Market Insights Specialist

As part of DFA's Insights & Optimization (I&O) team, collect, analyze, and translate market, industry, operational, and business information into actionable insights that support decision-making, strategic planning, and business performance. Serve as a resource within assigned insight domains, with an initial emphasis on dairy markets, dairy industry insights, supply-and-demand, and strategic and operational research. Partner with stakeholders across the Cooperative to connect insights to recommendations, planning activities, and measurable business outcomes.

Own work streams from question framing through analysis, recommendation, communication, and follow-through. Support recurring and on-demand insight needs, analytical models, scenario analysis, mapping, and research activities while leveraging technology to improve speed, quality, and impact.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

Insights

• Compile and synthesize insights from domestic and global dairy markets, DFA information, customers, suppliers, competitors, and industry sources using primary and secondary research.
• Analyze market, industry, operational, category, customer, and member information to identify trends, risks, opportunities, and implications for DFA.
• Develop and manage dairy market data and insights, supply-and-demand analysis, industry benchmarking, cooperative analysis, and market outlook development.
• Research and evaluate trends that could influence milk supply, dairy demand, customer requirements, or strategic opportunities.
• Support recurring and on-demand business questions by framing the issue, gathering relevant information, conducting analysis, and developing decision-oriented recommendations.
• Translate findings into effective communications, including but not limited to presentations, reports, dashboards, models, maps, and executive-ready materials that clarify business implications, risks, opportunities, and trade-offs.
• Monitor changing market and industry conditions and communicate timely implications to team members, leadership, and business stakeholders.
• Partner across commercial, operational, planning, and support functions to translate insights into recommendations, planning activities, and actions that improve business performance.
• Support the development and delivery of executive, employee, member, customer, and industry-facing insight materials.
• Support measurement and communication of outcomes resulting from business recommendations and insight initiatives.

Processes and Technology

• Support strategic scenario analysis, capacity assessments, network analysis, data visualization, and other planning activities where market and operational insights intersect.
• Build and maintain analytical models, datasets, benchmarks, databases, and reporting tools.
• Use technology, such as AI, automation, and other research tools to improve research, monitoring, synthesis, reporting, and repeatable insight workflows.
• Identify opportunities to improve recurring insight processes through stronger documentation, data quality, standardization, and practical automation.
• Manage assigned work streams independently, coordinate with contributors, meet deadlines, and elevate risks or decisions appropriately.
• Uphold the team's quality promise of relevant, accurate, timely, consistent, and impactful work across all deliverables.
• Actively participate in professional development opportunities and share knowledge across the Cooperative.
• The requirements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by the employee but are not a complete list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required. Other duties may be assigned as required.

Education and Experience

• Undergraduate degree in economics, agricultural economics,…