Director, Insights

BACKGROUND

At WittKieffer, we recognize that the well-being of people and communities is inextricably tied to health, education, and scientific advancement. That is why WittKieffer exclusively serves organizations aligned to these areas of impact, as we have for more than 55 years. We help our clients navigate this ever-evolving and complex world by using our unique insight to identify and enable exceptional leadership. We precisely tune our services to the needs of each client—whether non-profit or for-profit—delivering high-impact executive search, interim and on-demand leadership, and leadership advisory solutions. Our insight-driven approach to building and enabling leadership teams is fundamental to our purpose: Improving Quality of Life through Impactful Leadership.

The recently established Commercial Strategy & Insights (CSI) team is a strategic imperative serving our clients, candidates, and colleagues at WittKieffer. The team plays a pivotal role in fully establishing and embedding knowledge and data-grounded insight as a foundational element of the firm’s brand, client leadership solutions, business development, and operations. To differentiate WittKieffer through an insight-driven advisory approach, there are four interconnected levers building the CSI team: insights, impact assessment, client strategy, and pursuit management.

THE ROLE

WittKieffer considers the role of the Director of Insights as a pivotal position in generating impactful insights and thought leadership content through strategic research initiatives focused on leadership within the Quality of Life Ecosystem. Collaborating closely with the marketing team, this position shapes WittKieffer's brand through unique insights and supports a content-driven approach to branding, marketing, and business development. By developing and maintaining proprietary data tools and conducting in-depth research, the Director provides essential support to market-facing teams and other firm members, enhancing data-driven communication, editorial content, and decision-making within WittKieffer.

The Director’s primary responsibility will be to lead a team of insights strategists in delivering a steady flow of high-quality, differentiated, data-driven market and talent intelligence. This involves transforming first-, second-, and third-party data into impactful insights to be leveraged in business development, pitches and proposals, and brand-building thought leadership.

The work can be carried out in a remote or hybrid environment.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Cutting-Edge Insights Generation

• Serve as a trusted subject matter expert (SME) within WittKieffer, leveraging deep industry knowledge and data analysis expertise to provide credible insights and strategic guidance that influence decision-making and drive innovation.
• Plan, design, and lead the execution of various quantitative and qualitative research initiatives focused on leadership within the Quality of Life Ecosystem (healthcare, education, science) and enterprise-level leadership topics.
• Develop and maintain specific processes, data sets, and analytical tools utilizing a variety of methodologies to mine and synthesize data from internal and external systems to create proprietary data assets and differentiated insights.
• Conduct in-depth research using relevant, qualified resources (e.g., in-house databases, proprietary market and talent intelligence, external sources, surveys, qualitative interviews).
• Drive the creation of unique, insightful, and impactful thought leadership content through proprietary research to support a content-driven approach to branding, marketing, and business development.
• Coordinate with the marketing team on the thought leadership agenda by participating in the editorial board and actively contributing to the execution of the editorial calendar.
• Co-drive external strategic partnerships with brand halo (e.g., associations, education institutions).
• Manage the insights team to provide primary and secondary research support to consultants, researchers, CSI team members, and others at WittKieffer on various data and analytics-related topics.

Knowledge & Data Management

• Promote knowledge sharing of the latest insights and data across the firm.
• Ensure accessibility of current data, insights, and client-ready materials throughout WittKieffer by leveraging existing platforms.
• Conduct regular knowledge-sharing sessions for market-facing teams to discuss industry trends and exchange market observations, talent dynamics, and leadership challenges.

Stakeholder Engagement & Team Leadership

• Support the editorial board in driving the thought leadership agenda at WittKieffer.
• Collaborate with market leaders, consultants, the marketing department, and other members of the CSI team to execute the thought leadership agenda effectively.
• Coach and mentor team members within the Insights team; oversee the team’s performance, training, and career development.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

Qualifications

• Master’s degree required.
• 10+ years of relevant professional experience.
• Broad and deep understanding of current market trends in healthcare, life sciences, and education, as well as talent-related themes.
• Methodical and structured researcher with the ability to plan, scope, and conduct primary and secondary research.
• Extensive experience in mining, triangulating, and utilizing qualitative and quantitative data to identify themes, synthesize them into actionable information, and create thought-provoking insights.
• Proficiency in using quantitative analysis and research tools.
• Very strong storytelling skills across various formats (text, imagery, video, audio, etc.).
• Proven track record in writing clearly, concisely, and persuasively, with a strong emphasis on exceptional editorial skills.
• Ability to connect dots, generate hypotheses, and explore data diligently to challenge or support those hypotheses.

Critical Competencies

• Strategic and hands-on, displaying a high degree of gravitas, resilience, and ability to influence.
• Intellectual curiosity and ability to quickly learn a wide variety of topics.
• Execution-oriented and pragmatic; adept at prioritizing and multitasking within a fast-paced, challenging, and time-sensitive environment.
• Effective communicator with confidence and precision both verbally and in written form.
• Strong commercial acumen and sensibility; a sense of urgency.
• Embraces a culture of purpose, collaboration, and trust.