Director, Qualitative Program Management

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Job Details

Title: Director, Qualitative Program Management

Location: REMOTE (CT, RI, MA, NJ, NY, PA, Est zone)

What You'll Do

• Strategic Client Leadership
• Serve as a trusted advisor to stakeholders across product, marketing, UX, research, innovation, AI, cloud, and technology organizations.
• Lead client conversations with confidence, bringing recommendations and solutions rather than simply reporting status.
• Connect research activities to broader business objectives, strategic priorities, growth opportunities, and decision-making needs.
• Guide clients through complex challenges by providing clear points of view, trade-offs, and actionable recommendations.
• Build long-term partnerships that strengthen client confidence, retention, and growth.
• Program & Portfolio Leadership
• Oversee multiple concurrent qualitative research programs and strategic accounts.
• Drive end-to-end execution across large-scale, multi-market and global initiatives.
• Establish operational frameworks that enable teams to execute consistently and efficiently.
• Anticipate risks, remove barriers, and implement mitigation strategies before issues impact delivery.
• Create clarity and accountability across complex stakeholder groups and workstreams.
• Proactively manage scope, recruitment challenges, and timeline realities. You are expected to present options, trade-offs, and clear recommendations rather than simply escalating problems.
• Research & Operational Excellence
• Partner closely with researchers, moderators, project managers, recruitment partners, vendors, operations teams, and client stakeholders.
• Apply a strong understanding of qualitative methodologies, recruitment feasibility, screeners, participant management, and study execution.
• Manage highly customized research programs requiring precision, adaptability, and exceptional attention to detail.
• Translate ambiguity into structured plans, clear deliverables, and actionable next steps.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes, scalability, and operational efficiency.
• Executive Communication
• Serve as the primary point of contact for senior client stakeholders and internal leadership teams.
• Navigate difficult conversations with confidence, professionally pushing back on unrealistic timelines or scope creep when necessary to protect delivery quality and client satisfaction.
• Foster a 'Revenue Protection' mindset by recognizing that seamless operational execution is a direct driver of client retention and future account growth.
• Facilitate alignment across cross-functional teams, ensuring information flows effectively and decisions are clearly documented.
• Navigate conversations around scope, feasibility, timelines, budgets, and changing priorities while preserving strong client relationships.

What Makes Someone Successful in This Role

• A strategic thinker who understands both research and business outcomes.
• Comfortable managing ambiguity and operating with incomplete information.
• Exceptionally proactive and solutions-oriented.
• Calm and composed under pressure.
• Capable of influencing senior stakeholders and inspiring confidence.
• Operationally rigorous with outstanding attention to detail.
• Skilled at balancing client needs with delivery realities.
• Equally comfortable leading executive conversations and diving into execution details when needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in qualitative research, insights consulting, program management, project leadership, operations, or client services.
• Experience supporting enterprise-level technology companies or complex B2B organizations.
• Strong understanding of qualitative research methodologies and participant recruitment.
• Proven success managing complex, multi-market, multi-stakeholder initiatives.

Kantar Benefits

• Medical plans with comprehensive, affordable coverage for a range of health services
• Health Savings Account/FSA Dental, Vision and benefits to cover unique healthcare needs
• Wellness Program
• 401k with match
• Tuition Reimbursement, Commuter benefits
• Unlimited PTO

Why join Kantar?

We shape the brands of tomorrow by better understanding people everywhere. By understanding people, we can understand what drives their decisions, actions, and aspirations on a global scale.

and by amplifying our in-depth expertise of human understanding alongside ground-breaking technology, we can help brands find concrete insights