Audience Analyst Lead

Audience Analyst Lead

TEGNA Inc. helps people thrive in their local communities by providing the trusted local news and services that matter most. With 64 television stations in 51 U.S. markets, TEGNA reaches more than 100 million people monthly across the web, mobile apps, streaming, and linear television. Together, we are building a sustainable future for local news.

TEGNA's corporate Insights team is looking for an Audience Analyst Lead to manage and execute primary research that deepens our understanding of audiences, their needs, motivations, behaviors, preferences, and expectations across platforms. This role will design, conduct, and synthesize qualitative and quantitative research that informs content, brand, marketing, audience growth, and local market strategies across TEGNA.

This person is a strategic research partner, skilled methodologist, and clear storyteller who can translate audience feedback into actionable recommendations. They will collaborate with cross-functional partners across content, marketing, sales, strategy, and local stations to clarify business questions, develop research approaches, synthesize findings, and support audience-informed decisions.

Responsibilities:

• Manage and execute end-to-end primary research projects, including scoping, methodology selection, instrument design, fieldwork coordination, analysis, synthesis, and presentation of findings.
• Design and conduct qualitative and quantitative research, including surveys, focus groups, in-depth interviews, online communities, concept testing, message testing, brand perception studies, audience segmentation, and content research.
• Partner with content, marketing, sales, strategy, and station teams to translate business questions into clear research objectives and practical research plans.
• Develop research that helps TEGNA better understand audience needs, motivations, behaviors, preferences, barriers, and expectations across linear, streaming, digital, social, and emerging platforms.
• Translate research findings into actionable recommendations that support content strategy, brand positioning, marketing effectiveness, audience growth, and local market priorities.
• Evaluate audience response to content concepts, programming ideas, messaging, campaigns, brand initiatives, and new audience opportunities.
• Synthesize qualitative and quantitative findings into clear, compelling stories and present recommendations to senior leaders, cross-functional stakeholders, and local market teams.
• Coordinate with external research vendors and research platforms, supporting project timelines, budgets, deliverables, and methodological quality.
• Contribute to repeatable research approaches, templates, and best practices that strengthen the organization's primary research capabilities.
• Stay current on research methods, tools, and emerging approaches, including AI-enabled research tools, while maintaining high standards for research quality and respondent integrity.
• Other responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications:

• 7+ years of experience in consumer insights, audience research, market research, brand research, media research, marketing research, or a related research function.
• 5+ years of experience managing primary research initiatives across qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
• Demonstrated expertise designing and executing surveys, focus groups, interviews, concept tests, message tests, segmentation studies, brand perception studies, and/or audience behavior research.
• Strong understanding of qualitative and quantitative research methods, including when and how to apply each method to answer business questions.
• Experience translating research findings into strategic recommendations for content, marketing, brand, audience development, local market strategy, or business strategy teams.
• Excellent data storytelling and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate complex findings clearly to executive and cross-functional audiences.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, including the ability to consult with internal partners, clarify objectives, and influence decisions through research.
• Experience using research platforms, tools, and vendor partners to support qualitative and quantitative primary research, including study design, respondent recruitment, fielding, analysis, synthesis, and reporting.
• Strong analytical skills with a proactive, structured approach to ambiguous business questions.
• Ability to build relationships across all levels of the organization and work effectively in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
• Media, entertainment, journalism, streaming, digital content, brand, or marketing research experience preferred.

TEGNA offers comprehensive benefits designed to safeguard the physical, mental and financial health of our employees and their families. TEGNA offers two medical plan options for full and part-time employees through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, as well as access to dental and eye care coverage; fertility, surrogacy and adoption assistance; disability and life insurance.

Our 401(k) program offers full, part-time and temporary employees the opportunity to contribute 1% - 80% of their pay on a pre-tax basis to TEGNA's 401(k). Contributions made up to the first 4% of pay are eligible for a 100% match from the company and are 100% vested from day one.

Regardless of participation in TEGNA medical plans, ALL employees and their eligible family members receive nine free virtual doctor's appointments with a physician through Teladoc, and 12 free annual therapy sessions with a licensed clinician through Spring Health.

TEGNA offers a generous Paid Time Off (PTO) benefit as well as nine paid holidays per year.

* Some jobs are covered by a collective bargaining agreement and thus some or all of the benefits described herein may not apply. For example, some newsroom bargaining unit employees receive health and retirement benefits under plans administered by the union.

TEGNA Inc. is a proud equal opportunity employer. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, hiring and developing individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences to add to our collaborative culture. We value and consider applications from all qualified candidates without regard to actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, disability, medical condition, enrollment in college or vocational school, political affiliation, military or veteran status, citizenship status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law. TEGNA will reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with applicable law. If you are in need of an accommodation in order to submit your application, please email View email address on click.appcast.io

Recruiting Fraud Alert: To all candidates: your personal information and online safety are important to us. Only TEGNA Recruiters or Hiring Managers will reach out to you regarding consideration of your application or background. Communications with TEGNA employees will either come from a TEGNA email address with a domain of tegna.com or one of our affiliate station domains. Recruiters or Hiring Managers will never request payments, ask for financial account information or sensitive information such as social security numbers.