The Role
As a Market Research Associate, you'll conduct qualitative and quantitative research, analyze customer insights, and present findings to inform business strategies.
Summary Generated by Built In
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.
Why Protolabs?
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.
What you'll do:
- 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.
What it takes:
- Bachelor’s Degree OR equivalent experience in liue 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 collaboration with the ability to effectively communicate across multiple levels within the organization in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment
- Ability to use survey tools to design and execute surveys
- Comfort analyzing survey data and bringing insights to life in an actionable way
- Comfort interviewing people - moderating and focus group skills
- Expert ability to effectively use a computer, including MS Office suite and web browsers
Bonus points for:
- Demonstrated ability to design and conduct research, draw insights from primary and secondary sources, and translate information into actions and recommendations to meet the overall research objectives that are highly impactful to the business
- Ability to problem solve with a mind to data integrity, including identifying and overcoming conflicting research or inaccurate data
- Leverage storytelling to explain facts, data or other information and providing actionable recommendations to enhance decision making to grow the business
- Experience with organizing and maintaining qualitative platforms including online communities
- UX specific research experience
- B2B and/or manufacturing experience
What's in it for you?
- We offer a competitive salary and annual bonus opportunity
- In addition, we offer amazing benefits including but not limited to:
- Health Insurance: Traditional OR High Deductible plan
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Health Savings Account (including employer contributions)
- Dental and Vision
- Basic and Supplemental Life Insurance
- Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
- Paid caregiver leave
- You will receive 3 weeks of PTO, plus Holiday Pay and Volunteer Hours
- 401k with company match and immediate vest
- Employee Stock Purchase Program at a 15% discounted rate
- Matching grants through Protolabs foundation
- And More!
Proto Labs maintains ITAR-compliant operations in all of our United States based facilities. Due to ITAR regulations, this role is only open to U.S. Citizens, lawful permanent residents (green card holders) or foreign nationals granted refugee or asylee status. Individuals with temporary visas (e.g. E, F-1, H-1, H-2, L, B, J, TN or OPT) are not eligible for hire in this role.
Proto Labs, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Physical Demands:
While performing the essential duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use a computer keyboard, monitor and mouse, telephone and printer; reach with hands, and arms, talk, see and hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, stoop or kneel and must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
Work Environment:
Indoors (A/C); nonsmoking; the majority of this job function is performed in an office setting requiring normal safety precautions. However, there may be job duties that require the employee to spend time in the manufacturing areas exposed to machinery and noise; eye protection occasionally required. Occasionally works in outside weather conditions. Occasionally works near moving mechanical parts and in high, precarious places and is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, fumes or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, risk of electrical shock and vibration. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet to moderate.
Top Skills
Ms Office Suite
Online Research Platforms
Survey Tools
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The Company
What We Do
Protolabs is the world's fastest digital manufacturing source for rapid prototyping and on-demand production. The technology-enabled company produces custom parts and assemblies in as fast as 1 day with automated 3D printing, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, and injection molding processes. Our digital approach to manufacturing enables accelerated time to market, reduces development and production costs, and minimizes risk throughout the product life cycle.
3D Printing
Our 3D printing service offers a wide selection of materials and technologies to create prototypes and end-use parts with complex geometries and detailed features. With tight process controls, careful design reviews, and extensive quality monitoring, we ensure precise and repeatable 3D-printed parts, every time.
CNC Machining
We use 3- and 5-axis milling along with turning to machine parts from commercial-grade plastics and metals. Our online quoting system and automated manufacturing process enable us to ship parts within 24 hours, helping customers accelerate development and reduce time to market.
Sheet Metal Fabrication
Protolabs is an industry leader in quick-turn sheet metal parts for both prototyping and low-volume production. Our digital approach to manufacturing enables us to fabricate sheet metal parts in as fast as 5 days. Additionally, we can support our customers’ development efforts with component assemblies, several finish options, and screen printing.
Injection Molding
Our injection molding service offers two options—prototyping and on-demand manufacturing—which provide customers a tooling solution that aligns with their project’s requirements. It’s used for quick-turn prototyping, bridge tooling, and low-volume production of up to 10,000+ parts in 15 days or less.
