Senior Research Manager, Zune (200098)

Zune is the latest step in Microsoft’s vision of connected entertainment: a new way people can engage with their music, pictures, games and videos. As a Senior Research Manager you will be responsible for managing primary and secondary Zune research to meet the evolving needs of the business. You will manage primary and secondary research to identify unmet needs, feature prioritizations, new product concepts, feature concept testing and product satisfaction. This research is critical for successful roadmap planning and informing short and long term product and marketing decisions.

As a Senior Research Manager, you will directly manage all phases of specific primary research (US and international) projects and work collaboratively with product planners to ensure actionable business results. This position will require independent project management, very strong communication skills, the ability to work flexibly in a fast-paced environment, knowledge of both qualitative and quantitative product research techniques, secondary analysis skills, the ability to integrate findings across studies, and the desire to be directly and deeply involved with the business partners. You will work closely with other researchers on the team and external vendors to execute research and present findings to senior management to help inform and drive product strategies.

Detailed Responsibilities:

Manage a suite of primary and secondary research focused primarily on issues related to product planning and new product development

· Designing and managing a suite of product planning research for the product planning team (segmentation, competitive analysis, habits and practices)

· Build cohesive research ‘system’ to integrate ongoing tracking of key business metrics (product satisfaction, attitudes/awareness/usage, etc)

· Establishing a strong relationship with Zune product planning partners

· Working collaboratively and in partnership with the Zune researcher responsible for marketing

· Designing, implementing and reporting primary and secondary research for business actionable insights

· Evaluating, and selecting research vendors through project bidding and ongoing evaluation of vendors for cost effective and efficient use of resources

· Managing project budgets and work plans against agreed upon business group priorities

· Writing clear reports and effectively delivering presentations which deliver insights

· Synthesizing findings across studies for deeper understanding of the customer and the business

· Leveraging other consumer research for the benefit of the Zune team and publish thought-leadership perspectives for the Zune business partners

Minimum Requirements:

· Bachelor’s degree required (MBA a plus) and minimum of 10 years experience in market research or directly related profession. This should include product research experience in both primary and secondary research design, analysis and reporting.

· Strong primary research project management experience and quantitative skills required.

· Applicant must have a demonstrated ability to apply market research in order to produce fact-based business insights and actionable results, as well as a successful track record of working collaboratively with teams and applying consultative skills to the business.

· Technology industry experience preferred with specific experience on the entertainment category (e.g., music, video, portable devices, etc).

· Candidates should demonstrate effective communication skills (spoken and written), the ability to simultaneously handle a large variety of tasks and the ability to handle ambiguity, large workloads and extreme amounts of detail.

· A moderate level of travel (< 20%) may be required.

· Personnel management is not required but strongly preferred.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer and supports workplace diversity.

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