Senior Director, Consumer Insights

Costa Mesa, CA

Vans® is the original action sports footwear company, rooted in authenticity and creativity. Founded in 1966, we have thrived on a legacy of impacting our greater community through four pillars: action sports, music, art and street culture. We are constantly inspired by the creative voyagers within our company and community. For them, creativity is about the journey, not just the output. Our mission is to empower everyone to use creativity to discover themselves. Our vision is to create a world where anyone can be their unique self.

At Vans, our culture sets us apart and influences everything we do. We are driven by our five values: We have HEART – also referred to as the “Van Doren Spirit”. We are relentlessly CURIOUS about our consumers and the world around us. We are UNAPOLOGETICALLY AUTHENTIC and whole heartedly believe the most “Off the Wall” thing you can do is be yourself. We are driven by a spirit of INGENUITY. And we are passionate about local COMMUNITIES. And most of all, we are a family that has fun together.

At Vans we empower creative exploration and inspire youth culture through a commitment to inclusivity. We welcome anyone and everyone into our global family and proudly celebrate and environment where individuality is embraced, equal opportunities thrive, and everyone is empowered to reach their greatest potential.

How You Will Make a Difference

What you will do:

Under your leadership, you and your team will execute primary market research and consumer insights studies that support brand growth and consumer segment understanding. You will identify the most impactful areas of research for our brand and business strategies, as well as lead initiatives such as: Global Brand Health Synthesis, Consumer Segmentation, Persona Development, and Brand Campaign Insights.
Build deeply empathetic and holistic understanding of brand consumers, what they care about and how to drive impact, while also providing a window into the next generation of aspirational future consumers we will need to reach.
Serve as the voice and visionary for our consumer, ensuring consumer insights serves as the foundation for key strategic decisions across brand functions. Extract insights from data synthesis to identify future strategies & opportunities.
Collaborate with global and regional partners throughout the organization to ensure that consumer insights translate into positive business outcomes. Develop plans connected to consumer needs, trends and market whitespace, driving distinction and relevance.

How you will do it:

Fluently lead both cultural and consumer insight work streams with a global and regional perspective, and ability to harness both qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
Tap into unmet needs, optimize existing initiatives, develop for emerging needs.
Harbor an expansive curiosity to learn about and utilize best-in-class new methodologies and tools.
Adeptness at looking within a category to measure success, but also outside to adjacent, emerging players, spaces and ideas that can inspire the organization.

What success looks like:

A highly collaborative mindset, and ability to work closely with regional reports and be accountable to senior partners across multiple functions.
Recruit and develop high-performing consumer insights experts that can champion strategy across the organization; acquire and train new talent to propel the overall strategic mission forward.
Strengthen Brand Equity– Identify opportunities for improving the effectiveness of all brand activities by integrating insights from consumer targets, brand positioning, brand equity tracking/scorecarding and communications testing to help craft action plans.

Free To Be, Inclusion & Diversity

As a mission-led, performance driven company, we strive to foster a culture of belonging based on respect, connection, openness and authenticity. We are committed to building and maintaining a workplace that celebrates the diversity of our associates, allowing them to bring their authentic selves to work every day.

Skills for Success

Years of Related Professional Experience: 8-10+ years

Educational Position Requirements:

A formal education and subsequent undergraduate/graduate degrees are nice to have, but we are most interested in your total experience and professional achievements.

What we expect you already know:

A track record of elevating insights into transformative brand and business strategies that can drive commercial growth and have sustainable impact
Familiarity with advanced analytic research techniques and tools, digital engagement and understanding, as well as leading edge market research tools and methodologies (behavior science, social listening, transactional and panel data, etc.) is preferred
Expertise in a wide range of both qualitative and quantitative research methods, including, but not limited to: Consumer Segmentation, Consumer Journey Mapping, Brand Target Identification and Positioning, Brand Health Tracking, Advertising Assessment, Innovation Insights and Shopper Insights

What we will teach you:

We will connect you with a variety of cross-functional stakeholders across Vans, VF and our portfolio partner brands to achieve common goals and exchange best practices
Partner with regional teams to manage shared roadmaps and consumer centric KPI’s
Develop global loyalty strategies that are informed by regional nuances in order to drive global consistency and local relevancy

VF Guiding Principles: Live with Integrity, Act Courageously, Be Curious, Act with Empathy, and Perservere.

What’s in it For You

We’re in the business of unleashing human potential, driven by the ideas, energy and commitment of our people. That’s why we offer comprehensive benefits that encourage mental, physical and financial well-being for all VF associates. When it comes to benefits, we’re the total package. Go to MyVFBenefits.com and click on “Looking to Join VF?” to learn more.

Our Parent Company, VF Corporation

VF is one of the world’s largest apparel, footwear and accessories companies connecting people to the lifestyles, activities and experiences they cherish through our family of iconic outdoor, active and workwear brands. At the heart of our journey lies our company-wide purpose: We power movements of sustainable and active lifestyles for the betterment of people and our planet. This is our purpose. It’s the reason we come to work every day. It’s a commitment shared by our global associates across all brands. Our purpose unites us and leads us to pursue our goals, together. This is our calling.

Pay Range:

$179,712.00 USD - $269,568.00 USD annually

Incentive Potential:

This position is eligible for additional compensation awards that may include an annual incentive plan, sales incentive, or commission potential. Specific details of the additional compensation eligibility for this position will be provided during the recruiting and interview process.

Long-Term Incentive:

This is position is eligible to participate in a Long-Term Incentive Plan. Specific details of the plan will be provided during the recruiting and interview process.

Benefits at VF Corporation:

You can review a general overview of each benefit program offered, including this year's medical plan rates on www.MyVFbenefits.com and by clicking Looking to Join VF? Detailed information on your benefits will be provided during the hiring process.

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement:

Unless prohibited by applicable law, this position requires proof of being fully vaccinated for COVID-19 on the first day of employment, absent need for medical or religious accommodation or other exemption as allowed by state or local law. Further information will be provided during the recruitment process.

Please note, our pay ranges are determined and built from market pay data. In determining the specific compensation for this position, we comply with all local, state, and federal laws.