Senior Researcher - Cultural Trends & Intelligence

Netflix Netflix · Big Tech · Los Angeles, CA +2 · Data & Insights

This role focuses on cultural foresight and identifying, tracking, and analyzing cultural shifts, emerging trends, and behaviors in key markets, in partnership with Data Science & Engineering teams. The researcher will leverage advanced social listening tools and methodologies to analyze digital conversations, sentiment, and meme culture, and is expected to innovate and introduce emerging technologies or methodologies to enhance existing work. Experience leveraging GenAI tools for research is desirable.

What you'd actually do

  1. Focus on cultural foresight and identifying, tracking, and analyzing cultural shifts, emerging trends, and behaviors in key markets, in partnership with Data Science & Engineering teams.
  2. Leverage advanced social listening tools and methodologies to analyze digital conversations, sentiment, and meme culture.
  3. Build strong relationships and collaborations with cross-functional partners and other Consumer Insights groups to ensure that our research meets the business’s needs and empowers the decisions we make for tomorrow.
  4. Connect the dots across complex areas and identify new opportunities to proactively inform stakeholders’ strategy. Synthesize complex data from disparate sources into compelling narratives, lead socialization, turn insights into actionable recommendations, and refine cultural fluency through the socialization process.
  5. Work with regional insights teams to contextualize global trends with local nuances, ensuring our view of culture is inclusive and world-class.

Skills

Required

  • 7+ years of experience in consumer insights, trend forecasting, cultural strategy, intelligence analysis, or a related field.
  • Mixed methods research expert, including experience leading end-to-end quantitative (surveys, secondary data analysis, trend sizing) and qualitative research studies (digital ethnography, semiotics, focus groups, expert interviews).
  • Experience with social listening platforms (such as Brandwatch, Sprinklr, etc) is essential.
  • Strong communicator, with a bias toward action, who can partner efficiently with multiple teams across the company.

Nice to have

  • Experience working with marketing and/or brand and/or advertising and/or Product Innovation teams is a plus.
  • An advanced degree in psychology, anthropology, marketing, social sciences, media studies, or related fields is preferred but not required.
  • Comfortable in fast-paced environments with dynamic and shifting priorities and equipped with an entrepreneurial spirit.
  • A balance of creative and analytical skills with the ability to operate proactively, define research questions, identify appropriate methods, execute studies, and synthesize findings with great storytelling.
  • Experience leveraging GenAI tools for research, particularly for advanced analysis, is desirable.
  • Obsessed with the zeitgeist and the forces shaping today’s culture.
  • Experience designing and conducting global or multi‑market research in partnership with regional teams is preferred.
  • Experience working internationally is a plus.

What the JD emphasized

  • Experience with social listening platforms (such as Brandwatch, Sprinklr, etc) is essential.