Senior Manager, Insights & Analytics (Contract Employee)

About the campaign:

The Ad Council’s Mental Health Initiative aims to address the mental health crisis in the U.S. Guided by mental health experts, amplified by partnerships across every sector and rooted in extensive research with key audiences, the initiative aims to change social norms, reduce stigma around mental health and encourage people to take a proactive approach to mental health. 

Job Summary:

The Senior Manager, Insights & Analytics (Contract Employee), will be responsible for supporting the team leading research and analytics-related activities for the Mental Health Initiative. including the following campaigns: Teen and Young Adult Mental Health (Seize the Awkward), Adolescent Mental Health (Sound It Out) and Adult Mental Health (Love, Your Mind). This includes formative and audience research, creative testing and campaign evaluation. This position will report to the VP, Insights & Analytics, leading research and strategy development for the initiative.

All effective campaigns start with a compelling strategy, and you will collaborate with not only cross-functional, internal teams, but also agency planners, media strategists, digital specialists, creatives, and others in all aspects of campaign research, planning, and evaluation. The Ad Council is a results-driven organization, and you will help implement and analyze quantitative and qualitative research, translating audience insights into action.

This position is great for someone with excellent analytical skills, a broad grasp of market research methodologies, the ability to communicate complex insights simply and effectively, strong written and oral communication skills, great project management skills and a passion for social change.

This is a contract, remote employee role. This means that, while the position is at all times one of “at will employment,” the Ad Council anticipates at present that the employment length would be approximately 12 months with the possibility to extend the contract. The compensation for this position is $7,500 monthly, paid semi-monthly. Contract employees will be eligible to participate in limited benefits and paid time off. This role can be fulfilled remotely, in the Ad Council’s NYC office, or a hybrid mix of the two. Business travel may be required occasionally, to attend in-person meetings, conferences, etc.

What you’ll do:

Working closely with the lead researcher for the initiative, you will be responsible for:

• The design, development, implementation, and coordination of research projects. This includes rapid testing using online research platforms and working with third-party research suppliers to implement large-scale studies. Projects include:
• Formative research on the campaign issue, audience, trusted messengers, existing programs, etc., using methods such as literature reviews, landscape reviews, expert interviews, ethnographies, desk research, and qualitative and quantitative consumer research.
• Strategic and creative testing, such as qualitative and quantitative advertising effectiveness research.
• Evaluation research, including the development and support of campaign evaluation plans, brand lift studies, and existing campaign tracking surveys (which monitor awareness, attitudes and behavior over time)
• Writing surveys, discussion guides, etc., and programming (as needed for rapid testing research)
• Drafting and distributing RFPs, awarding projects, and co-management and quality assurance of research with third-party vendors
• Analyze data, develop captivating results presentations, identify key research insights, and translate them into recommendations for action and optimizations to:
• Present internally and externally to clients and constituents.
• Ensure they are translated into a compelling, integrated strategic brief and incorporated throughout the development of creative/resources.

• Review campaign materials, as needed, to ensure data and audience insights are accurate and relevant.
• Work with the Analytics team in capturing and reporting ongoing results to understand campaign performance.
• Support key presentations and meetings with external agencies and partners, including updating slides and scheduling and meeting notes as needed.
• Develop and maintain internal resources to track and communicate about research activities – including calendars, project timelines, KPI trackers, internal folders, and PowerPoint slides.

What you bring:

• 4+ years relevant job experience, specifically work in quantitative and qualitative research, including design, analysis and reporting.
• Strong understanding of a wide range of qualitative and quantitative market research methodologies.
• Strong analytical and project management skills.
• Adept at identifying key actionable insights, data visualization (via Excel, PowerPoint) and communicating insights and implications (oral and written) to non-researchers.
• Experience developing measurable objectives and key performance indicators to guide strategic briefs and program evaluation.
• Experience with multicultural marketing campaigns and coordinating multicultural market research.
• Comfortable juggling multiple tasks and managing productive relationships with agencies, vendors and internal staff. Ability to easily shift between strategy and execution across clients & campaigns quickly. Careful attention to detail.
• Dedication to building an inclusive and equitable work environment
• Advanced proficiency with MS Office, especially PowerPoint and Excel.
• Familiarity with basic statistics; experience with SPSS a plus
• Familiarity with digital marketing metrics, such as website analytics and social media analytics.
• Ability to work East Coast hours.
• Passion for working on social causes and/or having an impact in the mental health space; experience working on the topic of mental health is a plus

Qualities of a Standout Candidate:

• Experience with user experience research.
• Understanding of the changing media landscape—including the latest developments in digital and social media—and its implications for marketers.
• Experience with project management tools like Asana.
• Strong listening, collaboration, and communication skills.
• A curious mind and life-long learner.
• A creative problem-solver.