Lead Research & Development Strategist Cincinnati, OH; Chicago, IL

Lead Research & Development Strategist (P2188)

LOCATION : Chicago or Cincinnati

84.51° is a retail data science, insights and media company. We help The Kroger Co., consumer packaged goods companies, agencies, publishers and affiliates create more personalized and valuable experiences for shoppers across the path to purchase.

Powered by cutting-edge science, we utilize first-party retail data from more than 62 million U.S. households sourced through the Kroger Plus loyalty card program to fuel a more customer-centric journey using 84.51° Insights, 84.51° Loyalty Marketing and our retail media advertising solution, Kroger Precision Marketing.

Join us at 84.51°!

Summary

The Lead Research and Development Strategist plays a pivotal role in driving business-focused innovation and validating research through a business lens. This position is essential for ensuring the LABS’s innovation pipeline continues to deliver significant returns by generating tangible business value and focusing on opportunities for strategic transformation. The role involves a combination of product discovery, project management, business development, and relationship building with stakeholders, fostering an environment where innovation thrives and strategic transformation is realized. In close partnership with LABS leadership and with key stakeholders, the Lead Strategist identifies high-impact research areas that align with business needs and explores how disruptive sciences and technology can drive value across various domains. Subsequently, Lead strategist leads LABS’ R&D teams in demonstrating technical feasibility and potential for generating business value via creation of functional prototypes and conducting in-market testing.

Why Join LABS

The Labs team is 84.51°’s innovation engine – we come up with, develop, and test the next generation of algorithmic capabilities for one of the largest retailers in the world. We thrive in ambiguity, push the boundaries of science and engineering, and collaborate deeply to make innovation real. This is a space where you can take on high-risk, high-reward ideas and prove out the vision. If you enjoy blue-sky thinking, love to learn and partner with subject matter experts, and are ready to roll with the ups and downs of R&D, this is the team for you!

Responsibilities

• Drive discovery sessions to uncover high-risk, high-reward problem statements and engage with key stakeholders to understand challenges and explore how disruptive sciences can drive value.
• Lead research and development by collaborating with LABS’ R&D teams to create functional prototypes and conduct in-market testing that demonstrates technical feasibility and potential for generating business value.
• Translates business desires / requirements into effective research and development initiatives
• Lead and manage projects, tasks, and stakeholders to ensure that projects are delivered on time. Work with LABS LT to ensure sufficient resource allocation
• Coordinate regular project check-ins to ensure stakeholders and team members are on the same page and there is sufficient communication and understanding of all project aspects
• Think creatively when building analytics solutions to bring the most value to the user, balancing transformation ability of the research and practicality.
• Help LABS Lead continuously evaluate research portfolio against the backlog and emerging opportunities.
• Develop stakeholder connection and conduct discovery sessions for prioritized initiatives. Help with value estimation in early phase research.
• Keep a pulse on emerging technology areas. Identify high-risk-high-reward opportunities areas that are transformational to the business, either through market research or stakeholder engagement.
• Deep understanding of the business domain, stakeholders, business processes and constraints in which your product(s) play
• Deep understanding of customers / users problems, how they think and operate and the platforms / technology they use
• Understand and communicate organization objectives, strategies and solution needs to the team to facilitate results (where collaborative / as colleague)
• Manage and communicate dependencies and risks. This may include drafting memos, talking points, briefings, strategic communications, and other materials as needed

Qualifications, Skills, and Experience

Pay Transparency and Benefits

Pay Range

$91,000 - $218,750 USD

84.51° Demographic Questions

Together, we are stronger and can achieve more

At 84.51°, we believe a diverse and inclusive work environment is essential to the work we do as a data science company. Just as no two Kroger customers are alike, no two 84.51° associates are alike. We understand the importance of fostering an inclusive culture : to encourage our associates to bring their authentic selves to work – embracing who they are and celebrating what they can become.

We continually strive to ensure 84.51° is a place where all people feel like they belong, are respected and valued regardless of who they are, where they are from and what experiences they’ve had. By meeting our 3-year D&I roadmap goals and commitments, we will continue our journey towards becoming a destination for diverse, driven, and authentic minds.

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Your responses will not be associated with your specific application and will not in any way be used in the hiring decision.

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