Together we fight for everyone’s opportunity for a better financial future.
We will do this together — with customers, partners and colleagues. We will fight for others, not against: We will stand up for and champion everyone’s access to opportunities. The status quo is not good enough … we believe every individual and every community deserves access to financial opportunities. We are determined to support both individuals and communities in reaching a better financial future. We know that reaching this future depends on our actions today.
Like our Purpose Statement, Voya believes in being bold and committed to action. We are committed to a work environment where the differences that we are born with — and those we acquire throughout our lives — are understood, valued and intentionally pursued. We believe that our employees own our culture and have a responsibility to foster an environment where we all feel comfortable bringing our whole selves to work. Purposefully bringing our differences together to positively influence our culture, serve our clients and enrich our communities is essential to our vision.
Are you ready to join a company with a strong purpose and a winning culture? Start your Voyage – Apply Now
This position allows work to be performed remotely near one of our major office locations with the ability to meet in-person as needed in office. (CT-Windsor, NY-Metro, OR ATL ONLY)
Profile Summary
The Market Research Director provides enterprise‑level leadership in the design, development, and execution of quantitative and qualitative research within the financial services industry. This client-facing role oversees primary and secondary research initiatives—including survey development, questionnaires, and discussion guides—leveraging advanced methodologies and AI‑powered tools to generate insights from a broad spectrum of B2B and B2C audiences, ranging from senior client executives and intermediaries to end consumers and investors.
The Director synthesizes complex data into clear, compelling insights and delivers them through influential storytelling to senior leadership, client executives, and industry audiences. As a client‑facing leader, the role represents Voya’s insights externally at events and internally across Marketing, Product, Sales, CX, Strategy, and other partner groups. Research outputs directly inform marketing strategy, thought leadership, product development, customer experience optimization, operational improvements, demand generation, and broader enterprise strategy—ultimately supporting customer retention and driving future business growth.
Profile Description:
- Develop and implement enterprise‑wide research strategies aligned with business goals.
- Oversee market, consumer, and competitive intelligence programs, including primary, secondary, and AI‑powered research (from insight generation to analyses and reporting), research supplier / vendor management and operational efficiency of projects.
- Lead agile research initiatives and integrate AI tools to accelerate and scale insight generation.
- Design and manage end‑to‑end quantitative and qualitative research studies, from study inception through final deliverables, to collect insights that inform Voya’s businesses and strategic direction.
- Identify and apply appropriate research methodologies and partners to support data‑informed decision‑making across the enterprise.
- Manage the full lifecycle of qualitative and quantitative research with rigorous methodology.
- Analyze data to identify themes, trends, insights, and implications, translating complex datasets into clear, concise, and actionable findings.
- Develop charts, visualizations, and impactful reports that communicate insights effectively to senior stakeholders.
- Present findings to senior leadership using clear, compelling storytelling.
- Consult with internal stakeholders and business partners to deliver insights related to consumer needs, market dynamics, and messaging that supports the sales story.
- Partner cross‑functionally with Marketing, Product, Sales, CX, Strategy, and Data Science.
- Synthesize large volumes of data into concise deliverables tailored to client and business needs.
- Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to disseminate consumer insights and ensure alignment across the organization.
- Cultivate relationships across all business areas to deepen understanding of strategic priorities and information needs.
- Manage, engage and mentor junior research analysts, and insights specialists.
- Act as a thought leader on emerging methodologies and best practices in market and consumer research.
- Other duties and projects as assigned.
Education & Experience:
- 10+ years of hands‑on experience conducting primary and secondary research, including quantitative survey design, qualitative moderation, and advanced analytics.
- 5+ years of leadership experience overseeing research teams / research suppliers (vendor management) and enterprise‑level insights programs.
- Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Market Research, Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, Behavioral Science, Life Sciences, Psychology or a related field; Minimum 3.0 GPA in relevant technical coursework required. Master’s degree highly preferred.
- Deep expertise in advanced research methodologies, analytical techniques, and insight generation.
- Strong survey writing and analytical skills with the proven ability to translate complex data into clear stories with actionable insights that support business growth.
- Demonstrated ability to communicate analytical and statistical concepts concisely to non‑technical audiences.
- Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills; comfortable presenting findings to senior leadership and speaking at large industry events.
- Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple priorities, projects, and stakeholders simultaneously.
- Experience with people management.
- Experience with statistical software and analytical tools such as SPSS, SAS, Excel, data‑visualization/presentation platforms (PPT, dashboards, etc.),and survey platforms (Qualtrics, etc.).
- Experience leveraging AI‑powered research and decision intelligence and agile insight-generation tools.
#LI-KD1
Compensation Pay Disclosure:
Voya is committed to pay that’s fair and equitable, which means comparable pay for comparable roles and responsibilities.
The below annual base salary range reflects the expected hiring range(s) for this position in the location(s) listed. In addition to base salary, Voya offers incentive opportunities (i.e., annual cash incentives, sales incentives, and/or long-term incentives) based on the role to reward the achievement of annual performance objectives. Please note that this salary information is solely for candidates hired to perform work within one of these locations, and refers to the amount Voya Financial is willing to pay at the time of this posting.
Actual compensation offered may vary from the posted salary range based upon the candidate’s geographic location, work experience, education, licensure requirements and/or skill level and will be finalized at the time of offer. Salaries for part-time roles will be prorated based upon the agreed upon number of hours to be regularly worked.
$170,000 - $185,000
Be Well. Stay Well.
Voya provides the resources that can make a difference in your lives. To us, this means thriving physically, financially, socially and emotionally. Voya benefits are designed to help you do just that. That’s why we offer an array of plans, programs, tools and resources with one goal in mind: To help you and your family be well and stay well.
What We Offer
- Health, dental, vision and life insurance plans
- 401(k) Savings plan – with generous company matching contributions (up to 6%)
- Voya Retirement Plan – employer paid cash balance retirement plan (4%)
- Tuition reimbursement up to $5,250/year
- Paid time off – including 20 days paid time off, nine paid company holidays and a flexible Diversity Celebration Day.
- Paid volunteer time — 40 hours per calendar year
Learn more about Voya benefits (download PDF)
Critical Skills
At Voya, we have identified the following critical skills which are key to success in our culture:
- Customer Focused: Passionate drive to delight our customers and offer unique solutions that deliver on their expectations.
- Critical Thinking: Thoughtful process of analyzing data and problem solving data to reach a well-reasoned solution.
- Team Mentality: Partnering effectively to drive our culture and execute on our common goals.
- Business Acumen:Appreciation and understanding of the financial services industry in order to make sound business decisions.
- Learning Agility: Openness to new ways of thinking and acquiring new skills to retain a competitive advantage.
Learn more aboutCritical Skills
Equal Employment Opportunity
Voya Financial is an equal-opportunity employer. Voya Financial provides equal opportunity to qualified individuals regardless of race, color, sex, national origin, citizenship status, religion, age, disability, veteran status, creed, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or any other status protected by state or local law.
Reasonable Accommodations
Voya is committed to the inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, Voya will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please reference resources for applicants with disabilities.
Misuse of Voya's name in fraud schemes