Customer Strategy Lead

Job description

Job Title: The Customer Research & Strategy Partner Location: New York City – Hybrid (3 days per week in the office) About Gen Gen is a global company dedicated to powering Digital Freedom through its trusted consumer brands including Norton, Avast, LifeLock, MoneyLion and more. Our combined heritage is rooted in financial empowerment and cyber safety for the first digital generations, and today we deliver award-winning cybersecurity, online privacy, identity protection and financial wellness solutions to nearly 500 million users in more than 150 countries. Together, we share a collective passion and vision to protect consumers and help them grow, manage and secure their digital and financial lives. We’re always looking for smart, fearless and high-impact talent who see AI as a teammate – leveraging it to move faster and deliver meaningful results. When you’re part of Gen, you’ll have the flexibility, tools and support to do your best work and grow your career – from flexible working options and time off to competitive pay, benefits and well-being programs. At Gen, we are scrappy and relentlessly customer driven. We create room for healthy debate, experimentation and continuous learning, and we seek out people with different experiences, identities and ideas to join our team. You’ll work with people who back each other, respect each other and understand that our differences are a competitive advantage. If this sounds like you, we’d love you to be part of Gen. How We Work Our hybrid work style (3 days in the New York City office) gives us the face-to-face time to have creative conversations, meaningful meetings, make quick decisions and build relationships. And it’s flexible enough to give you the space to do your best work. The Customer Research & Strategy Partner Reports to: Senior Director, Insights & Strategy Location: New York Office Hybrid (3 days office) The team The Insights & Strategy team creates deep organizational understanding of our customers, markets and competitors so we can develop customer-centric products, services and communications that drive business growth. We bring together different research disciplines and synthesize insights from across data sources, to tell coherent customer stories and ground decisions in evidence across Marketing, Product and Commercial teams. Role summary The Customer Research & Strategy Partner is a senior individual contributor who acts as a strategic advisor to segment and brand leadership for either Cyber Safety (Norton & Avast) or Trust-based Solutions (LifeLock & MoneyLion). Their primary responsibility is not to generate research, but to help the business make better decisions. They connect customer understanding, market dynamics, competitive context and commercial performance to shape growth strategy, portfolio choices, proposition development and customer experience priorities. The role sits at the intersection of strategy, customer insight and stakeholder leadership. You will: - Sit as a virtual member of the segment/brand leadership team, bringing the voice of the customer into key decisions. - Frame and scope the critical questions the business needs to answer. - Synthesize diverse inputs into clear, actionable narratives that influence direction. - Shape and prioritise the learning agenda for your segment in partnership with the wider Insight team. Success is measured by the quality of business decisions influenced, not the volume of research delivered. Key responsibilities 1. Strategic business partnering - Act as a trusted advisor to the Segment Lead / Brand Lead and their virtual leadership team on segment strategy, performance, customer base and competitive context for your business segment. - Frame and refine critical business questions (e.g., portfolio choices, proposition direction, target audiences, pricing/packaging, experience priorities). - Bring a customer- and evidence-centred perspective into business planning, roadmap discussions and major investment or trade-off decisions. - Represent the voice of the customer in key forums - challenging constructively, highlighting risks and opportunities, and helping leaders see decisions through a customer lens. 2. Business strategy & decision support - Synthesize evidence from multiple sources - including customer insight, analytics, CX, market intelligence, commercial performance and external trends - into clear strategic recommendations for the business. - Develop compelling "so what / now what" narratives, presentations and workshops that help leaders and teams move from evidence to decision, creating clarity and alignment around key priorities. - Support stakeholders in evaluating strategic options and trade-offs relating to growth, customer experience, proposition development, portfolio choices and go-to-market decisions. - Ensure major insight programmes and strategic initiatives result in tangible business action, helping teams translate customer understanding into priorities, plans and measurable outcomes. 3. Learning agenda and insight activation - Work closely with stakeholders and Insight team colleagues to ensure projects are framed against the right strategic questions for your segment. - Define and maintain a prioritised learning roadmap for your business area, aligned to the biggest opportunities, risks and decisions. - Spot knowledge gaps and emerging questions and translate them into clear briefs and programmes of work. - Act as a connector across functions and disciplines - joining up signals across teams and sources into a unified view of customer needs and market dynamics. - Play a leading role in developing the quarterly State of Play (integrated customer narrative) in collaboration with Insight team colleagues. Skills & experience Essential experience - Significant experience in customer insight, strategy, consulting or a closely related field, ideally in consumer technology, subscription, financial services or adjacent categories. - Proven track record of partnering with senior stakeholders on major strategic or commercial decisions (e.g., portfolio strategy, brand positioning, proposition development, experience design, go-to-market). - Experience synthesising multiple data and insight sources (qual, quant, analytics, CX, market intel) into concise, decision-ready outputs. - Demonstrated impact in turning insight into action - influencing real changes in products, experiences, communications or commercial strategy. Skills & capabilities - Strategic, structured thinker - able to frame problems, prioritise questions, and connect customer insight to business outcomes. - Strong storytelling and communication - comfortable simplifying complexity, building clear narratives and presenting confidently to senior audiences. - Commercially astute - understands how brands grow, how P&Ls work, and how customer behaviour shows up in performance metrics. - Collaborative and credible - able to work effectively across teams, building trust and alignment in a matrix environment. - Influential without authority - willing and able to challenge thinking, propose alternatives and guide teams towards more customer-centric choices. Mindset - Customer-obsessed - motivated by building a truthful, nuanced view of our customers and using it to drive better decisions. - Insight-to-action oriented - focused on impact, not just analysis; always asking "so what?" and "now what?". - Low-ego, high ownership - comfortable operating autonomously, rolling up their sleeves, and taking responsibility for outcomes in their segment. Compensation The annual base salary for this position is expected to be in the range of 160,000 - 185,000 USD. Base salary is one component of Gen's total compensation package, which includes annual bonus. Gen benefits 1. 401(k) retirement plan with company match – Gen matches 50% of the first 7% of eligible pay you contribute, capped at $6,000 per year in company match. 1. Health Savings Account (HSA) funding – if you enroll in an HSA-eligible medical plan, Gen contributes $500–$1,500 per year depending on your coverage tier. 2. Wellness / fitness reimbursement – up to $375 per year reimbursed for eligible fitness and wellness expenses (gym membership, classes, etc.). 3. Sustainable home improvement allowance – up to $500 per year for approved sustainable home upgrades (e.g., insulation, energy-efficient appliances). 4. Tuition / education reimbursement – up to $5,250 per calendar year for approved, job-related education. What’s next: Your CV will be reviewed together by the recruiter and hiring manager to assess the scope of your role, the impact you’ve delivered, and how your experience aligns with the position. If shortlisted, the recruiter will invite you to an initial Zoom conversation to discuss your background, what’s compelling you to Gen, and walk you through the interview process. Gen is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re committed to fair, inclusive practices at every stage of the candidate and employee journey. Employment decisions are based on merit, experience and business needs.