Job Description

NPD’s Research Science Group works to ensure that NPD’s market information is of the highest quality; in particular, that it is reliable, accurate, and complete. We design and monitor the systems that ensure quality outcomes through use of approaches such as:

Missing data imputation
Multi-level modeling
Selection bias modeling
Small area estimation
Automatic categorization of purchase records
Forecasting of future trends

The demographic balance of questionnaire responses via sampling
Post hoc adjustment (i.e., raking)
This position exists within the Methodology and Protocols team, a core function in Research Science that is responsible for developing and promoting best practices across the organization and industry.

Overall Responsibilities:

Use SAS, SPSS, SQL, R, and/or Excel to:
Design methodological enhancements to NPD processes
Carry out tests of alternative implementations of these enhancements
Conduct basic research that draws on existing NPD data to study different aspects of consumer reporting performance and POS data coverage
Apply multivariate and machine learning techniques to the above problems
Promote consistency in implementation of designed enhancements across different businesses Maintain relationships with Research Science client teams to understand what is working well with NPD methodology and what could be improved
Communicate results and procedures to internal clients

This position can be located in the Port Washington, NY or Chicago office.

Please apply here:

https://hire.jobvite.com/j?cj=oZb91fw4&s=MG

The NPD Group, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employee

Qualifications

Advanced degree in statistics, preferably a PhD
Two-plus years’ experience in:
Statistical programming in SAS, SPSS and/or R
Advanced statistical techniques (including those mentioned above)
Knowledge of SQL queries preferred (either SAS Proc SQL or another SQL implementation)
Excellent project management, time management, and problem solving skills
Ability to communicate ideas and analysis results effectively both verbally and in writing to both technical and non-technical audiences
Ability to work well on a team as well as independently
Proficient in MS Office (MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint)

Additional Information

Teamwork

To be successful in this role you must work effectively with colleagues across the organization regardless of level or role. This position requires a positive, energetic “can-do” attitude and willingness to both ask for and generously give help to colleagues. It also requires a willingness to be flexible and comfortable with sometimes rapidly shifting priorities and demands.

*NPD is an EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION employer.

Company Description

The world around us is changing. Retail is in a state of major transition, and consumers have more options than ever. As a leading provider of global information and advisory services, NPD is at the forefront of helping our clients, the world’s biggest brands and retailers understand and profit from these changes.

Since 1966, we have been helping businesses track industry trends and understand their customers in order to get the right products in the right places for the right people at the right prices. We serve more than a dozen industries including consumer electronics, entertainment, fashion, food / foodservice, toys, video games, and more.

We want to lead manufacturers and retailers on collaborating via the effective use of our information in line reviews and joint business planning.

About the company

Circana combines IRI and The NPD Group to provide market intelligence on what people buy. It collects and harmonizes purchase data from retailers, manufacturers, and other sources, then analyzes it to reveal sales trends, category performance, and consumer demand, often broken down by retailer, channel, geography, and product attributes. Its strength comes from merging IRI’s consumer-packaged-goods focus with NPD’s expertise in general merchandise and foodservice, offering broad coverage across many categories and decades of POS data. The goal is to help brands and retailers understand and forecast consumer behavior to guide trade, marketing, and assortment decisions.

Company Size

5,001-10,000

Company Stage

Growth Equity (Non-Venture Capital)

Total Funding

$1.2B

Headquarters

Chicago, Illinois

Founded

1966

Get referred to Circana

See people who can refer or advise you

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

September 2026 DoorDash partnership expands Circana’s retail media relevance and incremental-sales validation.
September 2026 Google Meridian integration strengthens Circana’s AI marketing-mix modeling offering globally.
October 2026 beverage report shows Circana still shapes category strategy for thousands of brands.

What critics are saying

August 2026 data-processing error distorted beer and RTD reporting, damaging client trust immediately.
Retail media giants like Amazon, Instacart, and DoorDash can disintermediate Circana by internalizing measurement.
Private-equity ownership from Hellman & Friedman and Vestar pressures Circana toward growth despite integration fragility.

What makes Circana unique

Circana owns decades of verified retail transaction data across CPG, durables, and foodservice.
Its Liquid Data and Liquid Mix platforms combine first-party data with AI measurement.
Circana’s neutral third-party role attracts DoorDash, Instacart, and Google Meridian partnerships.

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Growth & Insights and Company News

6 month growth

1 year growth

10%

2 year growth

10%

Associated Press

Oct 15th, 2026

Circana to measure $200B of hidden third-party marketplace sales weekly from 2027

Circana will add weekly, item-level data on about $200 billion in third-party marketplace sales to its point-of-sale (POS) market measurement from the first quarter of 2027. The data comes from the largest online retailer and is powered by Jungle Scout. The sales include about $130 billion in general merchandise and $70 billion in consumer packaged goods. Clients can find demand hidden by stockouts, spot marketplace-only launches before they appear in POS data, and view all channels together. The first phase covers Canada, Mexico, the UK, and the US. France, Germany, Italy, and Spain will follow later in the year. "Third-party marketplaces are no longer peripheral," said Stuart Aitken, president and chief executive officer of Circana.

Supermarket News

Oct 14th, 2026

Fresh produce sales face pressure as shoppers change buying habits.

Fresh produce sales face pressure as shoppers change buying habits. Younger consumers do not trust the industry and are getting influenced elsewhere than the traditional brick-and-mortar October 14, 2026 Want a quick summary? Fresh produce retailers are facing mounting pressure from shifting shopping habits, food safety concerns and changing consumer expectations, with younger shoppers presenting both an opportunity for growth and a challenge for the industry. Jonna Parker, vice president and team lead for fresh foods at Circana, and Rachel Blake, global insights manager for the International Fresh Produce Association, discussed the trends during a presentation examining U.S. retail sales and consumer behavior at the Global Produce and Floral Show in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday. Parker said produce sales were flat in dollar terms over the 52 weeks ending in October, while unit sales declined. Produce prices rose just 1% year over year, with consumers paying an average of $2.80 per unit, less than in other store departments. The category also has faced significant disruption from food safety concerns. By the first full week of August, 83% of U.S. shoppers surveyed by Circana said they had heard about fresh food recalls and changed their shopping behavior as a result, Parker said. Following news about a cyclospora outbreak that went viral in mid-July, produce sales fell by more than $750 million and volume declined by more than 120 million pounds, according to Parker. Fresh salads and leafy greens were among the hardest-hit categories, although about 70 produce segments experienced year-over-year sales declines during late July and August. Beyond the outbreak, shoppers are becoming more deliberate about when and where they buy groceries. Parker said consumers are making 6% more trips to stores for food and beverages, while spending per trip remains flat. Shoppers increasingly buy what they need when they need it, a pattern that can benefit fresh ingredients such as herbs, peppers and cucumbers. Retailers also face greater competition from alternative channels. Traditional grocery stores have lost 5 percentage points of fresh produce market share since 2022, Parker said, as consumers increasingly shop at mass merchants, discount grocers and club stores. Ecommerce, including pickup services, now accounts for 10% of U.S. produce sales. Parker said online shopping programs have changed how younger consumers buy fresh foods, making it important for products to become part of shoppers' regular online orders. Blake said value, freshness, quality and selection remain the primary factors determining where consumers shop for produce. The biggest barriers to purchase across generations are price and concerns that products will not last long enough. Those concerns are particularly important as retailers seek to attract younger shoppers. Parker said baby boomers account for about one-third of retail produce sales, while millennials and Generation Z will become increasingly important to future growth. Blake said Generation Z is directing a larger share of its spending toward produce than toward food and beverages overall, but younger consumers have weaker trust in the industry and are less likely to buy produce out of habit. Only 16% of Gen Z respondents described the fresh produce industry as trustworthy, compared with 32% of Generation X respondents. Blake urged retailers and suppliers to reinforce freshness, value and selection, communicate food safety more clearly and make produce part of shopping trips consumers already take. Building trust and repeat purchasing before the next disruption, she said, will be essential to protecting sales. Stay up-to-date on the latest food retail news and trends

PR Newswire

Oct 1st, 2026

Shoppers swap alcohol for new generation of healthier drinks as booze loses its bottle but beverage sales increase overall.

Shoppers swap alcohol for new generation of healthier drinks as booze loses its bottle but beverage sales increase overall. Oct 01, 2026, 07:44 ET * Drink sales increased by 2.9% to €180 billion last year * New beverage products generated an extra €242 million in sales * Own-label products also now account for 35% of beverage spending * UK beverage sales rose by 3.2% to €54 billion, accounting for 30% of spending across Europe LONDON, Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - Drink sales increased by 2.9% across Europe's six biggest grocery markets last year, as shoppers continued to cut back on alcohol but paid more for a new generation of beverages competing for social occasions and catering to healthier lifestyles. Spending on alcohol fell by 0.8% in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK according to the latest analysis of the FMCG market by Circana, the leader in turning consumer data into growth, while sales of low- and no-alcohol alternatives grew by 7.3%. Increased spending on sports, energy and yoghurt-based drinks, as increasingly health-conscious consumers took advantage of a wider range of products, also helped lift non-alcoholic drink sales by 5.4% to €109 billion and total beverage sales to €180 billion. Beer, cider, wine and spirits sales were down 0.9%, 1.2%, 1.5% and 2.2% respectively. 43% of shoppers, and half of 25- to 39-year-olds, told Circana they were cutting back on alcohol by buying less, postponing purchases or giving up altogether. 44% of all shoppers said they were buying more bottled water, 31% more juices and smoothies, and 29% more tea and coffee. Just 15% said they were buying more alcoholic drinks. This is despite heavy discounting, with around 41% of beer and 37% of alcoholic drinks sold on promotion during the year, compared with only 25% of beverages overall. 'It's not game over for alcohol' Speaking following his keynote at the Beverage Forum on 1 October, Ananda Roy, senior vice president of strategic growth insights at Circana, said: "Alcohol has been declining in popularity in the five or six years since the pandemic and this has now led to a wider range of alternatives and healthier products, which give us much more choice about what we drink at home and when we socialise. "Younger people in particular are drinking much less alcohol and there is no evidence this will change as they get older, as the growing mix of adult soft drinks and lighter alternatives is simply becoming an increasingly normal part of everyday drinking. "It's not game over for alcohol manufacturers, but they need to do much more than cut prices and instead look at lighter, lower-sugar and lower-calorie products that can help beer, wine and spirits stay relevant as our drinking habits change." Circana also found new beverage products generated an extra €242 million in sales last year, including €161 million from dairy drinks and €32 million each from low- and no-alcohol products and bottled water. Sales rise but amount bought increases by just 0.5% While spending on drinks across Europe rose last year, the amount actually sold increased by just 0.5%, as average price rises of 2.3% also drove much of the sales growth. UK beverage sales rose by 3.2% to €54 billion, accounting for 30% of spending across Europe's six biggest markets but just 19% of the amount sold. Higher prices also pushed spending up by 2.9% in Italy and 2% in the Netherlands, despite the amount bought remaining flat in both countries. It was a more even picture in Spain, where prices rose 2.4% and the volume bought increased 2.6% and in France, where the growth in spending came mainly from people buying more, with the amount sold up 3.3% while prices increased by just 0.4%. Germany was the only one of the six countries to see the volume of beverages bought fall, dropping 2.7% as drinks prices rose by a steeper 4%. However some products continued to grow despite higher prices, with the amount of yoghurt-based drinks sold rising by 12.3%, ready-to-drink spirits by 12.9%, and still water and plant-based drinks by 5.2% each. The picture for the beverage market as a whole improved during the second quarter of 2026, when average prices fell by 0.2% and the amount of beverages sold rose by 1.6%. Circana's data found own-label products also now account for 35% of beverage spending, with retailer brands gaining ground in categories including coffee, wine and champagne and dairy drinks. Notes to editors: Methodology The latest Circana analysis is based on 12 months of data ending June 2026, across France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK. About Circana Circana is a leader in providing technology, AI, and data to fast-moving consumer packaged goods companies, durables manufacturers, and retailers seeking to optimize their businesses. Circana's predictive analytics and technology empower clients to measure their market share, understand the underlying consumer behaviour driving it, and accelerate their growth. Circana's Liquid Data(R) technology platform is powered by an expansive, high-quality data set and intelligent algorithms trained on six decades of domain expertise. With Circana, clients can take immediate action to future-proof and evolve their growth strategies amid an increasingly complex, fast-paced, and ever-changing economy. Learn more at circana.com. SOURCE Circana

Canadian Toy Association

Oct 1st, 2026

Latest Toy Industry performance data now available to Toy Association members.

Latest Toy Industry performance data now available to Toy Association members. October 1, 2026 Toy Association members now have access to an executive summary of Circana's fall update on the state of the U.S. toy industry. The data was originally presented by Kristen McLean, vice president of client insights & leader of the Entertainment Knowledge Group at Circana, at a session that took place September 15 at The Toy Building during The Toy Association's LA Fall Preview(R) Market Weeks. "State of the U.S. Toy Industry (January to July 2026) - Executive Summary" offers information on retail trends, features insights into the evolving U.S. toy market, and covers key metrics from January through July 2026, including: * Sales performance across retail, units sold, and average selling prices (ASP) * Supercategory performance * Top 10 properties & top 10 growth properties * Manufacturer performance Manufacturer members may reach out to Anne McConnell, senior director of market research & educational initiatives at The Toy Association, to request a copy of the report.

Sustainable Agriculture Today

Sep 16th, 2026

Circana's Jonna Parker to keynote CEAg World 2026, highlighting real-world strategies for greenhouse growers.

Circana's Jonna Parker to keynote CEAg World 2026, highlighting real-world strategies for greenhouse growers. Jonna Parker, vice president of fresh foods at Circana, will open CEAg World with a keynote on the consumer trends reshaping the produce market. WILLOUGHBY, OH, UNITED STATES, September 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ - Jonna Parker, vice president of fresh foods at consumer behavior and market intelligence firm Circana, will open CEAg World Conference & ExpoSM with a keynote on the consumer trends reshaping the produce market, organizers announced today. Parker's session, "Follow the Consumer: Finding Opportunity in a Changing Produce Market," will draw on real sales and shopper data to examine who's buying, what's driving growth across retail and foodservice, and which fruit and vegetable categories are gaining or losing ground. She will translate those trends into practical implications for controlled-environment growers. "The produce market has been through a lot of change in a very short time, and growers need a clear read on what's happening beyond the greenhouse," said Kristin D. Zeit, content lead for CEAg World. "Jonna's talk is a chance to step back from day-to-day production and look at the bigger forces shaping where the market goes next." "Growers are making real decisions about where to invest, and those decisions work best when they start with the consumer," said Jonna Parker, vice president of fresh foods at Circana. "I'm looking forward to sharing what the data shows about how produce demand is shifting, and helping growers connect those signals to their own operations." CEAg World Conference & Expo returns Nov. 10-11 in Charlotte-Concord, North Carolina, with a program centered on building stronger, more resilient greenhouse produce businesses. As the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) industry navigates tighter margins, changing markets, rising costs and evolving technology, this year's agenda is built around the decisions operators face in growing for the long term. The 2026 agenda goes deep on business fundamentals. Paul Sellew, CEO of Little Leaf Farms, headlines a management session that gets straight to point about workforce development and labor. Jim Kras, CEO of Edible Garden, tackles diversification beyond core CEA crops, a strategy more operators are leaning on. And Trevor Gibson of Equinox Growers digs into profitability and capital, two issues on every grower's mind. Food safety gets serious attention too. Monica Noble, former VP of quality and safety at 80 Acres Farms and chair of the CEA Alliance's Food Safety Working Group, leads a session on the FSMA steps growers need to take now. For growers who are newer to CEA, Connor Murphy of Goodness Gardens explains how to assess technology needs realistically. Other experienced growers, including Eric Highfield from Haven Greens, will help troubleshoot production issues with crops including tomatoes, leafy greens, and specialty produce. Among the most anticipated sessions is "The Buyers Are In," a panel featuring Yan Branco, senior produce buyer at Sobeys in Canada, alongside other retail and wholesale produce distributors. The discussion will put CEA operators face-to-face with the people deciding what makes it onto store shelves and consumers' plates. View the Full Agenda and Speaker List CEAg World Conference & Expo takes place Nov. 10-11 in Charlotte-Concord, North Carolina. Registration is free for qualified commercial growers. Learn more and register at: https://www.ceagworld.com/events Amy Reddington Meister Media Worldwide +1 440-942-2000 email Sustainable Agriculture Today here Visit Sustainable Agriculture Today on social media: LinkedIn Instagram Facebook YouTube Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. Sustainable Agriculture Today do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.

Circana

Data Scientist

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