Market Intelligence Research Specialist

Position Overview

Ultimate Staffing Services is actively seeking a highly motivated Market Intelligence Research Specialist to support business development, client strategy, and market intelligence initiatives within a professional services environment in Raleigh, North Carolina . This role is ideal for a commercially minded researcher who enjoys uncovering insights, synthesizing complex information, and translating research into compelling, actionable recommendations for senior stakeholders. The successful candidate will leverage market research, industry analysis, competitive intelligence, and emerging AI-enabled research tools to support strategic growth initiatives and deepen client understanding. The position requires strong research capabilities, excellent communication skills, and the ability to transform large volumes of information into concise, decision-oriented deliverables.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct business development-focused research across industries, companies, markets, and competitive landscapes.
• Develop client profiles, company deep dives, market assessments, and industry analyses to support strategic initiatives.
• Monitor economic, regulatory, legislative, political, and industry developments that may impact client priorities and business opportunities.
• Utilize a variety of research platforms, databases, and information sources to gather and synthesize intelligence.
• Prepare high-quality presentations, briefing materials, reports, and executive-ready research outputs.
• Leverage AI-enabled research tools and emerging technologies to increase research efficiency and generate actionable insights.
• Partner closely with business development, marketing, and senior professional stakeholders to understand strategic priorities and identify opportunities for research support.
• Support client targeting, relationship development, and growth initiatives through evidence-based analysis and market intelligence.
• Deliver concise, insightful recommendations that help drive decision-making and business development efforts.
• Maintain awareness of competitive activity, market trends, and sector developments relevant to target clients and industries.
• Manage multiple research requests and priorities while maintaining exceptional quality and attention to detail.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• 2-5 years of experience conducting commercial, market, business, competitive, or industry research within a professional services, consulting, legal, corporate strategy, economic development, or similar environment.
• Strong research, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex information into clear, actionable insights.
• Experience creating presentations, reports, and executive-facing deliverables that tell a compelling story.
• Strong commercial acumen and understanding of business drivers.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Comfortable interacting with senior stakeholders and building collaborative relationships.
• Ability to work independently while managing multiple projects and competing deadlines.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to producing high-quality work.
• Experience using AI research tools and a general understanding of emerging AI capabilities.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, particularly PowerPoint, Excel, and Word.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting business development, growth strategy, client development, or market intelligence functions.
• Professional services, legal, consulting, financial services, economic development, or corporate strategy experience.
• Familiarity with research platforms such as Capital IQ, PitchBook, AlphaSense, FactSet, Bloomberg, LSEG Workspace, Preqin, Fitch, or similar databases.
• Experience conducting both qualitative and quantitative research.
• Knowledge of data visualization and presentation tools such as Canva, Flourish, Datawrapper, or similar platforms.
• Exposure to SQL, Python, Power BI, Tableau, or other analytical tools.
• Advanced AI research, prompt engineering, or agentic AI workflow experience.
• Graduate degree or advanced professional training.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a curious and commercially savvy researcher who thrives on turning information into insight. They possess strong storytelling abilities, can quickly understand new industries and business challenges, and know how to build compelling executive-level narratives from research findings. While technical analytical skills are beneficial, success in this role will be driven primarily by intellectual curiosity, business research expertise, stakeholder engagement, and the ability to deliver strategic insights that support growth and client development initiatives.

Work Hours

Monday - Friday, 1st shift

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, age, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, or military or veteran status. We consider all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with state and local laws, including the California Fair Chance Act, City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, and San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.