Sr. Director, Brand Research

Who Are We?

Taking care of our customers, our communities and each other. That’s the Travelers Promise. By honoring this commitment, we have maintained our reputation as one of the best property casualty insurers in the industry for over 170 years. Join us to discover a culture that is rooted in innovation and thrives on collaboration. Imagine loving what you do and where you do it.

Marketing

Compensation Overview

The annual base salary range provided for this position is a nationwide market range and represents a broad range of salaries for this role across the country. The actual salary for this position will be determined by a number of factors, including the scope, complexity and location of the role; the skills, education, training, credentials and experience of the candidate; and other conditions of employment. As part of our comprehensive compensation and benefits program, employees are also eligible for performance-based cash incentive awards.

Salary Range

$139,400.00 - $230,000.00

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At Travelers, Market Researchers collaborate across the company to inform business decisions, drive winning go-to-market strategies, and enable the business to capitalize on change. They provide strategic consulting and actionable insights; helping the business grow profitably, build the Travelers brand, and positively position the company in the marketplace. As a Senior Director of Brand Research, you lead the enterprise Brand Research practice, providing strategic direction and oversight for a portfolio of brand, marketing, and creative insights programs. You conduct and oversee complex, high-exposure research to understand the needs, behaviors, attitudes, and expectations of key target audiences including customers, prospects, and distribution partners. You serve as the enterprise subject matter expert on brand insights and marketing effectiveness, partnering with brand management, advertising, and marketing leaders to ensure insights drive creative development and campaign execution. You work collaboratively with cross-functional teams and senior leadership to ensure research aligns to business objectives and delivers decision-ready recommendations. This role has people leadership responsibilities.

What Will You Do?

• Oversee and conduct high complexity/exposure qualitative and quantitative primary research projects from initial scoping to final report generation and presentation on assigned brand, marketing, and creative insights topics, requiring mastery of sophisticated qualitative and quantitative market research methods, documentation, and tools.
• Lead enterprise-wide brand, marketing, and creative insights programs, including brand health tracking, creative and copy testing, sponsorship measurement, and content marketing impact; own the enterprise brand and marketing insights agenda end to end, from primary research design and fielding through synthesis of secondary/syndicated sources to decision-ready recommendations.
• Use a wide range of methodologies and sources to synthesize research findings into clear and actionable insights to support senior leadership decision-making.
• Develop highly complex research projects and associated deliverables, including documentation such as proposals, project plans, data specs, and final reports; act as a strategic consultant and frequently present findings to leadership. May recommend further research based on outcomes.
• Manage timelines and resources effectively across multiple projects, with minimal management support as needed. Identifies and advocates for resources, as necessary.
• Assess accuracy, credibility, and appropriateness of data while ensuring quality standards are met by the entire team; establish quality control practices across assigned staff and monitor for timely, high-quality delivery of outcomes.
• Serve as Engagement Lead for one or more businesses or corporate functions; represent the unit at interdepartmental and governance meetings.
• May lead one or more department-wide initiative; drive departmental goals and represent the Brand Research practice to senior management.
• Provide strategic guidance, mentorship, and coaching across the department in collaboration with peers; drive hiring, performance management, coaching, and development of staff within the assigned unit, fostering a high-performance culture.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What Will Our Ideal Candidate Have?

• 8 or more years of market research or related work experience.
• 3 or more years of leadership/management experience in brand equity/brand health tracking, creative and copy testing and campaign measurement research.
• Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, economics, mathematics, psychology, anthropology, or comparable analytical degree.
• MBA, Master of Research, or other advanced degree.
• Deep understanding of industry-standard brand equity and brand health models and vendor offerings (e.g., Ipsos, Kantar, Nielsen); experience partnering with brand, advertising, marketing, and media/agency stakeholders and managing specialized external research vendors and syndicated trackers.
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office products.
• Self-motivated.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate information clearly and effectively, exhibiting an understanding of the audience and tailoring messaging appropriately.
• Highly effective collaboration skills, including with vendors, business partners, and leaders.
• Expert ability to create and cultivate relationships and use them to inform business outcomes.
• Deep knowledge of business and/or insurance concepts. Financial Services/P&C experience.
• Expert knowledge of, and experience conducting, primary research, including research techniques, research design, survey and discussion guide development, data tabulation specifications, analysis and interpretation of research data, and data visualization and insights reporting.
• Expert ability to analyze multiple, disparate data sets to derive conclusions and/or research recommendations.

What is a Must Have?

• 6 years of market research or related experience.