Company Overview

The Futurum Group is an independent technology research, advisory, and intelligence firm dedicated to helping business leaders, investors, and technology vendors navigate market disruption, capitalize on emerging opportunities, and validate strategic decisions. Through continuous quantitative data, rigorous qualitative insights, and analyst advisory, we illuminate the vectors of change shaping global technology.

To review our established practice coverage and current roadmaps, explore our 2026 Research Agenda: Key Topics and Coverage Areas.

As part of our rapid scale and deepening coverage across next-generation ecosystems, we are seeking an agile, deeply curious, and market-savvy Research Director to spearhead and support expansion into new frontier practices.

Position Summary

As a Research Director across our expanding and emerging technology practices, you will play a pivotal role in identifying, scoping, and scaling Futurum’s research footprint across the physical, silicon, compute, and architectural foundations powering the future economy.

Rather than being confined to a single legacy silo, this position is designed for an agile thought leader capable of establishing analytical authority across high-growth, disruptive domains. You will dissect market inflection points, evaluate technological feasibility, build predictive market models, and deliver high-impact advisory to C-suite technology executives, venture/growth investors, and hyperscale vendors.

You will partner closely with practice leads, research VPs, and executive leadership to architect coverage agendas, deliver syndicated research, execute custom advisory engagements, and serve as an authoritative voice across major media and industry platforms.

Strategic Growth & Expansion Domains

In this role, your focus will center on building and contributing to coverage across high-impact expansion areas, including:

Next-Generation Data Centers: Hyperscale and colocation build-outs, AI-optimized facility architectures, liquid cooling/thermal engineering, high-density power delivery, and edge topology.
Power Grids & Energy Transition: Utility-scale grid capacity constraints, clean energy integration, small modular reactors (SMRs), behind-the-meter generation, and energy strategies powering unprecedented compute demands.
Robotics & Physical AI: Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), humanoid robotics, embodied AI, industrial automation, and the integration of edge compute with physical work environments.
Token & Digital Asset Infrastructure: Enterprise blockchain primitives, tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs), decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN), digital rails, and institutional settlement layers.
Quantum Technologies: Quantum computing architectures, post-quantum cryptography (PQC), quantum networking, and commercialization timelines across specialized enterprise use cases.
Neoclouds & Specialized AI Clouds: Alternative compute providers, GPU orchestration layers, bare-metal acceleration clouds, sovereign cloud models, and the evolving dynamics challenging traditional hyperscalers.
Foundries & Semiconductor Geopolitics: Advanced packaging, sub-nanometer node roadmaps, semiconductor supply chains, lithography innovation, and global foundry capacity dynamics.

Key Responsibilities

Agenda Definition & Execution: Design and execute strategic research roadmaps across emerging focus areas, translating nascent technical breakthroughs into actionable enterprise and investor perspectives.
High-Impact Deliverables: Author and co-author market-defining deliverables, including Market Sizing & Forecast Models, State of the Market Reports, Market Landscape Assessments, and timely Futurum Signal alerts.
Executive Advisory & Client Delivery: Serve as a trusted advisor to senior executives (CEOs, CTOs, Chief Strategy Officers, Heads of Corporate Development, and Product Leaders). Conduct private briefings, strategic scenario planning, and interactive workshops.
Market Sizing & Forecast Modeling: Collaborate with our quantitative modeling team to define total addressable market (TAM), compound annual growth rates (CAGR), and five-year forecast models for newly launched practice verticals.
Commercial & Business Development Support: Partner with sales, practice leaders, and client success to scope custom proposals, participate in strategic account development, and identify high-value advisory opportunities.
Ecosystem Networking & Global Travel: Build and maintain an extensive network of enterprise practitioners, startups, hyperscalers, standards bodies, and investors. Represent The Futurum Group as a keynote speaker, panelist, and media commentator at premier industry conferences worldwide.
Analyst Relations (AR) & Industry Engagement: Cultivate trusted relationships with corporate AR teams, founders, venture leads, and industry communications executives to expand Futurum’s market prominence and intelligence channels.

Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Computer Engineering, Materials Science, Economics, Mathematics, or a related technical/analytical field.
Experience: Minimum 5 years of combined experience in technology market research, equity research, product management, strategic consulting, technical marketing, or deep-tech engineering.
Broad Domain Fluency: Demonstrated ability to quickly master and write authoritatively on complex, cross-disciplinary technical systems, particularly where infrastructure, compute hardware, energy, and emerging software paradigms intersect.
Strong Analytical & Modeling Acumen: Proven experience building or validating market sizing models, analyzing proprietary survey data, and synthesizing qualitative insights into defensible market forecasts.
Executive Presence & Communication: Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills. Comfort engaging in technical discourse with founders, engineering leads, and C-level vendor and enterprise decision-makers.
Entrepreneurial Drive: A proactive, self-starting mindset comfortable operating in a fast-paced, high-growth, flat organizational environment where practice boundaries evolve dynamically.

Success Measurements

Quantitative Metrics:
Timely delivery of scheduled market forecasts, reports, and buyer intelligence studies.
Direct impact on practice growth, custom advisory bookings, and client retention.
Client satisfaction (CSAT) scores across advisory inquiries and strategic briefings.
Qualitative Metrics:
Market recognition and authority as demonstrated by media quotations, social reach, and citations by technology leaders.
Methodological rigor, accuracy, and depth of developed market sizing models and datasets.
Proactive cross-functional collaboration with sales, marketing, and peer research teams to establish Futurum’s leadership in frontier topics.

Compensation & Benefits

We offer a competitive and thoughtfully designed benefits package to support your health, financial well-being, and work-life balance:

Salary Range: $130,000 – $160,000 base salary + performance incentives + quarterly and annual bonus eligibility.
Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance plans with employer-funded HSA contributions.
Retirement: 401(k) retirement plan with competitive company matching.
Time Off: Discretionary, unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO) policy.
Work Environment: Global virtual-first/remote-first model providing full flexibility.
Performance Incentives: Clear upside tied directly to role milestones, research reach, and company growth.

Research Director - Emerging Technologies