Senior Director, Insights and Business Intelligence

Position Summary

The Senior Director, Insights and Business Intelligence leads CMA’s research and data functions, ensuring the organization understands the audiences and industry it serves and has the data infrastructure, analytics, and reporting needed to turn that understanding into action. The Senior Director sets the vision for both functions, connecting research and data to inform current decisions, anticipate future industry needs, and identify new opportunities for CMA.

A key focus is maximizing the collective impact of Insights and Business Intelligence, strengthening the value CMA delivers to its members and reinforcing CMA’s leadership within the Country Music industry. The Senior Director builds trusted relationships with internal leaders, Board and industry stakeholders to expand the adoption and strategic impact of data and insights. The role fosters collaboration and develops the people and capabilities that enable teams across CMA to turn insights into meaningful action.

The Senior Director also contributes directly to priority projects, including analysis, reporting, and executive-ready storytelling as needed.

This position is based in Nashville, TN and requires in-person work.

CMA believes in and expects all staff to act in alignment with its core values of collaboration: exhibiting a team-oriented focus, practicing active listening, demonstrating empathy; being solution-minded: proactively identifying problems and potential solutions; and commitment: exhibiting tenacity, engagement, and passion.

Essential Functions

Set the strategic direction, goals, and priorities for Insights and Business Intelligence, connecting the functions and aligning research, data, analytics, and reporting roadmaps with CMA’s broader objectives.

Position CMA as an industry thought leader by identifying emerging trends, audience questions, research approaches, data sources, and use cases that push Insights and Business Intelligence capabilities forward and create new value for CMA, its members, and the broader industry.

Anticipate evolving audience, industry, and organizational needs, championing innovative applications of research and data and guiding the development of new capabilities that prepare CMA for future opportunities and challenges.

Partner with executive leadership, internal teams, Board leadership, and external partners to identify critical business and industry questions, connect research and data capabilities, and inform strategic decisions and future opportunities.

Guide the evolution of CMA’s data architecture, CRM, analytics, automation, and reporting capabilities, ensuring the data ecosystem evolves with organizational priorities.

Establish and evolve key organizational and industry metrics, KPIs, and measurement frameworks that support strategic objectives and decision-making.

Champion a culture of data-informed decision-making by expanding the accessibility, understanding, and strategic application of data and insights across CMA and its work on behalf of the industry.

Directly manage, coach, and develop the Director, Insights and Director, Business Intelligence, strengthening their strategic capacity, organizational influence, and ownership of functional strategy, teams, and execution.

Advance analytical capabilities that bring research and business intelligence together to inform CMA’s audience, marketing, membership, and broader business strategies.

Build and strengthen strategic relationships with industry leaders and stakeholders, expanding the reach and influence of CMA’s research and intelligence to shape industry conversations, inform decisions, and create greater value for CMA and its members.

Lead strategic engagement with the Research and Insights Committee chairs, shaping the committee’s long-term purpose and alignment with CMA and Board priorities.

Ensure people, budgets, vendors, and external resources are aligned with strategic priorities and used effectively to maximize the impact of Insights and Business Intelligence.

Engage directly in high-priority work across Insights and Business Intelligence, including reviewing research and data, contributing to dashboards and reporting, and developing presentations as needed.

Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Data Analytics, Market Research, Statistics, Marketing, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of experience across research, data/business intelligence, strategy, insights, or related fields.
• 5+ years of experience directly managing and developing managers or senior individual contributors.
• Demonstrated ability to set strategic direction across multiple functions while empowering leaders and teams to own execution.
• Strategic and creative thinker with a keen ability to identify problems and opportunities, ideate ways to explore them, and ultimately recommend thoughtful solutions.
• Strong sense of curiosity and a desire to continuously learn, explore, and ask better questions.
• Passionate about building stories from data, research, and analysis and translating them into meaningful action.
• Strong working knowledge of research design and methodologies, relational databases, data architecture, analytics, and dashboard/BI development tools such as Tableau, Power BI, Databricks, or similar platforms.
• Knowledge of syndicated and industry data sources that support strategic analysis, such as Luminate, YouGov, Chartmetric, GfK/Simmons, or similar platforms.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to translate complex information for technical and non-technical audiences, including executive and Board stakeholders.
• Effective and persuasive public speaker who is comfortable representing CMA with internal and external audiences.
• Enjoys facilitating, teaching, and building understanding across teams, and views education and enablement as a core part of the role.
• Experience managing external vendors, partners, and resources supporting research and/or data initiatives.
• Collaborative team player who can build trust and work effectively with a wide variety of personalities, perspectives, and working styles.
• Strong interpersonal judgment, including openness to others’ ideas and the ability to recognize when to lead, influence, facilitate, or support.
• Ability to balance multiple priorities, navigate ambiguity, and adapt quickly while maintaining exceptional attention to detail.
• Strong judgment regarding confidentiality, privacy, and the responsible stewardship of CMA’s data.
• Music, media, or entertainment industry experience is a plus.

Commitment to Inclusivity

CMA is committed to creating lasting change by nurturing an inclusive and equitable culture. By fostering these practices in all areas of our business, we will ensure the future of our industry. We celebrate the dedication of our staff, our membership and the industry in moving Country Music forward and are committed to offering education and resources to help ensure an equitable pipeline of opportunity that continues for years to come.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, age, genetic trait, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law.