Senior Research Lead (Thought Leadership), Customer Insights at Salesforce

Research Lead

Join Salesforce's Customer Insights team, a core function within the marketing organization responsible for delivering objective, actionable insights that shape our marketing strategy and external narrative.

As Research Lead you will own research across two of the team's most visible programs: Buyer Insights, which informs how Salesforce goes to market, and Thought Leadership, which shapes our external narrative through major public-facing reports. You bring both research rigor and editorial instinct: you know how to design a credible study and how to make the findings land.

This is a hands-on role for someone with strong research instincts, a curiosity about buyers and the broader market landscape, and the drive to turn findings into stories that influence real decisions. Experience using AI to accelerate and enhance research work is a must.

What You'll Do

• Lead and Execute Primary Research.
• Synthesize Across Programs. Connect dots across buyer insights, thought leadership findings, and other team research to surface integrated conclusions.
• Drive Stakeholder Alignment and Research Strategy. Scope studies with a clear point of view on what they'll answer and why it's worth the investment. Build the case compellingly when budget needs to comes from stakeholders connecting the research to decisions they already care about. Proactively engage stakeholders to ensure research is scoped, prioritized, and positioned to drive real decisions.
• Data Visualization & Storytelling. Translate quantitative findings into clear, compelling visuals that communicate a "so what" to any audience. Strong data storytelling choosing the right chart, framing the right narrative, and building slides that drive decisions is as critical in this role as strong writing.
• Bring a Storyteller's Instinct. Understand how findings connect to the market's broader narrative, what resonates with media and business audiences, and how to position insights for external impact not only accuracy, but also value and influence.
• Leverage AI to Scale Your Impact. Use AI tools across the research lifecycle, from study design and analysis to synthesis and storytelling. Bring a curious, experimental mindset to finding where AI accelerates your work, and share what you learn with the broader team.
• Manage Suppliers and Research Partners. Own day-to-day relationships with external research agencies and vendors, holding them to high standards of quality and keeping projects on track.

What We're Looking For

• Genuine Curiosity About buyers, business, technology, and the world. The best researchers bring outside context in, not just the data they collected.
• Research Experience A strong foundation in primary research, quant crucial, qual a plus. You know how to design a credible study, interpret the results honestly, and know the limits of what the data can tell you.
• AI Fluency You've built workflows around AI tools and have a point of view on what works. You'd never let AI distort a finding in the name of a cleaner story.
• Comfort with Ambiguity You know how to make progress when things are unclear, and when to escalate rather than push through alone.
• Strong Editorial Instincts You write and edit well. You know the difference between a finding and a story, and you can close that gap. You've worked in or alongside communications, content, or PR or you've just always written like it mattered.

Unleash Your Potential

When you join Salesforce, you'll be limitless in all areas of your life. Our benefits and resources support you to find balance and be your best, and our AI agents accelerate your impact so you can do your best. Together, we'll bring the power of Agentforce to organizations of all sizes and deliver amazing experiences that customers love. Apply today to not only shape the future but to redefine what's possible for yourself, for AI, and the world.

Accommodations

If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please submit a request via this Accommodations Request Form.

Posting Statement

Salesforce is an equal opportunity employer and maintains a policy of non-discrimination with all employees and applicants for employment. What does that mean exactly? It means that at Salesforce, we believe in equality for all. And we believe we can lead the path to equality in part by creating a workplace that's inclusive, and free from discrimination. Know your rights: workplace discrimination is illegal. Any employee or potential employee will be assessed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, transgender status, age, disability, veteran or marital status, political viewpoint, or other classifications protected by law. This policy applies to current and prospective employees, no matter where they are in their Salesforce employment journey. It also applies to recruiting, hiring, job assignment, compensation, promotion, benefits, training, assessment of job performance, discipline, termination, and everything in between. Recruiting, hiring, and promotion decisions at Salesforce are fair and based on merit. The same goes for compensation, benefits, promotions, transfers, reduction in workforce, recall, training, and education.

In the United States, compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, job level, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Certain roles may be eligible for incentive compensation, equity, and benefits. Salesforce offers a variety of benefits to help you live well including: time off programs, medical, dental, vision, mental health support, paid parental leave, life and disability insurance, 401(k), and an employee stock purchasing program. More details about company benefits can be found at the following link: https://www.salesforcebenefits.com.