Associate, Research & Insights

About the Role

Breakwater Strategy, a strategic insights and communications agency, is seeking an organized and detail-oriented junior professional to join a growing team of strategists. This role will work closely with team members to implement all aspects of primary research projects, including qualitative, quantitative, and digital research, and translate findings into actionable recommendations. This role is perfect for someone looking to continue growing their skills in research, while gaining experience in communications and strategy consulting.

Key Responsibilities

• Draft research instruments including proposals, scoping documents, screeners, survey questionnaires, and discussion guides.
• Analyze results and develop visual presentations of findings with actionable recommendations.
• Support research vendor coordination, multiple projects, and competing timelines.
• Collaborate with internal team members, advising on research methods and processes as well as supporting on strategic communications engagements.
• Support new business initiatives through research, proposal development, and pitches.
• Follow and report on new industry trends and best practices.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Detail-oriented: Produce polished work that can confidently be shared with senior business leaders.
• Lifelong learner: Excited to grow alongside emerging technologies and business models.
• Entrepreneurial: Attracted to being part of a rapidly growing agency with a start-up culture.
• Trustworthy: Work with confidential information and clients.
• Politically-minded: Shape public opinion and influence the regulatory ecosystem.
• Bachelor’s degree in areas such as Political Science, Economics, Psychology, Business, Statistics, or a related field.
• Deep interest in understanding people and data.
• Comfortable working with data to identify trends and insights, including both quantitative and qualitative data.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to communicate clearly and succinctly. Comfortable asking questions and sharing your point of view.
• Adaptable and able to multitask in the face of new and competing conditions and deadlines.
• Extremely organized and detail-oriented.
• Collaborative team player; able to work independently in a fast-paced environment.
• Internally-motivated and proactive.
• Experienced in visualizing data with tools such as Excel, PowerPoint, Google Docs and Slides.

Qualifications (Not Required but a Plus)

• Relevant internship or work experience in public relations, market research, political campaigns, or a related position in communications or consulting industries.
• Knowledge of data analysis techniques like statistical significance testing, correlation analysis, multivariate analysis (e.g., segmentation analysis).
• Familiarity with social analytics tools (e.g., Brandwatch, Meltwater).
• Interest in or experience with AI-assisted research and analysis tools.