Research & Concept Lead

About the Role

To strengthen our discovery, concept development, and user‑centric innovation capabilities within Sanoma Learning, we are looking for a Research and Concept Lead. The role operates at the intersection of user insight, future thinking, and systems thinking, driving complex discovery and concept initiatives across countries and disciplines.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead research‑driven, future‑oriented concept development.
• Drive early‑stage discovery and concept work by combining deep user understanding with future thinking and systems thinking.
• Translate emerging needs, signals, and trends into clear product concepts that consider long‑term impact, scalability, and coherence across Sanoma Learning.
• Coordinate and conduct research in the Italian market, ensuring local user, pedagogical, and market perspectives are deeply understood and accurately represented.
• Balance user value, feasibility, and viability throughout discovery and concept phases.
• Embed user‑centricity into product strategies, roadmaps, and investment discussions.
• Lead complex initiatives that span multiple countries and multidisciplinary teams.
• Collaborate with research, design, and product peers to continuously evolve discovery, concepting, and validation practices, methods, and tools.
• Act as a facilitator and connector across teams and markets, ensuring insights, assumptions, constraints, and decisions are visible, discussed, and understood.
• Maintain high standards for research, synthesis quality, and concept clarity.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in research, product discovery, or related roles.
• Strong future thinking and systems thinking capabilities applied to product discovery and concept development.
• Proven ability to combine user‑centric insight with feasibility and viability considerations.
• Deep experience leading research and early‑stage concept work in complex environments.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and storytelling skills.
• Fluent in English (written and spoken); experience with the Italian market is essential.
• Comfortable working in ambiguity and shaping direction where problems and solutions are not yet defined.
• Strong analytical mindset combined with creativity and curiosity.
• Collaborative, proactive, and quality‑driven approach to work.
• Nice to have: Experience working with education.
• Nice to have: Background in innovation, concept strategy, or early‑stage product definition.
• Nice to have: Experience contributing to shared discovery or concept frameworks across organizations.
• Nice to have: Familiarity with accessibility, inclusion, and ethical considerations in research and concept work.

Our Commitment to Equality

Sanoma Learning is an equal‑opportunity employer; we are committed to inclusion and diversity, ensuring equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or any other characteristic.