Business Research Analyst

About the role
We are seeking a researcher to help the CEO make informed decisions across Cadothy’s AI companion robots and all-in-one live streaming studios, as well as our preschool business. You will investigate competitors, identify unmet customer needs, track relevant policies, and evaluate locations and businesses for potential expansion or acquisition, with an initial focus on Texas and selected other US states.
You will turn business questions into structured research, verify evidence, analyze qualitative and quantitative data, and explain what the findings mean for our next steps. Preschool research is a major part of this role. Priorities and deadlines will be agreed with the CEO.

Key responsibilities
Competitor and customer research

• Build and maintain competitor comparisons covering products or services, pricing, target customers, positioning, strengths, weaknesses, and customer experience. For preschools, compare tuition, programs, age groups, hours, locations, and enrollment or waitlist information where available.
• Analyze reviews, community discussions, and available customer feedback to identify recurring praise, complaints, unmet needs, and opportunities to improve our offerings. Group findings into consistent themes and explain the limitations of the sample.

Policy and regulatory research

• Monitor relevant state, local, and federal policies, including preschool licensing, staffing requirements, funding programs, and business incentives, as well as policies affecting our technology products. Use original government sources, record jurisdiction and effective dates, and distinguish proposals from rules in force.
• Summarize potential operational or growth implications, eligibility conditions, and questions requiring specialist verification.

Expansion and acquisition research

• Compare potential preschool markets and locations using factors such as families with young children, household income, population trends, competition, tuition, property costs, and available workforce or licensing information.
• Find businesses offered for sale and maintain a shortlist with location, asking price, reported financials, capacity or enrollment where available, property or lease details, and fit with our criteria. Label seller claims and missing information clearly; identify questions for further due diligence.

Research execution and recommendations

• Define the research question, scope, methods, sources, and comparison criteria before collecting information. Combine online research with databases, publications, public records, and approved interviews or inquiries when needed.
• Clean and organize data, perform basic statistical analysis, and prepare concise reports with findings, supporting evidence, business implications, options, and recommended next steps. Maintain an organized, searchable research archive and protect confidential information.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a research-oriented discipline such as statistics, economics, business, public policy, education, psychology, or social sciences, or equivalent demonstrated research training and experience.
• Demonstrated experience completing structured research projects, preferably at least two years in business research, market research, policy analysis, or a comparable role. Substantial graduate research experience may also qualify when supported by relevant work samples.
• Ability to translate an open-ended business question into a practical research plan, assess source credibility, cross-check conflicting information, and separate verified facts, estimates, assumptions, and recommendations.
• Working knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research methods, including thematic coding, sampling limitations, data cleaning, and basic descriptive statistics such as counts, percentages, means, medians, ranges, and trends.
• Proficiency in Excel or Google Sheets, including formulas, pivot tables, charts, and comparable data tables. Ability to document sample sizes, denominators, missing data, and the basis for comparisons.
• Ability to use AI tools to assist with research planning, discovery, extraction, and synthesis, while checking material claims against original sources and reviewing calculations independently.
• Strong written English and clear business writing. Able to summarize complex findings concisely, explain uncertainty, work independently, and manage competing deadlines.

Preferred qualifications

• Master’s degree, PhD, or substantial postgraduate research training in a relevant discipline. Candidates with university research, thesis, dissertation, or research assistant experience are encouraged to apply.
• Formal coursework or practical experience in statistics, applied research methods, survey design, or quantitative analysis. Familiarity with Python, R, SPSS, SQL, or a comparable analysis tool is a plus.
• Experience researching US preschool or childcare markets, consumer technology, state policies, site selection, or small-business acquisitions. Familiarity with Texas markets is helpful.

Expected deliverables

• Competitor and customer insight trackers with comparable fields, source links, dates checked, review themes, and clearly identified information gaps.
• Policy briefs and location or acquisition shortlists explaining relevance, screening criteria, evidence, key assumptions, and follow-up questions.
• A concise executive brief for each major assignment, supported by organized data and reproducible calculations where applicable. Include the research question, method, main findings, limitations, business implications, and recommended next steps.

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Success will be assessed through source accuracy, sound methods, clear analysis, timely delivery, and usefulness for decisions. Project scope and reporting frequency will reflect agreed working hours and research complexity.