Director, Research - Innovation & Growth Strategy

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ABOUT THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE

Founded in 1917, the National Hockey League (NHL) is the premier professional ice hockey league in the world, and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada.

With more than 1500 employees across the US and Canada, the NHL is a global sports and entertainment organization committed to building healthy and vibrant communities using the sport of hockey to celebrate fans of every race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status.

At the NHL, we are looking for dynamic, energetic and impactful individuals who are committed to doing the same by sharing in our philosophy that Hockey is for Everyone and inclusion belongs on the ice, in the locker rooms, boardrooms and stands.

WHAT WE EXPECT OF YOU

SUMMARY

As a valuable member of the team, the Director, Research - Innovation & Growth Strategy will identify relevant secondary research / data resources and recommend and oversee custom research initiatives to inform the development, introduction, and / or refinement of strategic League initiatives.

The successful candidate will be adept at working across NHL Research & Insights to contribute to other departmental efforts focused on driving deeper fandom, greater viewership, and increased monetization worldwide.

They must have boundless intellectual curiosity and a passion and aptitude for synthesizing and distilling disparate quantitative and qualitative findings into coherent, easily digested, and actionable insights.

The Director must be a self-starter with previous project management experience and keen analytical and communication skills, comfortable participating in - even leading discussions with - senior executives.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Work with stakeholders in Innovation and Growth Strategy to understand priorities and define research questions to enable buildout of roadmap that addresses key knowledge gaps.
• Leverage 1P / 2P / 3P consumer and market data, measurement and analytic techniques, and business acumen to lead the generation and delivery of insights to inform innovation and strategic growth initiatives.
• Oversee custom research projects from initial concept and hypothesis development, through designing the approach, synthesizing and analyzing data, and collaborating with key stakeholders to ensure effective operationalization.
• Effectively communicate research findings to ensure their incorporation into overall business strategy.
• Stand up monthly report detailing and contextualizing NHL performance on multitude of cross-organizational KPIs (e.g., viewership, digital analytics, gate, brand) to facilitate holistic view on League health.
• Collaborate with colleagues in Consumer Research, Broadcast Research, and across the Fan Engagement & Analytics department to deepen our collective understanding of fan interests and preferences.
• Partner in the creation of a thought leadership research agenda to empirically corroborate the singular power of the NHL.

QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge Areas / Experience

Required

Significant involvement in translating data from primary research and secondary sources into insights and recommendations for marketing and business-to-business sales applications.

Preferred

• 10+ years of prior market research including extensive primary research - and / or data analysis experience.
• Sports and entertainment, media, or strategy background.

Education / Certifications

Bachelor’s degree or 12 years of relevant work experience.

Required Skills

• Strong Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
• Experience with syndicated research platforms (e.g., YouGov, MRI, comScore, Nielsen).
• Highly developed verbal and written communication skills with the ability to influence at leadership levels.
• Demonstrable proficiency in data analysis and assessment abilities.
• Highly organized, attention to details and strong follow-through.
• A positive energetic attitude.
• Entrepreneurial spirit, self-motivated, self-starter, with comfort working in small teams.

CORE COMPETENCIES

These core competencies reflect the underlying values that are necessary to represent the National Hockey League :

• Accountability
• Adaptability
• Communication
• Critical Thinking
• Inclusion
• Professionalism
• Teamwork & Collaboration

SALARY RANGE : $125-150K

Actual base pay for a successful candidate will be determined based on a variety of job-related factors, including but not limited to : experience / training, market demands, and geographic location.

When applying, please be sure to include a cover letter with your salary expectations for this role. We thank all applicants for their interest in this opportunity, however only qualified candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

NO EMAILS OR PHONE CALLS PLEASE.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.

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