: Design and deliver fact-based analyses that integrate multiple data sources into clear, actionable recommendations tied to business outcomes and growth.
• Translate Advanced Analytics to Business Impact: Partner directly with client Analytics teams to interpret complex analyses and modeled outputs, ensuring accurate application and clear translation into business implications.
• Deliver Insight-Led Solutions: Translate complex datasets into compelling, executive-ready narratives that influence decisions and drive measurable results.
• Build Strategic Relationships: Develop and maintain strong relationships with senior client stakeholders, influencing decision-making through data-driven recommendations and executive-level communication.
• Collaborate Cross-Functionally: Partner with internal teams (Client Insights, Product, Analytics) to deliver integrated solutions and ensure successful execution.
• Champion Client Success: Proactively address client challenges, identify opportunities, and ensure consistent delivery of high-value insights and solutions.
• Elevate Team Output: Set standards for analytic rigor, storytelling, and deliverable quality; coach team members to improve output and reduce rework.
• Bring a Point of View: Proactively introduce new ideas, perspectives, and thought leadership to shape client strategy beyond stated needs.
• Act as a Strategic Contributor to Account Growth: Support renewal efforts, expand solution penetration, and drive measurable commercial impact through insight-led recommendations.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required in Business, Marketing, Analytics, Economics, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 8-12+ years of relevant experience in client leadership, category management, consumer/shopper insights, analytics, sales strategy, or consultative account management within CPG, retail, syndicated data, or adjacent industries.
• Experience working in a large, matrixed organization with multiple stakeholders and cross-functional partners.
• Proven ability to influence stakeholders, manage ambiguity, and lead complex workstreams in a fast-paced client environment
• Experience working in cross-functional, matrixed organizations
• Proficiency in PowerPoint and Excel required; experience with syndicated data and analytics platforms such as Circana/IRI, NielsenIQ, retailer POS, panel, shopper, or category tools preferred.
• Prior experience with Circana tools, processes, or a similar analytics environment preferred.

Data & Analytics Expertise

• Deep expertise working with syndicated and modeled datasets, with the ability to interpret methodologies, diagnose performance drivers, and translate outputs into business implications
• Proven ability to integrate multiple data sources into a cohesive, actionable view of performance
• Strong ability to independently structure analyses and derive insights from large, complex datasets
• Ability to translate complex analytical concepts into clear, simplified narratives for non-technical stakeholders
• Experience partnering directly with advanced analytics teams to align on approaches, validate findings, and elevate insight quality

Circana Behaviors

As well as the technical skills, experience and attributes that are required for the role, our shared behaviors sit at the core of our organization. Therefore, we always look for people who can continuously champion these behaviors throughout the business within their day-to-day role:

• Stay Curious: Being hungry to learn and grow, always asking the big questions.
• Seek Clarity: Embracing complexity to create clarity and inspire action.
• Own the Outcome: Being accountable for decisions and taking ownership of our choices.
• Center on the Client: Relentlessly adding value for our customers.
• Be a Challenger: Never complacent, always striving for continuous improvement.
• Champion Inclusivity: Fostering trust in relationships engaging with empathy, respect, and integrity.
• Commit to each other: Contributing to making Circana a great place to work for everyone.

Location

This position can be located in the following area(s): Chicago, IL

The below range reflects the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future. An employee's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, shift, travel requirements, sales or revenue-based metrics, any collective bargaining agreements, and business or organizational needs. The salary range for this role is $135K to $150K.

This job is also eligible for bonus pay.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.

You can apply for this role through the Circana careers website or Intranet site for internal candidates. This role is subject to AI-assisted screening. Circana uses artificial intelligence (AI) to assess resumes for alignment with job requirements by helping locate details in resumes that relate to the job description.

This position is expected to remain open for approximately 30 days and may close earlier if sufficient qualified candidates are identified.

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