Director of Customer Insights

Jersey Mike’s is a fast-casual sub sandwich franchise with over 3,100 locations nationwide, offering fresh sliced subs, grilled-to-order authentic Philly cheesesteaks, and freshly baked bread. Established in 1956, the company is committed to providing delicious food made with premium ingredients and giving back to the communities it serves. Jersey Mike’s has earned recognition as one of America’s top franchises by Entrepreneur Magazine and Nation’s Restaurant News, highlighting its rapid growth and dedication. With a history of philanthropy, the brand gives back through initiatives like its Annual Day of Giving and has raised millions for local charities. Jersey Mike’s is driven by its commitment to quality, community, and making a difference.

As the Director of Consumer Insights, you will play a pivotal role in maintaining the "Sub Above" standard by enhancing the customer experience through a comprehensive qualitative and quantitative work. You will serve as a key thought partner to our digital marketing teams, establishing learning agenda, helping to understand customer behavior and trends derived from rich first party customer data and ensuring all marketing activity is rooted in deep consumer intelligence. Your work will directly shape the future of our menu; by integrating culinary and sensory panel research, ensuring every new concept delivers the craveable best in class flavor. You’ll also work along side brand marketing and strategy to help understand broader macro consumer trends and competitive landscape.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following. Other duties will be assigned to meet business needs.

Consumer Research & Trends

• Own the national consumer research roadmap including brand health, usage & attitudes, needs-based segmentation, and emerging trends
• Lead qualitative and quantitative research efforts (surveys, focus groups, ethnographies, social listening, etc.)
• Identify shifts in consumer behavior, preferences, and cultural dynamics impacting QSR and food service

Customer Analytics & Behavioral Insights

• Oversee customer analytics focused on behavioral insights across digital, in-restaurant, and loyalty touchpoints
• Monitor changes in frequency, spend, visit patterns, menu mix, and channel behavior
• Partner with CRM, Loyalty, and Media teams to connect insights to activation and personalization
• Develop customer segmentation to be used across organization
• Create monthly and weekly reporting flow of actionable customer insights

Food Research & Menu Insights

• Lead consumer-facing food research including taste tests, concept testing, and menu feedback
• Partner with Culinary, Innovation, and Supply Chain teams to inform product development and optimization
• Analyze consumer feedback on food quality, flavor, value, and menu clarity
• Connect food insights to broader customer needs, occasions, and price sensitivity
• Ensure menu innovation is grounded in customer truth, not internal bias

Qualifications/Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Market Research, Business, Statistics, Psychology, or a related field (Master’s degree preferred)
• 8–10+ years of experience in consumer insights, market research, or customer analytics
• Proven experience leading quantitative and qualitative research programs to inform business and marketing decisions
• Experience managing consumer research vendors, agencies, and panel providers
• Strong understanding of research methodologies including brand tracking, concept testing, segmentation, customer journey analysis, and campaign measurement
• Experience translating research findings into clear, actionable business insights and strategic recommendations
• Strong business acumen and ability to distill insights from business data (transactional, customer, etc)
• Strong analytical and storytelling skills with the ability to present insights to senior leadership
• Experience using research and analytics tools such as Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey, SPSS, Tableau, or similar platforms
• Ability to synthesize data from multiple sources including surveys, social listening, CRM data, and market trends
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple research initiatives simultaneously
• Experience collaborating with marketing, product/menu innovation, operations, and digital teams

Preferred Skills

• Experience working in QSR, restaurant, retail, hospitality, or other consumer-focused industries
• Experience supporting menu innovation, product development, and limited-time offer (LTO) testing
• Familiarity with brand health tracking and competitive benchmarking
• Experience conducting guest segmentation and persona development
• Understanding of customer experience (CX) measurement frameworks, including NPS or similar metrics
• Experience integrating behavioral data, loyalty data, and transaction data with consumer research
• Familiarity with social listening and cultural trend analysis
• Experience presenting insights to C-level executives and influencing strategic decisions
• Strong ability to connect consumer insights to marketing effectiveness, brand growth, and traffic drivers
• Experience building or scaling internal insights capabilities and research frameworks

Salary Range:

$172,200 - $275,500 per year dependent on experience and qualifications

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person

Pay: $172,200.00 - $275,500.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Health insurance
• Unlimited paid time off

Work Location: In person