Research Director, Enterprise Growth Initiatives

Research Director, Enterprise Growth Initiatives 

Exempt 

07/24 

About us: 

Working at Target means helping all families discover the joy of everyday life. We bring that vision to life through our values and culture. Learn more about Target here. 
 

A role within Enterprise Growth Initiatives means helping Target build beyond the core and create future focus for the organization. You will be part of a team of hybrid thinkers, actively leveraging each other’s skills and knowledge, with a bias to deliver timely business impact. From exploration to activation, you will accelerate and validate new concepts that differentiate the guest experience and generate new revenue streams. Whether exploring new business models designed to meet guest needs or  
commercializing and integrating new growth back into the organization, you will ensure success by rapidly applying your expertise and fostering an entrepreneurial culture while leveraging the benefit of a large organization’s knowledge and resources. 

As a Research Director, you will oversee and develop the research capability across the Enterprise Growth Initiatives team. This could include (but is not limited to): 

• Manage scoping, prioritization, and allocation of research resources: advise where and how research is executed on projects, guide scoping for core research work, allocate and prioritize research resources (including determining when to contract vs staff internally) 

• Oversee project team through the research life cycle – recommend appropriate methodology, facilitate in-field research and post-research synthesis through analysis. Direct agencies, contractors, and/or internal CFT research teams when involved. 

• Serve as a strategic thought partner providing expert guidance to all roles in leading, conducting, and synthesizing qualitative research projects – including, but not limited to: in-person moderated interviews, remote moderated & unmoderated interviews, surveys, concept testing, online & in-store intercepts, ethnographies. 

• Coach teams through synthesis and analysis of research findings – activating the insights gleaned through observations and interviews and identifying key opportunity and whitespace areas in the context of corporate strategic direction 

• Lead select projects; guide project team through innovation stage-gates, ensure concepts tie to clear consumer insights and/or business need; lead teams to define learning plan to test riskiest assumptions; design prototypes to experiment at increasing levels of fidelity; bring stakeholders along in synthesis of learnings and recommendation  

• Ensure relevance and quality of insights through thoughtful assessment of risk, establishing clear success criteria, and using methodology based on sound research principles and practices 

• Overtly upskill broader EGI team on research best practices while also evolving and developing research capabilities based on current and emerging Lean UX Research tools and techniques. 

• Build infrastructure and partnerships (internally and externally) to expand and enable efficient, repeatable research capabilities both in-store and digitally (e.g., recruiting, payments) 

• Drive connection and community between research insights and researchers across the enterprise. Collaborate on evolving research ethics, privacy, and future of research at Target 

• Develop and cultivate an inclusive team and learning-focused environment 

• Hire, train and retain research team members with diverse backgrounds and experiences. Establish development plans and manage performance by providing clear expectations and timely, consistent feedback and coaching.  

Core responsibilities of this job are described within this job description. Job duties may change at any time due to business needs. 

About you: 

• 8+ years of experience practicing design research, strategic UX research or 8 years of relevant consumer research experience or PhD in relevant field; preference for agency or consulting experience 

• Experience primarily in exploratory and generative qualitative UX / Design Research methods including remote and in person interviews, diary studies, concept testing; experience with quantitative small and large scale surveys 

• Ability to scope at multiple stages (e.g., exploratory, generative, evaluative) and synthesize complex data into actionable insights and concepts 

• Demonstrated experience leading exploratory and generative research projects; ability to be adaptable and move quickly through projects with focus on progress over perfection 

• Experience overseeing and advising on best practices in research operations  

• Proven ability to influence stakeholders to understand and act on insights; experience developing and leading stakeholder relationships by establishing lasting and impactful partnerships 

• Demonstrated leadership skills and expertise guiding teams and researchers and supporting the development of individual team members 

• Thrives in ambiguity with the ability to prioritize; demonstrated ability to manage complex projects (both small and large) and adjust to changing priorities 

• Excellent strategic thinking and problem-solving skills 

• Ability to use company strategy as a guidepost to execute on research projects to support that strategy 

• Respects, appreciates and is curious about differences related to working with others; committed to developing an inclusive team 

• Demonstrates humility, resilience, and curiosity