Market Research Associate

Be yourself at Protolabs

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. We are an equal opportunity employer, and we are committed to building a diverse team that feels they are valued in the workplace. So do you feel you do not meet every single requirement but still intrigued? We encourage you to still apply!

You can help make our company even better. We do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, age, mental or physical ability, or any way you represent yourself. We strongly believe diversity makes for more successful teams.

We are the leaders in digital manufacturing. We hire doers, makers, and creative thinkers who tackle our roles with an entrepreneurial spirit. Our culture is centered around meaningful work that brings new and innovative products to market at unprecedented speeds. We are a diverse team that comes from all walks of life and take pride in our team who is smart, genuine, humble, and passionate about what we do.

It’s our people who fuel our creativity and make our culture feel like home.

Join our team as a Market Research Associate!

This is a hybrid role being onsite at HQ in Maple Plain, MN on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

As a Market Research Associate at Protolabs, you will build a strong foundation in market intelligence by supporting and leading a variety of qualitative and quantitative research initiatives. In this role, you will help uncover customer, market, and industry insights that directly inform business decisions across the organization.

You will serve as a key voice of the customer—translating feedback, behavior, and market trends into clear, actionable insights that reduce risk, influence priorities, inspire strategic direction, and fuel company growth. Your work will empower teams to make data‑driven decisions and strengthen Protolabs’ understanding of customer needs in a rapidly evolving digital manufacturing landscape.

• Champion the Voice of the Customer (VOC): Serve as a trusted advocate for customer needs and perspectives, ensuring they shape decisions across the organization.
• Drive Insight‑Led
  
  Collaboration:
  
  Partner closely with internal teams and customers to translate research findings into actionable recommendations that influence strategy and improve experiences.
• Lead and Support Primary Research Projects: Execute a variety of qualitative and quantitative studies that uncover insights into customer expectations, behaviors, and preferences—helping Protolabs deliver best‑in‑class service across all offerings.
• Own End‑to‑End Research
  
  Activities:
  
  Including designing surveys, writing questionnaires, programming and fielding studies, analyzing results, and communicating insights. Facilitating customer and internal stakeholder interviews, leading focus groups, synthesizing themes, and presenting clear and compelling findings.
• Manage Global Customer Satisfaction Tracking: Oversee the continuous measurement of customer satisfaction worldwide, ensuring the business has a pulse on customer health and emerging trends.
• Build and Maintain a Customer Advisory Board: Lead the ongoing development and engagement of our online advisory community, enabling deeper customer relationships and continuous feedback loops.

• Bachelor’s Degree OR equivalent experience in lieu of degree
• 2+ years of business experience in a market research role
• Experience discovering customer insights through analyzing and synthesizing qualitative and quantitative information
• Working knowledge of quantitative research techniques such as Concept Testing, Max/Diff, Conjoint, etc.
• Experience programming and analyzing surveys in an online platform
• Excellent project management skills:
  Able to prioritize and own multiple complex projects with little assistance and execute from start to completion, paying strong attention to detail and accuracy
• Strong communication skills (verbal and written/visual) to create and deliver compelling presentations of insights to teams, senior management and customers across technology platforms
• Demonstrate strong…