Consumer Insights Leader

PRIMARY FUNCTION

: The Consumer Insights Leader is responsible for establishing and leading Flexsteel's consumer insights (intelligence) efforts. This role will develop and implement a disciplined, enterprise-wide approach to understanding consumer behaviors, needs, and preferences, translating insights into actionable strategies that drive product innovation, brand positioning, and business growth. This role will work cross-functionally with Marketing, Product Management, Engineering, Sales, and Executive Leadership to ensure consumer insights are embedded into key business decisions. The Consumer Insights Leader will oversee external research partners, guiding research design, execution, and applications to maximize impact. The Consumer Insights Leader is responsible for advancing a consumer-centric culture by delivering compelling, data-driven narratives that influence strategy and execution. This role will connect insights to action, ensuring research outcomes directly inform product development, go-to-market strategies, and overall business performance.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBLITIES

Establish and lead Flexsteel's consumer insights efforts including frameworks, processes, governance, and an enterprise-wide research roadmap aligned to strategic priorities. Build and champion a consumer-centric culture by embedding insights into decision-making and driving organizational adoption of a consumer-led business model. Develop and manage standardized intake, prioritization, and knowledge-sharing processes, including maintaining a centralized insights repository to maximize enterprise value. Design and lead qualitative and quantitative consumer research through external partners, including brand health tracking, segmentation, concept testing, pricing, and customer journey analysis. Translate complex research findings into clear, actionable recommendations ("so what" / "now what") that inform product development, marketing strategy, and business decisions. Partner cross-functionally with Product Management and Engineering to identify unmet consumer needs and validate innovation opportunities. Collaborate with Marketing to develop insight-driven positioning, messaging, and value propositions, and with Sales to understand shopper behavior and retail dynamics. Lead cross-functional alignment, executive presentations, and workshops to activate insights and ensure adoption across the organization. Manage external research vendors and partners, ensuring methodological rigor, strong outcomes, and cost-effective use of research budgets. Evaluate and implement new research tools, methodologies, and technologies to continuously enhance insights capabilities. Travel Required. All other duties as assigned.