Job Summary

NetApp is looking for a Senior Competitive Intelligence Manager to lead research and market insights programs. As a senior individual contributor, you will set the research agenda, direct a network of research partners, and ensure our studies are rigorous and tied to real business decisions. Your work will give us an evidence-based understanding of what customers are trying to accomplish, how they make decisions, and how they view the market.

This is a strategic, high-visibility role for someone who shapes the questions, oversees the work, and communicates what it means. You will brief senior leaders, lead through influence, and operate with autonomy in a fast-changing environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead Research Programs: Lead the primary research program for Product Marketing and Product, setting priorities and quality standards.
• Lead Through Partners: Direct research agencies and panel providers to execute studies end to end, managing scope, methodology, and budget. Oversee workstreams and review design and findings for rigor and quality.
• Understand Customers and Buyers: Lead research on customer needs, jobs to be done, buyer journeys, and decision-making, and bring findings together into a clear, customer-centered view of the market.
• Market Sizing and Segmentation: Lead market sizing and segmentation research to inform how we understand the markets we serve and new developing markets.
• Customer Decision Dynamics: Direct structured research, including win/loss, to understand how customers evaluate and choose, and turn the findings into insight for go-to-market and product teams.
• Brief Senior Leaders: Present findings to senior and executive management in Product Marketing and Product Management with clear, decision-ready insight.
• Drive Thought Leadership: Develop research perspectives on customer and market trends that inform strategy and messaging.
• Lead Through Influence: Guide cross-functional initiatives, apply modern tools and AI to improve how research is done, and mentor colleagues.

Job Requirements

•    Domain Expertise: Deep technical understanding of the technologies, architectures, and go-to-market strategies within the B2B Data, AI, and Cloud Infrastructure industries.
•    Proven CI Execution: 10+ years of hands-on experience in competitive intelligence, technical product marketing, or sales engineering, with a proven track record of personally creating high-impact competitive content.
•    Hands-on Tool Proficiency: Direct experience using and managing competitive intelligence platforms (e.g., Klue, Crayon) and conversational intelligence tools (e.g., Gong) to gather field insights.
•    Strong Research & Synthesis Skills: Proven ability to independently dig through competitor documentation, financial filings, and analyst reports to extract actionable, validated insights.
•    Sales Collaboration: High comfort level working directly alongside Field sales teams in active sales cycles, translating technical specs into "how-to-win" sales talk-tracks.
•    Execution-Oriented: A self-starter who thrives on detailed execution, with the ability to own projects end-to-end without administrative oversight or direct reports.
•    Superior Communication: Outstanding oral and written communication skills, with the ability to present complex technical findings clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
 
Education:  
•    Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business, or a related field.
•    MBA and/or a strong technical background in data management or AI/ML workloads is highly preferred.
 
Equivalent combination of additional experience as stated above can be considered in place of academic degree listed.