Lean Researcher

Lean Researcher Role

Are you a strategic thinker who is naturally curious and loves to architect research in service of unlocking empathy, and driving business impact and innovation?

Do you love being on the cutting edge and pushing the envelope on what’s possible when seeking to understand consumer/customer problems?

The Garage Group is looking for emerging leaders with experience in Consumer Insights / Market Research to join our Lean Research Team. We are looking for someone who is ready to roll up their sleeves and work fast to push our client engagements forward. Working as a cross-functional partner on to our consulting teams, you will be responsible for architecting research plans to inform strategy and innovation decisions, delivering / conducting the research with excellence, and synthesizing all research findings in a simple, compelling, and actionable manner.

What’s in it for you:

You will learn and grow through each client engagement, gaining tremendous exposure to the day-to-day challenges of designing and managing research logistics in the volatile world of business strategy, innovation, and consumer behavior/insights. Through this experience you’ll:

Gain experience that will strengthen your research expertise, while solidifying your strategic thinking, problem-solving, and relationship management skills.
Learn new tools, methodologies and approaches that build out your research capabilities by extending into new, lean ways of uncovering stakeholder pains, gains, and motivators.
Master the power of entrepreneurial mindsets.
Contribute to, and make an impact on, some of the best Fortune 1000 brands and products – that you can point out on store shelves or in-market, and feel proud of!

Core Buckets of Responsibility:

Based on business objectives, you will be responsible for developing research-specific objectives and a corresponding research plan that is within budget, timeleine, and incorporates client mandates (segmentation, base size requirements, etc.).
You’ll manage all steps of the qualitative research plan including vendor management, selection, and recruiting coordination, screener development, activity / discussion guide design, and moderating asynchronous communities and live interviews, both virtually and in-person.
You’ll manage all steps of quantitative research, including vendor management, sampling plan design and execution, survey design, survey programming, data management, and data visualization.
You’ll operate within tight timelines to connect dots and synthesize learnings into succinct learnings and recommendations that bring the “voice of customer” to life throughout the client deliverable and enable an engaging discussion with the client.
You’ll make certain necessary controls and procedures are in place to ensure data accuracy and privacy and security policies compliance.
You’ll actively pursue opportunities to tweak, build or find new research vendors/tools/methodologies to make progress and increase our Lean Research Team’s efficiency and effectiveness.

How we’ll know if it’s working out:

All internal, cross-functional team members will feel a strong sense of trust knowing that your work will be completed with excellence and on time…all with a “can do” attitude.
Our Clients will see insightful data and recommendations at a speed that proves why research is part of our secret sauce. They’ll be able to immediately take action to inform and de-risk big decisions against their business challenge.
You will demonstrate courage in leading Lean Research “Learning Loops” by ensuring they deliver on clear objectives while embracing creative problem-solving as pivots arise from the uncertainty.
You’ll operate from a place of “confidence-in-competence”, connecting dots and leveraging your experiences to make a bigger impact on each project. This will come to life in your adeptness at demonstrating when to make progress independently and when to seek thought partnership and guidance – bringing options and solutions vs. problems.
Projects will hit key milestones and KPIs, including managing TGG time and resources with an owner mindset.
You are eager to learn and show initiative by self-studying new methodologies, proactively gathering input and context (from both internal and external sources), and keeping a pulse on trends in the market. Actions like this will contribute to the development, growth, and acceleration of our Lean Research Team as part of what sets TGG apart from competitors.
You are operating in your strengths daily, and your excitement is contagious!

What we’re looking for:

Someone who is often described as a “doer”, an "outside-of-the-box thinker", a "puzzle master", an “adept information synthesizer” or a "curious/forever learner".
5+ years of designing and conducting primary research via various quantitative and qualitative methodologies and techniques. Specifics include:
- Experience in designing, executing, managing, and delivering a wide variety of primary research studies to offer actionable insights.
- Strong knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research design, methods, and techniques.
- Strong analytical skills and the ability to synthesize findings and data across primary research and secondary research to formulate a holistic view.

Natural storyteller with a knack for organizing complicated information in a simple way, using excellent written and visual communication skills.
Time management skills and the ability to work independently to manage multiple projects, meet deadlines, and pivot as priorities change.
Someone who stays curious and thrives in a work environment full of ambiguity and freedom.
A self-motivated, initiative-taker who can manage their own time.
Passionate and enthusiastic about exceeding expectations and always looking for new ways to assist the team and client.
A collaborative, flow-to-the-work mentality with the ability to flex your schedule as the project work ebbs and flows.

Job: Lean Researcher
Compensation Range: $75,000 - $110,000 Annual Salary with Benefits
Capacity: Full-Time
Location: Primarily remote, but ideally located in Greater Cincinnati/Columbus, Chicagoland, or Greater Minneapolis
Type: While our day-to-day work is remote, we are looking to evolve our existing hubs
Travel: Candidates must be open to 15% travel

About Us:

The Garage Group is a boutique consulting firm, on a mission to keep existing brands relevant in today’s uncertain market. But the way we go about it is different. We are laser-focused on driving change through people, in service of building resilient organizations. We are battle-tested in unlocking courage within leaders to chart a new path forward — reframing traditional research as “learning” to define the problems most ripe for solving, infusing external perspective to spark new possibilities, and relentlessly pursuing iterative stakeholder feedback to pressure-test the most desirable, feasible, and viable solutions.