Overview

The Opportunity: 

As a Senior Manager of Market and Competitive Intelligence, you will be responsible for developing competitive, industry, market/channel, product, and segment (consumer, very small business, mid-sized business, enterprise) assessments to drive effective investment strategies and growth objectives. You will maintain knowledge of the company’s products, competition, and broader market dynamics that frame the business context both present and future. Provide direct and strong competitive support to Sales (head-to-head and take-overs), Services Support (renewal), and Leadership teams (metrics) to enhance market share in competitive situations. Present on a regular basis in-depth analyses and summaries of results, interpreting and communicating results with recommendations to key stakeholders.

What You Are Great At: 

Competitive Intelligence:

  • The ability to synthesize competitive market data from multiple sources for a cohesive story line
  • Provide critical insights, synthesize competitive data to help anticipate market movements and the potential impact of market competitors for forecast models and strategic plans, including associated risks and opportunities, and alternate scenarios
  • Leverage existing content and subject matter experts in Product Management and Product Marketing to directly support Sales in direct, head-to-head, or take-over competitive situations by developing battle cards, kill sheets, and objection handling documentation
  • Develop advanced understanding of strengths, weaknesses, technologies, and trends for competitors, to become the competitive point of contact for the division
  • Execute and document analysis to inform strategic and sales enablement decision-making across the evolving competitive landscape
  • As needed work closely with third party vendors to help provide Competitive intelligence needed for key business decisions

Segment Research:

    • Manage and oversee all customer research strategies and initiatives for buyer personas
    • Continuously refine understanding of “buyer behavior” for product lines
    • Ensure collection, analysis and dissemination of trends and external factors impacting products and service offerings in each market
    • Utilize various research methodologies, as well as internal and external data sets from various sources, to develop scientifically validated segment focused product, service, marketing, and communication recommendations that drive engagement and product adoption
    • Support prioritization and development of product features that will resonate with customers in all market segments
    • Develop messaging and methods to engage target market segments, including “micro” or sub-populations of purchasers and ensure adoption across all population segments

Market Intelligence:

  • Participate in corporate TAM exercise and represent SMB/C product solutions
  • Have current and relevant global/ regional/ market sizing and growth to help substantiate sales growth and product investment areas
  • Seek out or commission channel sizing, growth estimates and market share for our solutions
  • Collaborate with other market insights and analyst relations related colleagues to synthesize internal and external information, analytics, and data to arrive at value added conclusions

Overall:

  • Manage external vendor(s) to proactively maintain appropriate levels of intelligence coverage
  • Present on a regular basis in-depth analyses and summaries of results, interpreting and communicating results with recommendations to key stakeholders
  • Maintain knowledge of company’s products, competition, and broader market dynamics that frame the business context both present and future
  • Across all these activities, the Director will function as a key thought partner and provide objective perspective and insights

What It Takes:

  • Have 7+ years of experience and a bachelor’s degree in Business Intelligence, Economics or Statistics or its equivalent; MBA, advanced degree preferred
  • Have experience leading competitive intelligence strategies and initiatives
  • Solid understanding of key secondary resources to capture intelligence, and ability to analyze and translate scientific and commercial information into meaningful intelligence is required
  • Have experience working in a matrix environment with excellent communication and collaboration skills to build trusting relationships
  • Be able to analyze data, set priorities, and shape results in a corporate environment
  • Ability to influence and impact others through building and defending arguments.
  • Be results driven with the ability to shepherd projects on tight timelines to completion
  • Exceptional written and verbal skills – able to persuade with insights and defend assumptions
  • Demonstrated track of engaging as thought partner with stakeholders
  • Proactive orientation – able to anticipate issues, engage with stakeholders and plan accordingly
  • Comfortable with ambiguity; able to effectively structure problems and solution approaches
  • Experience directing and managing internal and external partners to deliver analyses
  • Ability to work in a fast-paced dynamic environment with exceptional project management skills