Research Lead or Research Manager, Custom Research (Futurum Research)

About The Futurum Group Futurum Research, part of The Futurum Group, delivers independent, data-driven insights to help technology leaders make better decisions. Our work spans custom research, market intelligence, and thought leadership across enterprise technology, with a focus on providing objective, analyst-led perspectives to clients. Futurum’s custom research work is commissioned by leading technology vendors (Fortune 500 and quickly-growing startups) across industries and technology sectors, helping to guide their internal strategy, educate the market, and demonstrate their value—based on a foundation of objective, independent data, analysis, and research analyst leadership. Role Overview Futurum Research is seeking a full-time Research Lead or Research Manager (remote, must be based in the United States) to own end-to-end delivery of custom research for major and emerging B2B technology vendors across sectors, including AI, cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, automation, hardware and chips, software development, workforce tools, professional services, and more. This is an individual contributor role focused on owning critical projects. Projects include business cases, thought leadership, competitive intelligence, and internal strategy guidance. On each project, the Research Manager sets direction, gathers and analyzes qualitative and quantitative data, builds the financial model where one is needed, and turns the findings into a clear story for the client and their buyers. Futurum is a high-growth firm redefining what research is and how it gets done. The ideal applicant must offer: proven communication and client management skills with technical and executive stakeholders, a command of financial modeling and business fundamentals, strong statistical and quantitative data analysis skills, excellent writing and data visualization skills, and a drive to build better products, quality, and ways of working with AI and automation. The role is ideal for someone who is accountable and proactive when operating in new, evolving areas; who excels at managing streamlined, fast-turn projects; and who maintains a high standard of client experience and operational rigor. Project Ownership & Delivery Own end-to-end delivery of custom research projects as the primary lead: setting direction, orchestrating the work and the team, and driving each project through to delivery. Analyze large volumes of unstructured qualitative and quantitative data and translate them into real outcomes, metrics, business cases, and distilled insights. Write compelling narratives and build intuitive visual charting to effectively communicate insights and tell data-backed stories. Keep projects on schedule, on budget, and on margin. Lead contributors without formal authority, directing analysts, colleagues, and contractors toward a shared deliverable. Uphold research ethics: protect objectivity in sponsored research, keep client information confidential, and handle NDAs and sensitive data with care. Engagement & Communication Model Serve as the primary point of contact for clients on assigned projects. Facilitate client briefings, discovery, and alignment sessions throughout each project. Lead client meetings and present findings to executives, senior stakeholders, and internal technical and non-technical teams. Handle difficult conversations with professionalism and tact: hold a scope, say no, or deliver hard news, then find what is possible and bring everyone to a solution they feel good about. Partner with colleagues across Futurum’s business units so clients experience Futurum as one connected team, not separate vendors. What You’ll Be Delivering Financial business cases, including: ROI and business value case studies, TCO analysis, economic validation, interactive calculators, P&L modeling, and budget planning. Competitive intelligence, including: SWOT, gap analysis, pricing, message testing, product strategy, and total addressable market (TAM) sizing. Thought leadership, including: state of market, technology landscapes, vendor evaluations, maturity models, industry POVs, and white papers. Primary research, including quantitative and qualitative research design: hypothesis-setting, question writing, screening, segmentation, survey analysis and charting, moderating in-depth interviews, transcript analysis, and data readouts. Marketing and sales enablement: content marketing or demand generation strategy, copywriting and editing, search and generative engine optimization, reports, landing pages, blogs, social posts, video and webinar scripts, and sales decks. Building standards, references, and reusable assets: while conducting work, this role documents processes and standards, creates templates, and builds automations. Qualifications 6–10+ years of experience desired, 4+ required. Valuable prior experience includes consulting (at base, senior, and principal levels); product management; market or tech research; business analysis; competitive intelligence; business value services; or startups. Bachelor's degree required; a master's degree or MBA is a plus. 3+ years leading client-facing projects for external clients as the primary owner, preferably in B2B or technology environments with executive & technical stakeholders. Strong business financial skills, including how businesses budget, how profit and loss works, how technology investment decisions are made, how to interpret 10K financial reports, and how to build a financial business case. Experienced with financial modeling, including present value, ROI, TCO, IRR, and sensitivity analysis. Experience with Python, Excel, or AI-assisted modeling is a plus. Strong statistical fundamentals for primary research, including segmentation, margin of error, regressions, distribution analysis, etc. Advanced statistics such as MaxDiff, Conjoint, Van Westendorp, and Gabor-Granger are valuable. Excellent writing and editing for audiences from executives to technical readers, with a track record in research reports and analysis, data readouts, business writing, and marketing copy. Proven data storytelling and data visualization skills: charts, dashboards (including interactive ones), and graphics-led reports built in tools such as Excel, PowerPoint, or data visualization software. Excellent communication in meetings, presentations, webinars, speeches, emails, and messaging to business executives and both technical and nontechnical audiences. A technology generalist who is comfortable across technology subjects and industries, understands how organizations buy, use, and deploy technology and how they choose between options, and stays current and curious about enterprise technology. A track record of building or improving processes, standards, and products with or without AI: automating repeatable work; improving templates, delivery models, or processes; raising quality or speed; building knowledge bases; or building and rolling out internal tools. AI expertise and evangelism: a builder who is forward-thinking about how to develop products and improve work with AI and automation, with an understanding of and interest in what it takes to deploy and run AI at enterprise scale, how to use bleeding-edge AI tools, and how to identify and prevent risks. Core Attributes Proactive and driven, always looking for problems to solve and things to improve, then taking them on and keeping work moving rather than waiting. Thrives in ambiguity, comfortable working without much direction, templates, or standardized processes, using good judgment to decide what to do and how, and enjoying the chance to wear many hats and shape how work gets done. Committed to quality, with a strong eye for accuracy and detail in analysis and writing, and a high bar for every deliverable. Sound judgment on gray areas such as objectivity and quality, with the confidence to make the call and the sense to ask for input or escalate when needed. Never creates surprises. Self-accountable, owning commitments without constant oversight, raising challenges early, and coming forward with a plan to solve them. Preferred Tools Experience Experience with the following tools is a plus, but is not required: AI and automation tools: Claude Code, Claude Cowork, OpenAI Codex, Google Apps Scripts, MCPs, etc. (examples of automations, workflows, or sites built are valuable). Analysis Tools and Languages: Python, JavaScript, Microsoft Excel, Tableau, Qualtrics, Decipher, or data analysis languages and tools. Office and Collaboration: Asana, Salesforce, Slack, Google Workspace, Zoom, Canva, Microsoft Powerpoint. Primary research: experienced with vendors of quantitative surveys, qualitative interviews, synthetic research and digital twins, and AI-moderated interviews. Role Details Title: “Research Lead” or “Research Manager,” with title commensurate with experience. Compensation: Full-time salaried role with a base compensation of $90,000 to $130,000 plus 10% to 20% on-target variable and benefits. Salary determination commensurate with experience and location. Fully remote company and team, with very rare travel. Must be based in the United States and work in continental US time zones; international applicants cannot be considered. Reporting to Futurum’s VP of Custom Research Work samples and cover letters are highly encouraged, such as a report, financial model, dashboard, or AI-built tool or workflows