Insights Strategist
Smith Hanley Associates, Los Angeles, CA, United States
Insights Strategist
Title:
Insights Strategist Location:
West Los Angeles, CA (in office) Comp:
~$85–100k base + bonus + equity Contact:
Lindsey Bartlett – lbartlett@smithhanley.com
Let’s be real… this is not your typical research role.
If you like running one study at a time, handing off a deck, and moving on… this isn’t it.
If you want to be in the middle of high-volume, AI-powered research, partnering directly with brands, shaping how research actually gets done and influencing the product behind it…
keep reading.
OK So what is it? Our client is a fast-growing, AI-native research platform that’s completely rethinking how qualitative research gets done.
Think:
AI-moderated interviews
Automated recruitment + fielding
Real-time synthesis
Multiple studies running at once
Their clients? Major consumer brands across tech, social, CPG, healthcare… the ones pushing things forward.
The Role You’re the bridge between:
the
client
the
research
and the
product
You’re:
advising clients on research methodology
helping them build a learning agenda (not just one-off projects)
pressure-testing outputs
making sure what comes out of the platform is actually… good
In some cases, you’ll roll up your sleeves and run pieces of the research yourself. In others, you’re guiding, refining, and elevating.
What You’ll Actually Do
Act as a true thought partner to clients
Guide study design, discussion guides, and research approach
Evaluate outputs (interviews, synthesis, insights) and refine where needed
Help clients understand what “good” looks like on the platform
Build research roadmaps vs. one-off projects
Work closely with Product + Engineering to improve how research is built into the platform
Identify patterns across clients and turn them into scalable best practices
Who This Is Perfect For Someone who:
has 2–4ish years in research (agency or brand)
has actually run qual (and ideally some quant)
is comfortable being both hands-on and client-facing
likes moving fast and figuring things out
wants to get closer to how research tools are built, not just used
A Few Things to Know
Preference for being in-office in West LA
Team is high ownership, low ego, very scrappy
Hours are flexible, adults treated like adults
Equity is part of the package (and yes, they’ll explain it if it’s new to you)
Why People Make This Move Because they’re:
bored of slow timelines
tired of rinse-and-repeat research
curious about AI but want something real (not buzzwords)
looking to have actual impact on how research evolves
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Insights Strategist Location:
West Los Angeles, CA (in office) Comp:
~$85–100k base + bonus + equity Contact:
Lindsey Bartlett – lbartlett@smithhanley.com
Let’s be real… this is not your typical research role.
If you like running one study at a time, handing off a deck, and moving on… this isn’t it.
If you want to be in the middle of high-volume, AI-powered research, partnering directly with brands, shaping how research actually gets done and influencing the product behind it…
keep reading.
OK So what is it? Our client is a fast-growing, AI-native research platform that’s completely rethinking how qualitative research gets done.
Think:
AI-moderated interviews
Automated recruitment + fielding
Real-time synthesis
Multiple studies running at once
Their clients? Major consumer brands across tech, social, CPG, healthcare… the ones pushing things forward.
The Role You’re the bridge between:
the
client
the
research
and the
product
You’re:
advising clients on research methodology
helping them build a learning agenda (not just one-off projects)
pressure-testing outputs
making sure what comes out of the platform is actually… good
In some cases, you’ll roll up your sleeves and run pieces of the research yourself. In others, you’re guiding, refining, and elevating.
What You’ll Actually Do
Act as a true thought partner to clients
Guide study design, discussion guides, and research approach
Evaluate outputs (interviews, synthesis, insights) and refine where needed
Help clients understand what “good” looks like on the platform
Build research roadmaps vs. one-off projects
Work closely with Product + Engineering to improve how research is built into the platform
Identify patterns across clients and turn them into scalable best practices
Who This Is Perfect For Someone who:
has 2–4ish years in research (agency or brand)
has actually run qual (and ideally some quant)
is comfortable being both hands-on and client-facing
likes moving fast and figuring things out
wants to get closer to how research tools are built, not just used
A Few Things to Know
Preference for being in-office in West LA
Team is high ownership, low ego, very scrappy
Hours are flexible, adults treated like adults
Equity is part of the package (and yes, they’ll explain it if it’s new to you)
Why People Make This Move Because they’re:
bored of slow timelines
tired of rinse-and-repeat research
curious about AI but want something real (not buzzwords)
looking to have actual impact on how research evolves
#J-18808-Ljbffr