VP, Business & Consumer Insights, Testing Solutions

 The Company:Founded in 1979, Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) is the world’s leading provider of enterprise market information solutions and services, empowering its clients to grow their business profitably in a complex marketplace.  Driving the transformation of the consumer packaged goods (CPG), retail, and healthcare industries, only IRI provides a unique combination of real-time market content, advanced analytics, enterprise performance management software, and professional services.  In late 2003, IRI was acquired by the industry-visionary company Symphony Technology Group, run by Dr. Romesh Wadhwani.  IRI is owned by Symphony Technology Group, a strategic investment group with more than $ 1.1 billion in revenues. Dr. Wadhwani, Chairman of both Symphony and IRI, has successfully built three enterprise software companies over the last 30 years; the most recent of these, Aspect Development, Inc. was acquired for $ 9.3 billion.  The acquisition has been the catalyst for a major transformation of IRI.  IRI has crafted a new vision for itself, and for the industry it serves.  With revenues approaching $700 million annually, IRI’s mission is to increase its value proposition to clients by 10X through innovation and focus on enabling insightful decisions. Since the acquisition, the Company has continued to focus on customer satisfaction, streamlining its organization and supporting disciplines, globalizing operations, strengthening its leadership team, and launching multiple new products and services.  The company’s portfolio of services, solutions, and technology enable leading retailers and their suppliers around the globe to see what they are missing, act faster with greater confidence and win at the shelf. Ninety-five percent of the FORTUNE Global 500 in CPG and retail leverage IRI to power their business.  For more information, visit https://webmail.infores.com/exchange/Catherine.Wagner/Inbox/FW:%20Spec%20for%20VP,%20Testing.EML/BCI-Test-VP-East-08.doc/C58EA28C-18C0-4a97-9AF2-036E93DDAFB3/www.infores.com.  Reporting Relationship:The Vice President, Testing will report to the Vice President in charge of Testing sales.  The Vice President reports to the Senior Vice President of the global Testing practice.  The Vice President will initially manage one experienced direct report.   Responsibilities:Together with their team, the Vice President, Testing will manage the rapidly growing (revenue and profit growth is solidly in the double digits) central-area Testing practice across an established client base consisting of some of the world’s marquis names in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) domain.  Key clients will include The Campbell Soup Company, Unilever, PepsiCo and Novartis.  While the Vice President will inherit an established client base, he/she will be expected to leverage keen consulting and business development skills to deepen and widen the contact base within existing clients and develop new business opportunities outside of their client base. The Vice President will manage to a revenue commitment.    Key points of client interface include all levels within Sales, Market Research and Marketing.  Because testing solutions are large scale and impact clients at the highest levels of strategy, the Vice President will engage clients at the Executive level, up to the C-level.  From an internal perspective, the Vice President will work closely with all major functional areas including: the Global Operations Center (Bangalore, India), Testing Operations, Media Operations, Product Management, Analytic Research & Development, Client Solutions, the Analytic Insights Group, Strategic Solutions Group and the Knowledge Group. The Vice President will have latitude to structure client solutions that encompass the full IRI testing suite including IRI’s gold-standard BehaviorScan, the world’s most recognized, accurate and successful testing brand.  He/she will use BehaviorScan and other testing solutions to help their clients predict new product success and advertising effectiveness.  While activities will vary, approximately 40% of the Vice President’s time will be allocated to working with clients to identify business issues, scoping those issues within a proposal framework and delivering solutions laden with deep actionable insight; 30% will be spent coordinating projects internally and managing solution development; 30% will be spent managing and developing their team. Requirements: § Ten or more years of Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) experience incorporating a strong applied knowledge of new product development/launch and a solid grounding with regard to statistical applications (this is NOT a hands-on “data-crunching” position).  This experience may come from one or more of the environments below:o  A client-facing position within a quantitative market research providero  An analytically oriented account executive  position within an advertising/media agencyo  CPG manufacturer§ Energetic, self-motivated, entrepreneurial style§ This position requires travel up 40%§ Demonstrable project management and presentation skills§ Proven ability to effectively self-prioritize goals/tasks and maintain focus in fast-changing, ambiguous environments § Track record of business development in an analytical environment involving extensive client interaction—a hunger for profitability and overall business success § Demonstrated leadership acumen—for direct reports and cross-functional project teams§ Undergraduate degree is required.  Advanced degree is a plus Please send resume to catherine.wagner@infores.com    IRI is an Equal Opportunity Employer