Market Research and Marketing Insights Specialist

The College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) is the cornerstone college of The Ohio State University, with three mission areas dedicated to one essential purpose: We Sustain Life. CFAES spans three campuses with ten academic units, including the School of Environment and Natural Resources, Ohio State ATI and Ohio State University Extension. Students have the unique opportunity for hands-on learning with scholars and scientists in the field.

The CFAES Marketing and Communications team serves as a strategic resource for the college, responsible for developing integrated marketing and communication strategies that support recruitment, retention, advancement, outreach, research, and issues management. The team is both proactive and responsive identifying opportunities, removing challenges, elevating awareness, enhancing reputation, and inspiring choice for the college.

The Market Research & Marketing Insights Specialist plays a critical role in understanding audiences, markets, and competitive landscapes to support college priorities. This position focuses on research, analysis, strategic planning, and insights generation to inform and create marketing plans, recruitment strategies, and academic program positioning.

This role integrates robust market research with clear planning outputs including audience segmentation, target identification, and data-driven recommendations to guide marketing activities. The Specialist translates complex data into actionable marketing plans, forecast scenarios, and insights that advance enrollment, outreach, and communications goals.

Unlike traditional marketing execution roles, this position centers on strategic research and planning to support data-driven decision-making across the college.

This position requires solid analytical skills, curiosity, strong written and verbal communication, and the ability to present complex information succinctly to diverse audiences.

This role requires occasional travel across the state for meetings and events.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in marketing, communications, analytics, business, social science, or a related field or equivalent experience.
• 4 years of experience in market research, insights, analytics, or strategic planning roles in higher education, agency, or industry

Desired Experience

• Experience designing and conducting market, audience, and competitive research
• Ability to analyze both quantitative and qualitative data and translate findings into strategic planning deliverables
• Experience with tools such as Google Analytics (GA4), dashboards, CRM reporting, survey platforms, or similar research tools
• Familiarity with marketing planning frameworks and forecasting techniques
• Effective communication skills, especially presenting insights and plans to non-technical audiences
• Experience with enrollment, recruitment, or higher education trends a plus
• Ability to manage multiple research and planning efforts concurrently

Resume and cover letter, specific to the posting, are to be included at time of application, include months and years worked for each employment listed.

The pay range for this job profile is $75,000 - $98,900 annually. The offer for this position will fall within this range based on internal equity, unit's available budget, and the candidate's qualifications.

Ohio State provides access to a depth and breadth of opportunities and resources. Starting your first day, Ohio State offers you a comprehensive benefits package. Based on position type and eligibility. https://hr.osu.edu/wp-content/uploads/benefits-eligibility.pdf

Career Roadmap language i.e.,
Function: Marketing and Communications
Sub-Function: Audience Insights and Research
Career Band: Individual Contributor -Specialized
Career Level: S3