Research Director Jobs in San Francisco, CA

Location: The client success team is based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and San Francisco, and the team is in-office 3x a week

Swayable is a fast-growing AI and automated data science platform that measures public opinion, and the impact of messages and advertising content on it. We are a 50-person team backed by top technology and social impact investors, including Y Combinator. Founded in 2018 by physics PhDs, it is led by the former Executive Director for Digital Strategy at the New York Times. Clients include major consumer-facing brands (JP Morgan Chase, Airbnb, Paramount Pictures), technology companies (Anthropic, Meta, Amazon), academic researchers (MIT, Yale, Stanford) and mission-aligned civic advocacy campaigns (e.g. on climate, human rights and elections). Check our our values & culture deck to learn more: https://tinyurl.com/4zjchwzs

Joining Swayable means being on a team whose work changes the course of history. The technology we develop is at the leading edge of transforming some of the world's most important campaign organizations and enterprises: combatting disinformation, protecting democracy, and supporting the sustainable growth of consumer-facing brands.

About the role:

Swayable is looking for a Client & Research Success Director to help enterprise clients turn research into stronger messaging, creative, and marketing decisions. You'll serve as a strategic advisor to leading brands and agencies, developing pre-testing programs, guiding adoption, and partnering with sales to drive renewals and expansion.

You'll join our Client & Research Success team, which owns client relationships and connects client needs with product development. We're a collaborative team that invests in professional growth through regular feedback, shared goals, and hands-on support from one another.

What You'll Do:

• Own relationships with a portfolio of enterprise clients, building trust with brand, marketing, and insights teams through strategic guidance and regular engagement.
• Develop strategic pre-testing programs that connect Swayable's capabilities to each client's business goals, creative process, and key marketing decisions.
• Guide clients through research design, test execution, and results interpretation—turning findings into clear recommendations for stronger messaging and creative.
• Help clients get more value from Swayable by identifying new use cases, recommending relevant capabilities, and translating client needs into actionable product feedback.
• Partner with sales on pitches, bringing brand and research expertise to demonstrate how Swayable can address a prospective client's specific challenges.
• Drive adoption and ongoing usage by making Swayable a core part of clients' decision-making processes and demonstrating the impact of their testing programs.
• Collaborate with sales on renewals and expansion, identifying growth opportunities and building a clear case for continued investment across your client portfolio.

Who You Are:

• 5+ years of client-facing experience in research, consumer insights, brand strategy, consulting, account management, or related fields.
• An understanding of how brand, marketing, and insights teams work, with the ability to connect research to their goals and decisions.
• A consultative approach: you ask thoughtful questions, solve problems, and translate complex information into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Strong analytical and quantitative reasoning skills, with experience using Excel to interpret and synthesize data; Python is a plus.
• Familiarity with research methods and statistics—or a demonstrated ability to learn them—and the ability to explain findings to nontechnical audiences.
• Strong project management skills and attention to detail, with the ability to independently manage multiple client priorities and deliverables.
• Clear, confident communication and presentation skills, with experience contributing to client pitches or strategic presentations.
• A collaborative mindset and comfort learning quickly in a fast-paced startup environment.
• College degree or higher (STEM, communications, statistics, business, public policy fields can be helpful)

Benefits:

• 100% Medical, Dental & Vision Plans
• Compensation of $150-$170K depending on previous experience
• Generous PTO
• Equity options
• 401k, FSA
• Ongoing professional development stipend

We are an equal opportunity employer. We strive to promote an organizational environment that values diversity and fosters growth. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other basis prohibited by law. The team especially encourages applicants from underrepresented backgrounds.