Director Market Research

This is a high-impact leadership opportunity for someone who combines technical depth with business judgment and enjoys building things from the ground up. You’ll have a direct influence on how research is conducted, audiences are built and activated, data quality is maintained, and products are ultimately delivered to clients. If you’re excited by the opportunity to build teams, modernize data operations, influence technology strategy, and help shape how a growing organization delivers research and data at scale, this is a chance to make a significant impact.

Why This Opportunity?

• Build. Scale. Lead.
• This isn't simply a role managing existing operations. You’ll help define the future operating model for research and data—creating scalable processes, introducing automation, strengthening methodology, and developing a high-performing leadership team.
• Build the infrastructure, teams, and technology behind the next generation of research and audience data.

What People Are Saying

• "We have a real seat at the table and help shape products from the ground up."
• "The complexity surprised me. Between AI, consumer data, and the evolving state privacy landscape, every day brings new challenges that require thoughtful, practical solutions."
• “I came from big tech and expected to miss the rigor—but honestly, the ownership here is higher.”

Title:
Associate Vice President, Research and Data Operations

Location:
Arlington, VA - Hybrid

Salary: $170,000 - $190,000

We’re looking for an accomplished Associate Vice President, Research & Data Operations to lead three critical functions—Audience Operations, Survey Operations, and Activation Operations—and help scale the systems, processes, and teams behind a growing data and research organization.

You’ll work closely with Sales, Account Management, Product, Partnerships, Finance, and senior leadership, serving as the technical and strategic voice for Research & Data Operations.

You’ll have the opportunity to:

• Lead multiple technical and research functions with significant organizational visibility.
• Shape the strategy for automation, tooling, data infrastructure, and audience activation.
• Partner directly with senior leadership and have a meaningful voice in business and product decisions.
• Build scalable systems that allow the organization to grow without sacrificing quality or speed.
• Develop the next generation of leaders across Audience, Survey, and Activation Operations.
• Work at the intersection of research, data, audience technology, analytics, and programmatic activation.

What You'll Lead

• Audience Operations
• Oversee the teams and processes responsible for building high-quality audiences and datasets, including audience construction, modeling, data quality, and delivery.
• Survey Operations
• Set standards for survey methodology, programming, weighting, quality control, and scalable research execution.
• Activation Operations
• Lead the technology and partnerships that move audiences and data into downstream activation platforms. Oversee API integrations, data onboarding, delivery reporting, and troubleshooting.

Your Impact

• You'll establish the standards that determine how the organization delivers accurate, high-quality research and data products at scale.
• You'll also drive the transition toward greater automation and smarter tooling, partnering with Product and technical teams to identify opportunities, prioritize improvements, and reduce manual work.
• Just as importantly, you'll ensure Research & Data Operations is viewed throughout the organization as a strategic partner—not simply a production function.

What You'll Do

• Set the vision and operating standards across Audience, Survey, and Activation Operations.
• Own the end-to-end delivery model, from intake and scoping through…