Associate Research Director Jobs
Associate Research Director jobs are open across healthcare, pharmaceuticals, consulting, and market research, at levels from early-career to senior, with specializations in quantitative methods, qualitative insights, and health outcomes research. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.
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We exist to help people achieve financial clarity. At Thrivent, we believe money is a tool, not a goal. Driven by a higher purpose at our core, we are committed to providing financial advice, investments, insurance, banking and generosity programs to help people make the most of all they’ve been given.
At our core, we are a membership-owned fraternal organization, as well as a holistic financial services organization, dedicated to serving the unique needs of our clients. We focus on their goals and priorities, guiding them toward financial choices that will help them live the life they want today—and tomorrow.
Job Summary
The Sector Lead Equity Research, Director is a senior investment professional within Equity Investments, responsible for leading and directing work, and mentoring a team of research analysts focused on a broad industry sector, in addition to their responsibilities as a senior research analyst. This position reports to Thrivent’s Director of Research and plays a critical role in generating high-conviction insights and recommendations that inform portfolio decisions across all domestic equity portfolios and active strategies. The Sector Team Lead represents a senior leadership role within the Equity Research Department, although they have no direct reports.
This role requires strategic leadership, hands-on analytical expertise, and strong interpersonal skills to cultivate a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement. The Sector Team Lead will be accountable for a sound investment process and driving execution that results in above benchmark performance. Key ongoing responsibilities include personnel development, continuous process improvement, deepening sector research capabilities, enhancing communication, and ensuring alignment with the firm’s investment objectives.
Success in the role is grounded in intellectual curiosity, integrity, humility, and a team-oriented mindset, with a genuine passion for investing and a commitment to continuous learning and development.
Job Responsibilities and Duties
Investment Process Leadership & Strategy
- Lead the communication, implementation, and ongoing refinement of a systematic investment process to identify risks and opportunities within assigned sector coverage.
- Develop and maintain a comprehensive sector universe, organizing tickers into custom subsectors where appropriate, and ranking companies based on valuation, operating performance, and market sentiment.
- Identify attractive investment opportunities, conduct rigorous research, and deliver clear, actionable recommendations.
- Drive continuous improvement of the equity investment process by sharing tools, insights, and process enhancements applicable across the research platform.
- Incorporate multiple investment styles and portfolio management approaches into sector analysis.
- Formulate and articulate a strategic view of the sector supported by data and facts, engaging analysts in the process to ensure alignment and depth.
- Monitor near-term and long-term sector developments, training analysts to identify winners and losers across market capitalizations and investment styles.
- Support analysts in developing industry outlooks that position portfolio managers ahead of market trends and in delivering well-supported recommendations backed by data and facts.
- Establish a sector level view of expectations, sentiment, and behavioral dynamics to guide conviction, risk management, and portfolio positioning.
- Lead analysts in recognizing narrative driven environments and regime shifts, challenging consensus, and mitigating behavioral biases in sector recommendations.
- Own sector-wide valuation philosophy, uphold best practices, and audit modeling quality across coverage.
Team Coordination & Workflow Management
- Manage team workflows and assume accountability for overall work quality and performance.
- Oversee coverage assignments within the sector team, ensuring clarity of responsibilities and eliminating duplication of effort.
- Foster collaboration among team members to leverage collective knowledge and improve efficiency.
- Meet regularly with the Director of Equity Research to review team structure, assess analyst development needs, and identify opportunities for improvement.
Communication & Collaboration
- Facilitate regular sector team meetings to discuss investment processes, research priorities, and emerging opportunities.
- Collaborate closely with analysts and portfolio managers across industries, market capitalizations, and investment styles.
- Participate in cross-industry research initiatives to enhance firm-wide insights.
- Serve as the primary liaison between analysts and portfolio management teams, ensuring timely communication of significant sector developments.
Leadership Competencies
- Model Thrivent’s leadership competencies – Model the Way, Rally the Team, and Deliver Outcomes. Support and/or develop an environment in which Thrivent employees and colleagues are focused on continuous improvement, exceptional employee engagement, and an unwavering commitment to our clients. Shape and/or support a culture that represents the Thrivent purpose, promise and values, ensuring that Thrivent’s trust and reputation remain strong with its clients.
Job Qualifications
Required:
- Experience: Minimum of 10 years of relevant equity investment professional experience with 3+ years leading or mentoring investment research professionals.
- Education:
- (i) Master's degree in finance, business, economics or related area, or
- (ii) Certified Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
- Skills: Exceptional leadership and management skills, strong investment acumen, including analytical skills, excellent communication and presentation skills, and the ability to work collaboratively within and across teams.
- Extensive Sector Expertise: Demonstrated experience within the Software sector and comprehensive knowledge of the broader investment universe.
- Strategic Thinker: Ability to analyze growth catalysts, competitive positioning, and industry dynamics, including platform shifts and disruptive trends.
- Technical Proficiency: Deep understanding of the sector’s technical foundations and key operational drivers.
- Detail-Oriented: Ability to analyze complex financial data and make informed decisions.
- Proactive: Takes initiative in identifying and pursuing investment opportunities.
- Ethical: Adheres to high ethical standards and maintains confidentiality of sensitive information.
Preferred:
- Master’s degree in finance, economics, business administration or a related field plus Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
- Fifteen or more years of experience in equity research or a related financial role with 5+ years leading research professionals.
Pay Transparency
Thrivent is unique in our commitment to helping people to be wise with money and live balanced and generous lives. That extends to our benefits.
The following benefits may be offered: various bonuses (including, for example, annual or long-term incentives); medical, dental, and vision insurance; health savings account; flexible spending account; 401k; pension; life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance; disability insurance; supplemental protection insurance; 20 days of Paid Time Off each year; Sick and Safe Time; 10 paid company holidays; Volunteer Time Off; paid parental leave; EAP; well-being benefits, and other employee benefits. Eligibility for receipt of these benefits is subject to the applicable plan/policy documents. Thrivent’s plans/policies are subject to change at any time at Thrivent’s discretion.
Thrivent provides Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) without regard to race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, marital status, citizenship status, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable local, state, or federal law. This policy applies to all employees and job applicants.
Thrivent is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, please let us know by sending an email to human.resources@thrivent.com or call 800-847-4836 and request Human Resources.
We exist to help people achieve financial clarity. At Thrivent, we believe money is a tool, not a goal. Driven by a higher purpose at our core, we are committed to providing financial advice, investments, insurance, banking and generosity programs to help people make the most of all they’ve been given.
At our core, we are a membership-owned fraternal organization, as well as a holistic financial services organization, dedicated to serving the unique needs of our clients. We focus on their goals and priorities, guiding them toward financial choices that will help them live the life they want today—and tomorrow.
Job Summary
The Sector Lead Equity Research, Director is a senior investment professional within Equity Investments, responsible for leading and directing work, and mentoring a team of research analysts focused on a broad industry sector, in addition to their responsibilities as a senior research analyst. This position reports to Thrivent’s Director of Research and plays a critical role in generating high-conviction insights and recommendations that inform portfolio decisions across all domestic equity portfolios and active strategies. The Sector Team Lead represents a senior leadership role within the Equity Research Department, although they have no direct reports.
This role requires strategic leadership, hands-on analytical expertise, and strong interpersonal skills to cultivate a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement. The Sector Team Lead will be accountable for a sound investment process and driving execution that results in above benchmark performance. Key ongoing responsibilities include personnel development, continuous process improvement, deepening sector research capabilities, enhancing communication, and ensuring alignment with the firm’s investment objectives.
Success in the role is grounded in intellectual curiosity, integrity, humility, and a team-oriented mindset, with a genuine passion for investing and a commitment to continuous learning and development.
Job Responsibilities and Duties
Investment Process Leadership & Strategy
- Lead the communication, implementation, and ongoing refinement of a systematic investment process to identify risks and opportunities within assigned sector coverage.
- Develop and maintain a comprehensive sector universe, organizing tickers into custom subsectors where appropriate, and ranking companies based on valuation, operating performance, and market sentiment.
- Identify attractive investment opportunities, conduct rigorous research, and deliver clear, actionable recommendations.
- Drive continuous improvement of the equity investment process by sharing tools, insights, and process enhancements applicable across the research platform.
- Incorporate multiple investment styles and portfolio management approaches into sector analysis.
- Formulate and articulate a strategic view of the sector supported by data and facts, engaging analysts in the process to ensure alignment and depth.
- Monitor near-term and long-term sector developments, training analysts to identify winners and losers across market capitalizations and investment styles.
- Support analysts in developing industry outlooks that position portfolio managers ahead of market trends and in delivering well-supported recommendations backed by data and facts.
- Establish a sector level view of expectations, sentiment, and behavioral dynamics to guide conviction, risk management, and portfolio positioning.
- Lead analysts in recognizing narrative driven environments and regime shifts, challenging consensus, and mitigating behavioral biases in sector recommendations.
- Own sector-wide valuation philosophy, uphold best practices, and audit modeling quality across coverage.
Team Coordination & Workflow Management
- Manage team workflows and assume accountability for overall work quality and performance.
- Oversee coverage assignments within the sector team, ensuring clarity of responsibilities and eliminating duplication of effort.
- Foster collaboration among team members to leverage collective knowledge and improve efficiency.
- Meet regularly with the Director of Equity Research to review team structure, assess analyst development needs, and identify opportunities for improvement.
Communication & Collaboration
- Facilitate regular sector team meetings to discuss investment processes, research priorities, and emerging opportunities.
- Collaborate closely with analysts and portfolio managers across industries, market capitalizations, and investment styles.
- Participate in cross-industry research initiatives to enhance firm-wide insights.
- Serve as the primary liaison between analysts and portfolio management teams, ensuring timely communication of significant sector developments.
Leadership Competencies
- Model Thrivent’s leadership competencies – Model the Way, Rally the Team, and Deliver Outcomes. Support and/or develop an environment in which Thrivent employees and colleagues are focused on continuous improvement, exceptional employee engagement, and an unwavering commitment to our clients. Shape and/or support a culture that represents the Thrivent purpose, promise and values, ensuring that Thrivent’s trust and reputation remain strong with its clients.
Job Qualifications
Required:
- Experience: Minimum of 10 years of relevant equity investment professional experience with 3+ years leading or mentoring investment research professionals.
- Education:
- (i) Master's degree in finance, business, economics or related area, or
- (ii) Certified Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
- Skills: Exceptional leadership and management skills, strong investment acumen, including analytical skills, excellent communication and presentation skills, and the ability to work collaboratively within and across teams.
- Extensive Sector Expertise: Demonstrated experience within the Software sector and comprehensive knowledge of the broader investment universe.
- Strategic Thinker: Ability to analyze growth catalysts, competitive positioning, and industry dynamics, including platform shifts and disruptive trends.
- Technical Proficiency: Deep understanding of the sector’s technical foundations and key operational drivers.
- Detail-Oriented: Ability to analyze complex financial data and make informed decisions.
- Proactive: Takes initiative in identifying and pursuing investment opportunities.
- Ethical: Adheres to high ethical standards and maintains confidentiality of sensitive information.
Preferred:
- Master’s degree in finance, economics, business administration or a related field plus Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
- Fifteen or more years of experience in equity research or a related financial role with 5+ years leading research professionals.
Pay Transparency
Thrivent is unique in our commitment to helping people to be wise with money and live balanced and generous lives. That extends to our benefits.
The following benefits may be offered: various bonuses (including, for example, annual or long-term incentives); medical, dental, and vision insurance; health savings account; flexible spending account; 401k; pension; life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance; disability insurance; supplemental protection insurance; 20 days of Paid Time Off each year; Sick and Safe Time; 10 paid company holidays; Volunteer Time Off; paid parental leave; EAP; well-being benefits, and other employee benefits. Eligibility for receipt of these benefits is subject to the applicable plan/policy documents. Thrivent’s plans/policies are subject to change at any time at Thrivent’s discretion.
Thrivent provides Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) without regard to race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, marital status, citizenship status, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable local, state, or federal law. This policy applies to all employees and job applicants.
Thrivent is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, please let us know by sending an email to human.resources@thrivent.com or call 800-847-4836 and request Human Resources.
Associate Research Director Jobs by Experience Level
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Find JobsAssociate Research Director Job Market
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Education32
- Healthcare & Medical Services20
- Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals19
- Technology & Software12
- Media & Entertainment8
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in associate research director jobs.
- Master's or doctoral degree in a social science, public health, or related research field
- Five or more years of progressively responsible research experience
- Proven ability to design, manage, and deliver end-to-end research projects
- Proficiency with statistical software such as SPSS, SAS, R, or Stata
- Experience presenting research findings to executive-level or client audiences
- Familiarity with IRB protocols and ethical standards for human subjects research
Tips for Your Associate Research Director Job Search
Tailor your resume to research leadership
Associate research director roles require you to show both methodological depth and team oversight. Highlight projects where you led the research design, managed junior staff, and translated findings into actionable recommendations for clients or stakeholders.
Demonstrate mixed-method fluency upfront
Many hiring managers screen for comfort with both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Call out specific tools and frameworks you've used, such as conjoint analysis, ethnographic methods, or survey design, so reviewers don't have to guess at your range.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists associate research director openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Target postings that match your research domain
An associate research director in pharma is evaluated differently from one in consumer insights or policy research. Filter openings by industry and read the methods sections carefully, then customize your cover letter to reflect the domain vocabulary the team actually uses.
Prepare a research portfolio before interviews
Bring two or three sanitized project summaries that show your full research arc: from brief to design, fieldwork or data collection, analysis, and final presentation. Interviewers want to see how you think, not just what you've done.
Negotiate scope and reporting structure clearly
Before accepting an offer, clarify how many direct reports you'll manage, which departments you'll collaborate with, and whether the role has a budget authority. These details vary widely at the associate director level and affect your day-to-day autonomy.
Associate Research Director Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most associate research directors?
Merck, Revolution Medicines, and JPMorganChase are hiring the most associate research directors right now, with openings concentrated in California, New York, and Massachusetts, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Demand is strongest in healthcare, consulting, and consumer insights sectors.
How many associate research director jobs are remote?
About 66% of associate research director openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting strong employer flexibility at this level. Qualitative and consumer insights roles tend to offer the highest share of remote arrangements, while clinical or lab-adjacent research roles more often require on-site presence.
How do you become an associate research director?
Start by building a strong foundation in research methods through a graduate degree in a relevant field, then spend several years executing projects as a research analyst or manager. Progress by taking on project leadership, mentoring junior researchers, and developing client-facing communication skills. Demonstrating both methodological expertise and team management readiness is what moves candidates into associate director consideration.
Can you get hired as an associate research director without direct management experience?
Some employers will consider candidates who have led projects without formal direct reports, particularly at smaller firms or in research-heavy industries where individual contributor depth is valued. To strengthen your candidacy, emphasize cross-functional collaboration, mentorship of analysts, and ownership of full research cycles, since those signal readiness for the people management component the role requires.
What does the associate research director interview process look like?
Most employers conduct a phone or video screen with a recruiter, followed by a panel interview with research leadership and cross-functional stakeholders. Candidates are frequently asked to complete a case study or present a past project, demonstrating how they designed a study, managed the process, and communicated results. Final rounds often include a conversation with a senior director or VP to assess strategic and cultural fit.
Where can I find and apply to associate research director jobs?
You can find and apply to associate research director jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from across the United States. Search the listings to find roles that match your background and apply directly to each one that fits your experience and research domain.
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Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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