Manager, Consumer Insights

When you join Sallie Mae, you become a champion for all students.

We’re on a mission to power confidence as students begin their unique journey. To help them plan their higher education, successfully finish, and prepare for life after school. To help them Start smart. Learn big.

Students need guidance navigating this important time in their life. They need someone who acknowledges that their education path is unique. They need a partner willing to evolve and not only meet but surpass their expectations. We’re changing. Because students need a better way.

We’re looking for people who are excited to drive this transformation. To break barriers and think of new ways to adapt, help, and create better experiences for students—and for each other.

This is where diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives matter. It’s where you’re empowered to bring your authentic self to work.

Feeling your best allows you to do your best. Our benefits take care of the whole you—from physical and mental to financial and professional. You’ll get opportunities to further your education and career, support for you and your family (including your pets!), paid time off to volunteer for the things that matter to you, and more.

We’re obsessed with impact and making a real difference. For us, that means putting relationships first, asking “why not?” when tackling challenges, and continuously learning new skills.

Come do more than join something, change something. For students, for future generations, for the future of education.

What You’ll Contribute

Ready to bring your insights chops and grow your strategy muscles? We’re looking for a Manager of Consumer Insights to join a small but mighty team of passionate researchers. If you have curiosity and customer-centricity running through your veins, please read on!

The Consumer Insights team at Sallie powers confidence across our organization by helping colleagues in brand, UX/CX, product, marketing, digital, and operations teams gain a deeper understanding of the journeys, needs, motivations, pain points and experience gaps of the students and families we serve. Our superpower is translating insights into action.

In your role, you will help infuse insights into strategic decisions, bring the voices of our customers into every conversation, and catalyze out-of-the box thinking - all with the goal of making our customers’ lives better.
 

What You'll Do

As part of the Consumer Insights team, the Manager will bring additional research expertise and strategic thinking that drive consumer understanding and customer success.

More specifically, in this role you will:

• Actively partner with brand, creative, product, and operations teams to create products and experiences that improving customer outcomes and grow brand love

• Develop actionable experience journey maps and design personas using multiple sources of existing customer insight, analytics, operational data and new primary research

• Co-manage Sallie’s vibrant research community, fueling high-priority business initiatives with consumer feedback and insights

• Design and lead research initiatives across quantitative and qualitative methodologies, from defining objectives to delivering actionable results, to help uncover customer experience opportunities and strengthen our brand

• Team-up with analytics to identify and track KPIs to inform optimizations and evolution of strategy and tactics

• Collaborate with internal and external partners to bring Sallie’s public research to life

• Create and deliver impactful and engaging presentations of research findings

• Contribute to the development and implementation of the annual learning agenda

• Share learnings and insights across the organization in both formal and informal ways, always representing our consumers’ voices
   

What you have

• Knowledge and experience with quantitative and qualitative methodologies, including primary and secondary research, survey design, and data analysis

• Experience with leading research initiatives end to end, from business question to actionable insights

• Hands-on experience with specific research techniques such as segmentation, ethnography and online communities

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

• Experience with building and sharing compelling presentations with audiences across levels

• Track record of success as a self-starter that contributes to team growth

• Proven ability to work collaboratively in cross-functional teams, including brand, UX/CX, product, marketing, digital and operations

• Initiative to think outside the box and be always on the lookout for how to improve what we do

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment

• Experience with Qualtrics, UserTesting.com, and SPSS is a plus

• Bachelor's degree in market research, marketing, psychology, sociology, or a related field

Preferred:

• 5+ years of experience in a consumer insights or market research role, with a track record of success

The Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) prohibits discrimination by employers, in compensation and employment opportunities, against qualified individuals with disabilities who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the “essential functions” of a job. A function may be essential for any of several reasons, including: the job exists to perform that function, the employee holding the job was hired for his/her expertise in performing the function, or only a limited number of employees are available to perform that function.

• Competitive base salaries 

• Bonus incentives 

• Generous PTO, Floating Holidays and 12 Federal Holidays observed

• Support for financial-well-being and retirement 401k with employer match

• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, hospital indemnity, critical illness, pet insurance and more

• Employer paid short-term/long-term disability and basic life insurance  

• Flexible hybrid working arrangements.

• Paid parental leave and adoption reimbursement programs

• Free access to on-site staffed fitness centers (in Delaware) and gym subsidy (for locations outside Delaware) 

• Confidential counseling support (EAP), Health Advocacy services and Wellness program with financial incentives

• Tuition Reimbursement and Family Scholarship Programs

• Career development and training opportunities

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