Director Consumer Insights

T. Marzetti Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lancaster Colony Corporation (NASDAQ: LANC), is a manufacturer and marketer of specialty food products for the retail and foodservice markets. Our retail brands include Marzetti ® , New York Bakery™ and Sister Schubert’s ® , in addition to exclusive license agreements for Olive Garden ® dressings, Chick-fil-A ® sauces and Buffalo Wild Wings ® sauces. Our foodservice business supplies many of the top restaurant chains in the United States.

We kindly request that recruitment agencies and staffing firms refrain from submitting unsolicited resumes to our company. Any resumes sent without a prior agreement and access to proper submittal into the ATS will be considered the property of T. Marzetti, and we reserve the right to contact those candidates without any obligation to pay a fee.

As the Consumer Insights Director, you will lead the development of a Consumer Insights function, playing a pivotal role in shaping the company's innovation roadmap, marketing strategies, consumer understanding and consumer engagement. The Director will build strong partnerships across the businesses and act as a thought leader and partner who represents the “Voice of the Consumer”. You are a strategic leader who has a strong record of collaborating, leading, and influencing throughout an organization. You are comfortable with current tools and methods of gathering Insights to deliver meaningful value, sitting at the intersection of the Consumer, Category and Relevant Trends. This role requires a combination of leadership, strategy, influencing, and deep understanding of consumer research methodologies.

• Consumer Insights Strategy:
• Own the overall development, prioritization, and activation of Insights plan to reflect the most important questions for the business in support of top tier growth goals.
• Build plans and align business stakeholders on the Annual Insights agenda aligned with business objectives.
• Recommend the Insights “stack” of qualified strategic and custom partners from which the Retail group will primarily leverage for research.
• Lead the planning and execution of qualitative and quantitative research studies to uncover consumer insights.
• Act as the final decision on research methodology, techniques, partners, etc.

• Insights Leadership within and outside the function

1. Comfortable leading by ‘doing’ and ‘influencing’ – being able to juggle all facets of insights, managing own project workload while leading cross functional team initiatives.
2. Transformative mindset to build and drive insights across business and into key decisions with a consumer-first mindset.

• Establish a vision for the Retail Consumer Insights function to support key initiatives and integration into businesses over time. Data Analysis and Interpretation:
• Oversee the analysis of large datasets to extract actionable insights and trends.
• Provide in-depth interpretation of consumer behavior and preferences, translating findings into strategic recommendations.
• Support Retail analytics needs, connecting data to actionable insights where relevant.
• Understanding of broad datasets and AI, supporting how to create actionable insights from various sets of data from sources across the organization.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration:
• Collaborate with cross-functional leaders, including product development, marketing, and sales, to integrate consumer insights into decision-making processes.
• Act as a strategic leader, influencing strategies based on consumer understanding.

• Consumer Segmentation and Personas:
• Develop and maintain consumer segmentation models and personas to guide targeted marketing efforts.
• Ensure that marketing and product strategies align with the needs and preferences of distinct consumer segments.

• Reporting and Presentations:
• Prepare and present comprehensive reports to senior management, summarizing key consumer insights and providing strategic recommendations.
• Communicate findings in a clear and compelling manner to drive actionable outcomes.

• Innovation Support:
• Provide insights to support new product ideation, new product development, innovation, and the exploration of market opportunities.
• Collaborate with R&D teams to ensure products meet consumer expectations.

• Budget Management:
• Develop and manage budgets for consumer insights initiatives, employing dynamic resourcing mindset to quickly pivot based on needs and timing across businesses.
• Ensure efficient use of resources and ‘right size’ investment to achieve research objectives in support of overall business objectives.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Marketing Research, Marketing, Business, Statistics, or a related field.
• Minimum 10 years’ experience in consumer insights, market research, or related roles within the packaged goods food industry.
• Proven leadership experience, with the ability to lead and develop a high-performing consumer insights team.
• Proven expertise in designing complex consumer research, interpreting data, writing reports, and communicating actionable recommendations. Able to build strong partnerships with strategic vendors.
• Exceptional ability to be nimble and innovate new, faster ways of working and integrate consumer understanding within the organization.
• Strong understanding of digital research methods.
• Strong analytical skills with expertise in data analysis tools and statistical methods.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively in a cross-functional team environment.
• In-depth knowledge of consumer trends, category / market dynamics, and competitive landscapes in the food industry.