TMT Insights Director in Chicago, Illinois at SSI (U.S.) Inc. d/b/a Spencer Stuart

SSI (U.S.) Inc. d/b/a Spencer Stuart

Spencer Stuart is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer F/M/Disability/Vet/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity.
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Full/Part Time: Full time

Req ID: R4758

Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Insights Director

POSITION SUMMARY

Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) Practice

Converging technologies have shaped the opportunities and challenges facing major multinationals, growth companies, startups, private equity and venture capital funds alike. In a world that is getting disrupted by AI our TMT practice is at the forefront of helping clients stay ahead of the evolving leadership needs in a transformational moment.

Our global TMT Practice has helped build the leadership teams and boards of a number of preeminent companies around the world, as well as emerging players beginning to make their mark in the industry.

Within the TMT Practice, we further refine our expertise by operating within specific industry specialties or sectors, including:

• AI
• Hardware & IoT
• Media & Consumer Tech
• Software & Platforms
• Telecommunications & Digital Infrastructure

Our global TMT Practice operates within a global network, spanning strategic markets worldwide. We collaborate with best teams forward to ensure that every project we work on benefits from an optimal combination of industry, functional, services and geographic expertise.

Organised by regions (North America, EMEA, Latin America and Asia Pacific) , the global TMT team includes ~200 practice members across the spectrum of executive assistants, analysts, associates, client development analysts, client development managers, and consultants. Our longstanding, carefully nurtured relationships-combined with our global database and unique market knowledge-enable us immediate access to the talent we seek for our clients.

Our ambition is to be the world's leading leadership advisory firm in the TMT sector. This implies building trusted relationships at the top establishing insightful advisory offerings. We aim to do so by driving a more systematic and coordinated team coverage approach for our key clients and building the team's advisory capabilities and track record.

ROLE SPECIFICATION

Spencer Stuart is sharpening its business development approach, focusing on smarter client targeting, higher-impact client interactions, and a more competitive, insights-led way of engaging the market. The Insights Director will be central to this ambition, shaping and driving differentiated insights that elevate our reputation in TMT, strengthen how we engage at the top, and support the Practice's growth agenda.

The ID will partner with Practice leadership and members on strategic business development-related insight and content creation, to help drive our strategic priorities. The ID will work in close collaboration with the consulting, Client Development and other BD enablement team members, as well as cross-functional teams to help acquire, organize, analyze, and create the knowledge that enables Spencer Stuart to deliver superior value for its clients.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

Reports to

Global TMT Practice Leader

Partners closely with

TMT Practice Director

Other Insights Directors

Other key relationships

TMT Client Development Managers (CDM)

TMT Client Development Analysts (CDA)

Regional Practice Leaders (TMT)

Global Sector Leaders (TMT)

Consultants

Associates (and broader execution team)

Marketing Team

BD enablement members across the firm

LOCATION

Global with alignment to a home-office

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Insights Creation

• Partner with the Global Practice Leader and Practice Director to set priorities for primary and secondary research and analysis across markets, clients, competitors, talent, and outcomes.
• Collaborate with other Insights Directors to share and scale best practices and learnings across the firm.
• Work with Marketing to develop Practice-specific intellectual capital, including market analyses and thought leadership.
• Produce research and analysis to inform the Practice's competitive position, growth opportunities, and areas of white space.
• Identify and communicate key talent and leadership trends relevant to the Practice.

Business Development and Opportunity Pursuit

• Work closely with Practice Consultants and Client Development to embed insights, data, and analysis into pitches and pursuit strategies.
• Support client prioritization and coverage efforts (including WATT) by grounding decisions in market, leadership, and competitive insight.
• Monitor relevant news and emerging topics tied to key clients and opportunities and share timely insights with the Practice.
• Partner with the Client Development Manager to ensure business development signals (news, pipeline, triggers) are captured and shared consistently.
• Support adoption of new tools and technologies that enhance insight generation and BD effectiveness.

Insights Sharing

• Serve as a go-to resource on sector dynamics, key players, functions, and terminology.
• Actively contribute to global business development efforts by sharing insights and best practices across Practices.
• Partner with the Practice Director, Client Development Manager, and Marketing to define and execute an effective insights communication strategy.

Team Leadership

• Support the development, coaching, and retention of the TMT Client Development team.
• Champion business development and insights initiatives across the Practice and the firm.

DESIRED OUTCOMES

Desired outcomes will be developed and refined in partnership with the Global Practice Leader. Success in this role will be defined not only by the quality of insights produced, but by their adoption by Partners and their impact on client engagement, pursuit strategy, and Practice reputation.

Some initial priorities for the first 12 months include:

• Contribute meaningfully to the development of new, strategic, and insightful approaches to BD content- and market insights (sectors and talent).
• Deliver new and relevant pieces of secondary research applicable to active BD pursuits.
• Be recognized by the Practice consultant community as a reliable and proactive asset on key BD pursuits and insights dissemination; Becomes the go-to person for ideation, brainstorming and candid idea exchange.
• Maintain strong and broad ties across the global Practice and Client Development teams; Serve as a visible and accessible teammate and partner, having influenced significant brand awareness initiatives and content.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

The ideal candidate will be a bright, articulate, self-motivated problem solver with a balance of creativity and strong analytical skills. They will combine strategic thinking and commercial know-how with a healthy dose of creative thinking. Their greatest objective is enabling the delivery of interesting content about the TMT industry, inspiring curiosity about the industry and Spencer Stuart's point of view. They will have a proven track record of creating compelling, insightful content and the agility to imagine new and innovative ways of approaching insight creation. Harnessing the practice's pulse on the market and their own observations around hot leadership topics, this person owns, develops and drives the practice's insights agenda. They are a strong relationship builder with a relentless client service orientation and the confidence and maturity to be a credible trusted partner to a sophisticated internal client base.

IDEAL EXPERIENCE

• 10+ years of consulting, professional services, market research (quantitative/qualitative) and/or executive search experience
• Has managed BD content-creation activities and processes
• Has managed operational activities and processes
• Undergraduate degree (A master's degree would be a plus)
• Exposure to some of our key TMT sectors is a plus

CRITICAL LEADERSHIP CAPABILITIES

Project Managing for Results

• Works with the Practice Leader and the Practice Director to set an insights strategy and objectives for the Practice. Maintains general awareness of progress over time.
• Works to achieve business development and content-creation goals for the Practice while overcoming obstacles and/or planning for contingencies.
• Hands-on, rolls up one's sleeves approach, energized by executing projects autonomously. Ability to execute throughout the insight creation process, from collecting and analyzing data, to distilling it into insights and owning the narrative for client facing materials and meetings.
• Tenacious, with a track record of working successfully to steer self and team through complex situations; proactively seeks to be involved in many diverse projects.
• Shows strong sense of urgency about reaching deadlines for pursuit opportunities and agreed-upon reactive and proactive business development projects/targets.
• Is comfortable leveraging existing internal resources and customizing their scope to develop Practice tailored insights.
• Checks work of self and others to ensure business development deliverables are continuously improved, distinguished and against required quality standards; can give and receive feedback constructively.
• Demonstrates excellent project management skills, outlining key tasks and reviewing performance and progress on projects / pursuit deliverables on a regular basis to ensure the team is achieving results.
• Sets up replicable data analysis processes with thorough and regular follow up.
• Engages closely with colleagues; communicates the link between current tasks and longer-term goals.
• Delegates some tasks with close supervision, ensuring team members have stretch learning opportunities. with quality oversight

Collaborating & Influencing

• Collaborative approach; takes initiative to create and foster enduring relationships with senior leaders, Practice consultants and Client Development team members.
• Demonstrates strong listening skills; Invites and uses the opinions, perspectives and best practices of others in the Firm, Practice, the Client Development team and other stakeholders, to influence, drive engagement and shape the way forward.
• Demonstrates strong influencing toolkit; is able to drive for consensus in a collaborative and efficient manner; able to challenge in a non-confrontational manner.
• Adapts own approach to the audience, anticipating impact of words and actions, preparing for possible resistance and responding in an appropriate style, using a range of influencing styles and a strong client-service orientation.
• Credible and mature with the ability to support his/her point with both factual evidence and experience-based opinion.
• Engages team members in a dialogue to gain commitment and bring them "on board" to business development initiatives, linking their perspective to the intent.
• Successfully engage clients with highly insightful information in a clear and confident manner. Formulates and clearly articulates a point of view based on knowledge/insights to help solve our clients' leadership challenges.
• Operates in a highly engaged way, resolving potential conflicts by discussing individual issues with each person.

Strategic Thinking

• Sees the bigger picture due to a strong business acumen, helps formulate commercial and business development opportunities grounded in knowledge and insights.
• Leverages conceptual thinking to frame and/or "dimensionalize" a topic, landscape and/or go-forward plan.
• Can identify emerging macro and TMT-market trends and translate to implications for Firm's commercial, growth-driving strategies.
• Is naturally curious and creative, considering new ways to approach analyses and to share and present insights.
• Applies critical thinking to analyses, ensuring insights and messages are relevant and compelling.

OTHER PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

• Culturally agile-embraces various perspectives; learning oriented-- strives for understanding, partnership and connection
• Collaborative, team player mindset
• Confident; welcomes dialogue, brainstorming and diverse points of view
• Creative; appreciates the process of building new things, testing theories and adjusting approach
• Excellent presentation, writing, PowerPoint and Excel skills
• Spoken and written fluency in English

The base compensation for this position is $200,000 per year. This position will be eligible to participate in our annual discretionary bonus program.

Spencer Stuart also offers a competitive benefits package, which includes:

• Retirement savings plan with discretionary profit sharing contribution and employer match;
• PTO (minimum 15 days per year, increases with tenure), paid sick time (10 days per year), company holidays (12 days per year), and paid leaves of absence when applicable;
• Comprehensive health benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, and healthcare flexible spending account;
• Life Insurance, and short-term and long-term disability insurance;
• Wellness benefits, including an employee assistance program, virtual mental health program, and mindfulness program; and
• Voluntary benefit options, including supplemental life insurance, identity theft protection, and whole life insurance with long-term care and critical illness coverage.

Spencer Stuart is a proud equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. We are committed to non-discrimination without regard to actual or perceived race, ethnicity, creed, color, religion, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions), national origin, immigration status, ancestry, age, marital status, protected veteran status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any basis prohibited under applicable federal, state or local law.