Principal Analyst - Social Listening

AB InBev GCC was incorporated in 2014 as a strategic partner for Anheuser-Busch InBev. The center leverages the power of data and analytics to drive growth for critical business functions such as operations, finance, people, and technology. The teams are transforming Operations through Tech and Analytics.

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Job Title: Principal Analyst - GBS Commercial

Location: Bengaluru

Reporting to: Manager - GBS Commercial

Purpose of the role

We are seeking a highly experienced and strategic Social Listening & Consumer Insights Subject Matter Expert (SME) to lead and elevate our social intelligence and digital insights capabilities across the organization. This role goes encompasses a broader remit that includes digital conversation analysis, consumer insights, and marketing performance data interpretation to inform strategic decision-making across functions.

The SME will be instrumental in designing and governing frameworks that connect structured and unstructured data sources - including social media, digital platforms, review sites, dotcom content, and campaign analytics - into coherent insight narratives. The role will act as a bridge between data, marketing, and business strategy, ensuring insights are actionable, forward-looking, and rooted in consumer behaviour.

As a senior expert, the incumbent will define best practices, oversee complex, multi-market analysis, and mentor analysts while also engaging with senior stakeholders to uncover high-value opportunities. The ideal candidate will bring deep technical knowledge, cross-cultural sensitivity, and a strategic mindset to shape how we listen to consumers and act on what we hear.

2. Key tasks & accountabilities

• Lead the development and refinement of insight frameworks that integrate social listening, digital conversation data, and relevant marketing datasets (e.g., campaign performance, media engagement, review platforms).
• Serve as the SME for constructing sophisticated query logic, taxonomies, and tagging frameworks to uncover meaningful patterns in social and digital conversations.
• Partner with marketing, consumer insights, data science, and brand teams to co-create strategies that link consumer sentiment to business decisions and brand performance.
• Translate complex, multilingual and cross-platform data into strategic narratives, enabling executive-level and operational stakeholders to take informed actions.
• Present insights and recommendations in a clear, structured manner to inform strategic and tactical decision-making.
• Create and edit reporting deliverables in PowerPoint, Excel, and newsletter formats that effectively transform social data into actionable narratives.
• Visualize findings through charts, tables, and infographics to clearly communicate insights to diverse stakeholder groups.
• Govern data quality standards, sentiment calibration, and query optimization to ensure all insights delivered are accurate, relevant, and scalable.
• Consult on campaign measurement frameworks using earned and digital conversation signals to assess impact and inform future planning.
• Champion a holistic, consumer-centric view - connecting the dots between what consumers say, how they engage, and what influences their perceptions and behaviors.
• Guide the integration of insights across touchpoints such as social, search, digital shelf, and online reviews to identify emerging trends, pain points, and opportunities.
• Train and mentor analysts and insight teams on advanced listening and analytics methodologies, fostering a global insights community of practice.
• Proactively monitor digital and cultural trends, competitor activity, and consumer movements across markets, providing early warnings and strategic foresight.
• Lead the evaluation and onboarding of listening tools and platforms as needed, ensuring they meet evolving business and technical requirements.
• Ensure alignment with enterprise data governance, privacy standards, and global collaboration protocols.
• Manage stakeholder expectations through regular status updates, business reviews, and collaborative working sessions.

3. Qualifications, Experience, Skills

Level of educational attainment required

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Marketing, Business, Digital Analytics, Behavioral Sciences, or a related field.

Previous work experience

• 4 - 8 years of experience in social listening, consumer insights, social media marketing or digital research roles, with a proven track record of applying insights to influence business and brand strategy.
• Expertise in leading social listening platforms (e.g., Brandwatch, Emplifi, CreatorIQ, GWI, Cision, Google Trends, MeltWater) and strong proficiency in Boolean logic and taxonomy design.
• Demonstrated experience working with both unstructured (social media, forums, reviews) and structured data (survey, campaign, digital KPIs).
• Strong analytical acumen with ability to synthesize disparate datasets into clear, actionable business insights.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and communicate complex findings in a compelling, business-oriented narrative.
• Prior experience mentoring analysts and building internal capabilities through training, coaching, and tool enablement.

Skills & Technical Competencies

• Strong understanding of digital ecosystems - Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, Reddit, review sites, dotcom - and how consumers engage across them.
• Familiarity with consumer journey mapping, campaign evaluation, and perception tracking using social and digital signals.
• Experience managing large-scale, multilingual, cross-market listening initiatives with cultural nuance and local relevance.
• Adept at using visualization tools such as PowerPoint, Power BI, Tableau, or Looker Studio to bring data stories to life.
• Strategic thinker with a passion for consumer behavior, digital culture, and innovation in the insights space.
• Self-starter with high accountability, a strong sense of ownership, and the ability to work independently and across teams.

And above all of this, an undying love for beer!

We dream big to create future with more cheers.