Research Vice President, AI Infrastructure in Needham, Massachusetts at IDC

About the Role & Team

IDC is seeking aResearch Vice President (RVP) covering AI and Enterprise Workloads Infrastructure. Reporting to the GVP/GM for the Enterprise Infrastructure global research domain, the RVP will be a key face of IDC’s market intelligence and advisory services for enterprise infrastructure and cloud services more broadly. With are looking for candidates with the experience and skills needed to help IDC’s clients bring innovative infrastructureproducts and services to market. The RVP will have a broad and in-depth knowledge of the IT technology and infrastructure industry with a specific focus on: AI and Enterprise Systems and Stacks. Systems placed in enterprise datacenters, edge locations, colocation facilities, and hosting environments with specific focus on those used for AI workloads and use cases (including, model training, optimizing, fine-tuning and inferencing). This includes compute, storage, converged, hyperconverged and composable infrastructure stacks, AI Factories, and private and public cloud stacks for AI. Platforms and Technologies. In depth knowledge of computing, storage and networking elements of the infrastructure stack, including AI-specific elements such as accelerators (e.g., GPUs and DPUs), networking standards and protocols (e.g., Infiniband, Ethernet and Fibre Channel) and storage stacks (e.g., distributed/parallel file systems). Knowledge of higher-level software constructs such as operating systems, virtualization and containerization and their usage in an AI or enterprise workloads stack is a plus. Ability to discern the differences between the various approaches at the silicon, platform, and systems architecture level is a plus. Vendor landscape. Knowledge of established and emerging compute, storage, and networking infrastructure vendors and service providers, their products and services, routes to market, ecosystems and partnerships, their strengths and weaknesses, and their competitive dynamics and focus areas. Use cases and workloads. Enterprise workloads such as structured and unstructured data management (databases), web and business applications, collaborative applications, performance intensive applications used in modeling and simulation, AI/ML, analytics, technical and engineering computing environments, to name a few.

What You’ll Do

IDC analysts are one of the most respected in the industry. A successful candidate will become an important member within a team of industry experts and will be looked upon as a frequent contributor to IDC’s enterprise and cloud IT infrastructure services research. A suitable candidate IDC RVP will be expected to: Work with IDC colleagues to ensure the AI and Enterprise infrastructure coverage is well rounded in terms of quantitative and qualitative, IT supplier and end user, decision maker and investor, and vertical industry specific aspects. Ensure that there is no ambiguity in terms of how IDC views AI and enterprise workloads infrastructure in the broader context of the enterprise IT industry. Develop high-quality quantitative and qualitative research on market trends and industry outlook, delivered via IDC’s syndicated research services. This includes developing taxonomies, market share and forecast reports, vendor reports, technology assessments, end user reports and market perspectives. Propagate IDC point of view to the broader industry with the goal of continuing IDC as a market research leader in AI and enterprise workloads infrastructure. This includes developing and delivering presentations on current and future industry trends, impact on vendors, and guiding IDC clients on the current and future state of the market. It also includes speaking at industry conferences, vendor events. Develop high-impact custom projects delivered via written reports and white papers, interactive engagements, speaking engagements and custom advisory services. Groom and mentor junior analysts to grow IDC’s research on Enterprise IT infrastructure. The candidate will be asked to take on people management responsibilities at some point in the future.

What You Bring

• Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s degree a plus.
• 10+ years of industry experience working at an IT vendor, in an enterprise IT organization or as an industry analyst.
• Strong analytical, verbal, and written communication, presentation skills are desired.
• Proficiency in enterprise AI tools such as Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini. Being an advanced user in leveraging AI for performing research is a bonus.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint with advanced Excel skills a plus (Pivot tables, charts, and graphs, etc.)
• Excellent interpersonal skills for internal and external communications and collaboration.
• Multitasking with the ability to prioritize competing deadlines, simultaneous projects without losing focus on detail, quality, and accuracy.
• Ability to travel (0-50%) mostly to industry and vendor events as well as client offices.
• Ability to work in person at a worldwide IDC office or remotely, with proximity to a major airport a must.
• People management skills a plus.
• In addition to the opportunity to join a highly successful and motivated research team, this position offers the successful candidate the opportunity to thrive in the industry's leading provider of market intelligence, delivering expert insight and advisory services to major suppliers of cutting-edge IT industry solutions.

Why This Role Stands Out
At IDC, your work helps shape how the world understands technology and where it goes next. You collaborate with curious, high-caliber colleagues who value rigor, integrity, and shared success. As the premier global provider of trusted technology intelligence, IDC equips business and technology leaders with the evidence they need to make confident decisions. Our insights inform strategy, investment, and innovation across industries and regions.

Recognized by IIAR as Analyst Firm of the Year for five consecutive years, IDC sets the standard for credibility and impact. With more than 1,000 analysts worldwide and a truly global perspective, we combine deep expertise with practical relevance. Here, your ideas matter, your voice is heard, and your contributions provide the insights leaders rely on every day. It is meaningful work, backed by a culture that supports growth, collaboration, and long-term career development with a globally respected brand.

What We Offer

• 15 vacation days (prorated based on start date)
• 12 company-paid holidays
• 6 paid sick days (prorated based on start date; may vary by state)
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• 2 floating holidays (prorated based on start date)
• 1 volunteer day
• 401(k) company match (IDC matches 3% on the first 6% of employee contributions)
• Company-paid short-term disability
• Company-paid life insurance
  
• Company-paid parental leave
  

Compensation Transparency

At IDC, we are committed to fair and equitable pay practices. Employees are compensated equitably for their work, aligned with their skills and experience. Salary and incentive structures are determined through a rigorous process that considers experience, education, certifications, role-specific requirements, internal equity, and verified U.S. market data from an independent third-party partner.

The expected total annual compensation, depending on location and experience, is between $190,000 – $240,000, inclusive of base salary and variable compensation.

Equal Opportunity Employer

IDC is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all qualified persons. Employment eligibility verification required. We participate in E-Verify.

IDC is currently able to employ remote workers in the following states: Arizona (AZ), California (CA), Colorado (CO), Connecticut (CT), Washington D.C. (DC), Florida (FL), Georgia (GA), Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN), Kansas (KS), Massachusetts (MA), Maryland (MD), Maine (ME), Michigan (MI), Minnesota (MN), Missouri (MO), Mississippi (MS), North Carolina (NC), New Hampshire (NH), New Jersey (NJ), New York (NY), Ohio (OH), Oregon (OR), Pennsylvania (PA), Rhode Island (RI), South Carolina (SC), Tennessee (TN), Texas (TX), Utah (UT), Virginia (VA), Vermont (VT), Washington (WA), and Wisconsin (WI).