Senior Research Associate

Summary

Join Protective as a Product and Market Intelligence Senior Associate and contribute to shaping product strategy by delivering actionable insights. Reporting to the Senior Director Product Management, you will lead research efforts, support product innovation, and inform product roadmap decisions. Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Sales, Marketing, Actuarial, Operations, and IT, to provide insights to senior management. Apply strategic thinking to drive growth, improve customer experience, and enhance retention. This role involves developing research strategies, gathering and analyzing data, creating presentations, and maintaining documentation of market insights and competitive intelligence. You will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our products and services.

Requirements

• 7-10 years of relevant experience
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Marketing, or a related field; Master’s degree a plus
• Adept in product analysis, market research, and a passion for leveraging data in strategic decision making
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with an ability to craft clear and compelling data narratives
• Ability to gain a working knowledge of various data sources
• Experience working in cross-functional teams and managing multiple initiatives simultaneously
• Strategic mindset with a bias for action and continuous improvement
• Ability to work both individually and as part of a team to gather information with limited supervision and guidance
• Proficient in Excel

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute research strategies aligned with business priorities
• Lead research efforts supporting product innovation, market expansion, and strategic planning
• Provide research support within the department and across departments on products and capabilities under consideration as well as existing products
• Inform product roadmap decisions by identifying and validating growth opportunities through quantitative and qualitative research
• Work with product leadership to support recommended product changes and new product strategy
• Provide support that ensures effective coordination and communication among stakeholders
• Vet external research vendors, tools, and platforms to ensure quality and relevance
• Deliver data-driven presentations that translate insights into clear recommendations for senior stakeholders
• Gather and analyze relevant data to create business cases and cost-benefits analysis to support strategic direction
• Develop and maintain documentation content of market insights and competitive intelligence

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in Insurance or Financial Services preferred
• Familiarity with SQL and data visualization tools such as Tableau, or Power BI a plus

Benefits

• Comprehensive health, dental and vision insurance
• Mental health benefits and an employee assistance program
• Paid time off, paid parental leave, short-term disability, and a cultural observance day
• Contributions to healthcare accounts
• A pension plan
• A 401(k) plan with Company matching
• ProHealth Rewards, Protective’s platform to improve wellbeing while earning cash rewards