Research Manager, Consumer Insights

Rec Room is looking for a Research Manager to contribute to a variety of quantitative and qualitative research initiatives to support Rec Room's marketing and product teams. This position will report to the Head of Consumer Insights. Candidates must be comfortable supporting the end-to-end research process as opposed to outsourcing work to vendors.

Our ideal candidate loves engaged player communities and possesses a strong curiosity and passion to understand the "whys" that drive player behavior and decision-making. He/She will have experience using traditional research methods, proactively identify emerging methodologies, and be comfortable suggesting new approaches and original thinking.

Responsibilities:

• Represent the voice of the consumer across the organization to enable a culture that is anchored in deep and empathic player understanding.
• Support the design and implementation of high-impact quantitative and qualitative research projects to support a number of cross-functional teams, including studio, marketing, UA, data analytics, product management, and business development.
• Lead in-house quantitative projects as determined by business objectives, including feature development, ad testing, brand and competitive research, etc.
• Build a new player/creator research community. This includes defining the strategic vision, managing the community, and leading research efforts to drive quick and impactful insights.
• Translate business needs into engaging community research studies to deliver actionable results.
• Develop programs to identify, engage, and incentivize the player/creator research community.
• Partner with cross-functional teams and developer teams to enrich research findings with analytics and behavioral data.
• Ensure that all deliverables are actionable, grounded in deep player knowledge and psychology, and guided by a broader understanding of business context.
• Take the initiative to stay current with industry trends and best practices in the free-to-play games industry, market research industry, and the field of psychology / human motivation and its application to games research.
• Understand the behaviors, attitudes, motivations, and frustrations of players in order to drive retention and long-term engagement.

We are looking for someone :

• With experience contributing to various quantitative projects, including concept testing, positioning research, ad testing, brand research, media consumption, and motivational segmentation.
• Consumer insights experience, preferably within the entertainment, tech, or gaming industry.
• Gaming community management experience and a proven track record of successfully acquiring, engaging, and retaining its members.
• Team player, who thrives on working collaboratively, inspiring others and bringing out the best in the wider team.
• Self-starter with passion, energy, and enthusiasm to drive results and affect meaningful change.
• Works effectively and enjoys the interplay across cross-functional teams, such as studio, marketing, UA, data analytics, and product management.
• Passion for games, particularly cross-platform to include VR, mobile, console and PC.
• Comfortable analyzing data tables and manipulating raw data in Google Sheets and SPSS.
• Ability to synthesize data into insightful reports.
• Ability to simultaneously manage multiple projects and priorities within a fast-paced environment.
• Passion to deliver a great player experience and enjoys applying psychological theories to game and marketing strategy.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree required, MA degree in social sciences, marketing science, applied research, or related field is a plus. Must have a strong academic record and analytical background.
• Strong survey programming, analysis, and reporting skills in a survey platform (i.e., Qualtrics, Alchemer, and/or Decipher) is required.
• Community management experience is required.
• SPSS, SAS, R, Tableau and/or other analytics software packages are a plus.
• Familiarity with gaming-adjacent platforms (e.g., Discord and Reddit) is a plus.
• Familiarity with Alida's Sparq platform or other customer intelligence software is a plus.

Company info to know:

Rec Room offers generous medical, dental, and vision plans that cover you, your spouse/domestic partner, and children. We also support your retirement benefits with a company match. Rec Room values work-life balance by providing unlimited paid time off. Our company values are real and drive our culture. We work hard to be a safe and friendly place for people from all walks of life.

Rec Room provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.