The Team: We are seeking an experienced Research Manager to lead a global team of research analysts responsible for identifying and validating supply chain relationships across the automotive ecosystem. This role will set the research direction, strengthen methodologies, and ensure consistent, high-quality outputs across the Procurement Intelligence research team. You will join a talented and intellectually curious team of analysts working creatively to build objective insights that automotive procurement and risk stakeholders rely on.
Responsibilities and Impact
- Define and execute the research approach and methodologies used to identify and validate suppliers and supply chain relationships across the automotive ecosystem.
- Lead and develop a distributed team of research analysts across multiple time zones, setting priorities, managing workloads, and ensuring timely delivery against SLAs and project timelines.
- Establish research best practices (source triangulation, confidence scoring, documentation standards, audit trails, and escalation paths) to ensure consistency, repeatability, and defensibility of outputs.
- Guide analysts on data sources and collection strategies, including how to select, evaluate, and triangulate sources to validate supplier relationships and trading activity.
- Implement quality assurance (QA) and continuous improvement, including regular calibration sessions, spot checks, root-cause reviews of defects, and coaching to reduce rework and improve accuracy over time.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with operations, product/development, and commercial teams to align research outputs with platform requirements, client needs, and go-to-market messaging.
- Identify new research opportunities that expand coverage and support business growth.
- Support customer-facing engagements as needed, including methodology discussions, research readouts, and responding to client inquiries regarding data provenance and validation logic.
What We’re Looking For
Basic Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Supply Chain Management or a related field.
- 5+ years of experience in research management, competitive intelligence, supply chain research, or a related role—preferably tied to automotive or global supply chains.
- Proven experience managing distributed teams (multiple time zones), including performance management, coaching, and operational execution.
- Demonstrated ability to design research methods and translate ambiguous questions into structured workflows, measurable outputs, and clear analyst instructions.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present research findings and defend methodology to internal and external stakeholders.
Additional Preferred Qualifications
- Strong understanding of automotive supply chain structures and/or procurement processes (supplier tiers, sourcing, localization, capacity constraints, and operational risk concepts).
- Domain expertise in Electronics & Semiconductor Systems, Powertrain & Chassis Systems, or Interior & Cabin Systems.
- Experience partnering with technical teams to operationalize research outputs into scalable datasets.
- Background in supplier discovery/validation using a mix of primary/secondary research (e.g., interviews, industry publications, trade data, corporate filings, customs/shipping signals).
- Experience building or managing quality programs (QA frameworks, rubrics, confidence scoring, SOPs, training curricula).
- Track record of publishing research (reports, briefings, client deliverables) or presenting insights to procurement, supply chain, risk, or executive audiences.
- Familiarity with global trade and compliance concepts relevant to automotive sourcing (e.g., sanctions/export controls exposure, country-of-origin considerations, forced labor screening workflows).
- Master’s degree (MBA or related) is a plus.
Compensation/Benefits Information
S&P Global states that the anticipated base salary range for this position is $91,805 to $181,560. Final base salary for this role will be based on the individual’s geographic location, as well as experience level, skill set, training, licenses, and certifications. In addition to base compensation, this role is eligible for an annual incentive plan. This role is not eligible for additional compensation such as an annual incentive bonus or sales commission plan. This role is eligible to receive additional S&P Global benefits.
It is the policy of Mobility to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, Mobility will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.
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