Meet Our Team

Why Hanover

I came to Hanover from a job working to improve the education system in Zambia. During my time abroad, I was struck by how similar many of the challenges this small nation in southern Africa was facing were to those I had witnessed closer to home. When I was looking for my next job, I wanted to work at an organization that was directly contributing to improving education in America.

What first drew me to Hanover was its position as a private organization seeking solutions to some of the most pressing public needs. This combination of private sector efficiency, innovation, and attention to improving an essential public service is what I find so compelling about the company. In addition, Hanover is a rapidly growing company that allows talented and driven individuals to rise through the ranks much faster than a comparable organization might. The company puts its faith in young, smart individuals looking to take on considerable responsibility. I thrive in this type of environment and therefore really appreciate the chance that Hanover has given me to grow professionally.

Making an Impact:

Within K-12 education, there has been a push to incorporate more research and more data into the decisions that educators make. Though this is an important and necessary step to ensure a quality education for all students, many districts do not have the time or resources to gather, analyze, and synthesize the information they need to drive informed decision-making. Hanover acts as an external resource for districts, independent schools, and other education organizations to do the heavy lifting of research. Whether we are synthesizing the secondary literature on optimal strategies for English language learner instruction or conducting a program evaluation to determine the efficacy of an instructional intervention, Hanover provides its partners with the information they need to make data- and research-based decisions. This translates into a better education for our nation’s students.

Tips for New Recruits:

Seize opportunities to grow.
One thing I have observed time and again here at Hanover is that the people who thrive are those who do not wait for opportunity to be handed to them. The company does a phenomenal job of helping its employees identify areas they would like to grow in and actualize these ambitions. For instance, as a researcher I wanted to gain project management and teamwork skills. To this end, my supervisor encouraged me to work with fellow researchers as a project lead and research coach, lending me invaluable experience guiding an analyst from the beginning to end of complex research requests.  Because Hanover is growing and evolving, there is a lot of space for individuals to make a case for taking on substantial responsibility in their area of interest. As a new hire, you should recognize these opportunities and take advantage of them.

Why Hanover

Hanover appealed to me because I was very interested in social science and policy research in important fields such as education and health. My interest in this type of work derived from my background in education as an English teacher in Japan and from studying economics and psychology in college. Hanover was a great fit for me because of its growth trajectory and the many opportunities to develop professionally.

Making an Impact:

Our work impacts our clients in a variety of ways. In nearly all cases, we are providing intelligence to organizations. We are giving them new knowledge, expanding their knowledge of a topic, or helping them learn more about their stakeholders, such as their students, staff, or the community. In many cases, we are doing work that clients do not have the capacity to do, whether it is in terms of limited staffing or expertise. For example, we often conduct research through surveys or data analyses, but sometimes we utilize more complex methodologies that our clients are unfamiliar with. Content Directors play an important role because they can explain to our clients how and why we use these techniques and the benefit of their implementation.

Tips for New Recruits:

Never settle for average.
You will do well at Hanover if you take pride in your work and show a dedication to creating the best possible product.

Embrace feedback.
You must be willing to learn and be responsive to constructive criticism.

Stretch yourself.
You should be proactive in learning new skills and taking on new responsibilities.

Get to know your colleagues.
It is also very important to enjoy your work life and get to know the people at Hanover.

Why Hanover

I wanted to work for a company doing research to help clients make data driven decisions. As a custom market research firm serving the private sector, Hanover fit the bill perfectly. A growing and dynamic company, Hanover’s innovative research partnerships are effective across industries and serve a diversity of client needs. I knew a position at Hanover would provide opportunities to work directly with a wide array of clients and design interesting research projects with real world impact. As a Content Director, I work with motivated Hanover employees across departments, from Content, to Solutions, to Sales, and really see how everyone in the organization works together to serve our clients.

Making an Impact:

My team works primarily with B2C clients. Much of the work we do, from brand awareness surveys to customer experience interviews, helps bridge the gap between our client and their customers. Clients look to Hanover to help them better understand their current customers and better engage prospective customers. Some of the most impactful work I have done involved primary research for new product development. It is very satisfying to collect, interpret, and analyze customer experiences, knowing the client will use that feedback to roll out a new and improved product or offering.

Tips for New Recruits:

Be a sponge. Learn as much as you can every day. Learn from your manager, from your teammates, from the Learning and Development team, from your coworkers in the lunch room. Put yourself out there and get as much experience on as many different project types as you can. And don’t be afraid to ask questions.

And most importantly…
Keep tabs on when they refill the snack bars, the best snacks disappear fast!

Why Hanover

Hanover is an energetic company, full of intelligent people who are committed to providing high-quality services. I can easily and proudly say that I work with a number of professionals whom I consider mentors and friends. Additionally, our growing company recognizes accomplishments at all levels, giving every employee an opportunity to excel. That does not imply competitiveness, though; I was drawn to Hanover’s collaborative environment and friendly colleagues, as well as the company’s willingness to adapt to the unique needs of its growing staff.

Making an Impact:

Between institutional capacity-building efforts, proposal development, and other grants-related services, the Grants team has the unique experience of helping our health care and education partners achieve their missions. Our tailored services are integral in the design and funding of our partners’ initiatives for expanded access to quality health care, as well as their public outreach and education efforts, among others.  That is impact!

Tips for New Recruits:

Look beyond your day-to-day responsibilities.
Hanover offers a variety of professional development workshops, C-suite Q&A sessions, community service opportunities, health and wellness programming, happy hours, and so much more so that we can continue to learn and be engaged. Take advantage of the many resources Hanover provides, challenge yourself, and believe that boredom does not exist.

Why Hanover

I started with Hanover after graduating Vanderbilt University, where I studied Economics and French.  I chose to join Hanover since the company was experiencing significant growth and was in a position to expand substantially in the next few years.  Hanover offered me the possibility to move up quickly within the organization and gain exposure to numerous functional areas.

Making an Impact:

With a role that is directly tied to generating revenue, it’s easy to make a direct impact on the organization.  I’m fortunate to be able to contribute in other ways like providing input on our business development strategy and helping to train colleagues and recent hires.

The ways in which we deliver value vary tremendously with each client.  At the highest level, we provide research, data, and insights that clients leverage to make decisions directly tied to increasing their own revenues and profitability.

Tips for New Recruits:

Entrepreneurial spirits welcome.
Hanover is a great place for individuals with a strong work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit.  If you want to work hard and be rewarded accordingly for those efforts, Hanover is an ideal workplace.

Why Hanover

Coming from an academic background, I wanted to apply my writing and research skills in a practical context. Hanover offered an opportunity that capitalized on my strengths as an academic yet also offered room for professional growth as a market researcher.

Making an Impact:

The principal strength of Hanover is our breadth, both in terms of the methods we employ and the business objectives that we can support. My team in particular has helped several of my clients assess the attractiveness of overseas markets to inform investments in personnel and plants. These projects have drawn upon both our analysis of preexisting data sources and our collection of new data via primary research. In other contexts, we have used quantitative techniques to help clients segment their customer base or uncover sales drivers.

Tips for New Recruits:

Constantly seek growth opportunities.
Because of the range of business needs we serve, there are numerous opportunities to develop new skills and to hone old ones. Be proactive in identifying these opportunities with your manager. In the long run, both you and the company will benefit.

Why Hanover

Hanover is an energetic company that recognizes and rewards hard work. My co-workers possess a lot of vitality, but are driven and competitive as well. The work is challenging, but also engaging and rewarding. We have the opportunity to impact large companies and middle-market businesses, school districts, and higher education institutions. We also can effect changes internally at Hanover that add real value to our services in tangible ways.

Making an Impact:

The Strategy team is presented with the alluring challenge of helping to navigate our current success and future expansion.

Within this function, I focus on the firm’s organic growth. As a new product development project lead, it has been my responsibility over the last few years to drive Hanover’s innovation in the fields of education, healthcare, and technology. These efforts, conducted in partnership with our brilliant research staff, have resulted in a software service that uses predictive analytics to improve how school districts hire teachers, in a research platform that helps hospitals better serve their patients while driving down costs, and in a myriad of new research methodologies that are quickly establishing Hanover as a global thought leader.

Tips for New Recruits:

Get on board now, be involved, and look for opportunities.
We are growing rapidly and employees are the key to shaping Hanover’s future.

Why Hanover

Our research team consists of highly qualified people from across the globe, which to me, is one of the most attractive aspects of Hanover. Working with them, not only do I learn something new every day, I also gain a deep sense of comradery. Despite such diverse backgrounds, researchers at Hanover all share the traits of humility and willingness to help out fellow researchers.

I also find the learning opportunities here really rewarding — the knowledge-sharing culture gives me the chance to constantly develop both professionally and personally. Every week, there are several professional development activities offered to help employees enhance their skills or develop new ones.

Making an Impact:

Businesses and organizations collect enormous amounts of data, and Hanover’s job is to uncover the hidden stories behind the data so partners can make informed, fact-based decisions to achieve their goals. Hanover specializes in a variety of data analysis techniques that allow us to address our client’s pressing research needs. For example, clients often request evaluations of program or product effectiveness to make adjustments to their offerings and will be interested in elasticity measures to better manipulate their pricing strategies.  The research team’s quantitative and qualitative skill sets allow us to deliver insights that give our customers confidence in making business decisions.

Tips for New Recruits:

I have three tips for future Hanover researchers:

Learn from your peers.
Your coworkers are highly qualified and always willing to help.

Balance managing projects with improving your research methodologies.
The field of research is very fast-paced, and investing in professional development will only help you.

Push yourself.
Be creative, intellectually curious, and passionate about the research work.

Why Hanover

Every day is different. The fact that the company is growing so quickly means there is always room for innovation and creativity. During my time at Hanover, I have been encouraged to excel in the duties specific to my role and also to provide my perspective on larger challenges and opportunities facing the firm.

Making an Impact:

As a Managing Content Director, I oversee a team of Content Directors and research analysts serving a pool of more than 100 higher education partners. It is rewarding to work with my team to develop strategies for meeting an institution’s needs. Every partner we work with has a unique set of goals; Hanover’s impact lies in our ability to adapt our solutions to these objectives.

Tips for New Recruits:

Empower yourself
Hanover rewards initiative, so look for opportunities to make your own path. Personal accountability is key, so be prepared to take ownership of your work – whatever that work may be.

Why Hanover

I chose to work at Hanover because I was excited about the prospect of working for a boutique and fast growing company that is providing high quality custom research for clients. As a business development professional, it is important to me that the product I am selling is sturdy, the clients I welcome are served well, and the consultative conversations I’m having with prospective clients are diverse and engaging. Hanover has been a good place for all of the above.

Making an Impact:

Hanover’s business model enables clients to receive more custom research across a year partnership for less money. We help clients grow their businesses by helping answer some of their most important company specific business questions. We don’t do general research—we answer nuanced questions clients are asking by performing custom research, built from the ground up for each client.

Tips for New Recruits:

Align your strengths with company and customer’s needs.
Take the time to understand what you’re truly good at, and match that with what the company values and what the client needs. That will be the key to your happiness in your career.

Why Hanover

From my first interaction to final interview, Hanover impressed me with the scope of its client offerings as well as its emphasis on professional development. The wide variety of client types, methodologies, and in-house experts available to Hanover employees make it a rewarding environment for those who want to learn and improve.

Making an Impact:

I provide custom research to our Market Insight Center clients, primarily in the B2C space. I am somewhat of a “hybrid” researcher in that I work on both secondary reports and quantitative survey analyses. I particularly enjoy the wide variety of projects on which I have worked– in a matter of weeks, I may work on a competitive intelligence assessment, brand perception survey, and market profile analysis.

The flexibility of our research staff is not only beneficial to Hanover’s team, but allows us to address a variety of business questions. No two projects are the same, so researchers must learn to adapt their approach to suit the individual client’s needs.

Tips for New Recruits:

Consider the bigger picture. When I receive a new project, it can be tempting to immediately outline my approach and get underway. I often remind myself to slow down and make sure I fully understand not just what the client is asking, but why. When I am better informed about how a client plans to use certain information, it improves my research instincts and ultimately, the final report.

Why Hanover

I was intrigued by Hanover’s value proposition and business model – an information services company providing much-needed intelligence to help shape business strategy at affordable prices. Having worked in both research and client management roles before joining Hanover, I could see that Hanover’s services would be relevant and I wanted to join this promising team.

Serendipitously, the Content Director (CD) role was uniquely relevant to my professional experience – it offered me the opportunity to return to customized research while putting my client relationship management experience to good practice. As a CD, I have the privilege to understand and manage the inner workings of how we collect and present findings to clients, while maintaining direct insight into how those findings make a tangible difference in a client’s operations. I find this marriage of perspectives both intellectually stimulating and rewarding.

Making an Impact:

At the Market Insight Center at Hanover, making an impact on the business strategy and operations of clients is our bread and butter. Sometimes it means validating or disproving a client’s hypothesis on the profile of their target demographic for a particular product or service. Other times, it may take the form of proposing, designing, and analyzing a survey that will help a client go to market with a product at the optimal price. We have a great toolbox of research methodologies that we use to answer our client’s business inquiries: we give them best practice insight from publicly available and proprietary resources, sought-after industry experts, and through our data analytics capabilities. It’s really quite rewarding to observe the excitement a client exhibits when we uncover the missing piece to a challenge they’ve been pondering for months, giving them the confidence needed to make sound decisions – it  speaks to the valuable impact we make regularly as a company.

Tips for New Recruits:

Treat Hanover as a professional development incubator.
There are a plethora of training opportunities for Hanover’s employees, ranging from content-specific workshops to various methodology trainings. There is a ton of opportunity for acquiring new skills that will make you very marketable across the company and will spur growth in your career as a whole. At Hanover, we have a culture of collaborative work that is truly refreshing – to new recruits, I’d say ‘take full advantage!’

Why Hanover

Prior to joining Hanover, I was a project manager working in health policy at the Brookings Institution.  I enjoyed working in a collegial research environment, but was looking to diversify my content knowledge in industries outside of health care.  Hanover offers an ideal fit because I can continue to engage in meaningful work while gaining experience in a variety of content areas and research products.

Making an Impact:

At Hanover, our deliverables are the result of a team effort.  Each role is important in the process, and the work you do impacts everyone.  As a Content Director, I help structure a research agenda that aligns to the strategic planning needs of our client, and then work with our research team to manage the project through to delivery.  I enjoy being a valued member of a team, and I know my role is one of many that contribute to the success of a deliverable.

As a team, we deliver value to clients by working through information disparities to capture the story behind different market opportunities. Our deliverables provide actionable resources to support clients in strategic discussions like evaluating adjacent market opportunities, identifying resource and capital allocation needs, developing a plan for strategic positioning, and more.  Helping our clients identify and prioritize opportunities that allow them to grow their business is one of the most rewarding parts of working at Hanover.

Tips for New Recruits:

Hunt down industry expertise.
Read and collaborate with your colleagues to learn as much as you can about your industry. Continuously educate your prospects about groundbreaking industry news.

Be persistent.
Sometimes you have to get past many different doors to get to the final one.

Why Hanover

I was originally attracted to Hanover because I loved the idea of working in a young, fast-paced environment with seemingly endless growth potential. Hanover has provided me with the perfect opportunity to learn from some of the most talented people in the D.C. area, while equipping me with skillsets that will transcend my current role.

Making an Impact:

My team falls under the “Solutions” umbrella at Hanover, and indeed this term has become our mantra. Clients often engage with Hanover around a business challenge or an informational-hurdle that needs to be overcome in order to make an informed decision on their company’s next step. In response, the Solutions team looks to ensure that the client has access to the methodological expertise and actionable insights, or the “solutions,” necessary to make these meaningful decisions.

Tips for New Recruits:

­­­­­­­­­­Be Explorative. Hanover prides itself on cultivating talent, and has a wealth of opportunities for employees to gain exposure across departments. If you join one department, but are passionate about developing the skillsets associated with another – take advantage of the opportunity to explore all the career paths available to you.

Why Hanover

Prior to Hanover, I’d never seen a company that provided such comprehensive grant services. I wanted an opportunity to diversify my talents within the grants world by building upon my previous research and analysis skills. I was also attracted to Hanover’s status as a newer, expanding company. Given the company’s rate of growth and evolution, I felt there would be space for me to explore new roles and potential leadership opportunities while creating a name and reputation for myself. Finally, in my experience, smaller, emerging companies offer more opportunity for employees to make a personal impact on methods and policies. Joining the company as a new mother after a break from the workforce, I felt empowered to shape my role and define my work-life balance without making significant sacrifices.

Making an Impact:

For our grants partners, it’s about building confidence and capacity. In the end, if we help them receive much needed funding, we’ve achieved just one of our goals. In an increasingly competitive funding landscape, we want to help our partners level the playing field so that they can use their unique strengths and characteristics to build their institution and/or research franchise. Every one of our research reports or grant proposal projects helps educate our partners and augments their ability to provide services to their communities.

Tips for New Recruits:

Be proactive.
If you find a project type you enjoy, a role you would like to explore, or a training opportunity that interests you, be your own advocate. Hanover provides room to expand your niche and individualize your role, but it requires self-efficacy and drive.

Embrace the culture of “yes.”
Flexibility, enthusiasm, and curiosity are valued and rewarded.

Why Hanover

I was attracted to Hanover by the opportunities and challenges of working with clients from a broad range of industries.  Every client partnership requires that the researcher understand the fundamentals of the client’s business so that our market analysis can add value and provide actionable insights. Each project provides an opportunity to learn something new about a company and the industry in which it operates, which keeps the job fresh and intellectually rigorous.

Making an Impact:

Clients look to our team at Hanover to answer business questions that are not answerable by just addressing the “low-hanging fruit.” Often, these are questions of such a narrow scope that easily accessible data is limited. Therefore, to be able to address our clients’ inquiries sufficiently, we sometimes engage with key market participants for market insight or develop new methodologies to generate useful and relevant information. As a more tenured colleague explained to me in my first few weeks at Hanover, when the data is lacking, incomplete, or misleading, “we build out our own database” to clear the hurdle.

Tips for New Recruits:

Persist and work hard.
As researchers become more advanced, the company will provide them opportunities to take on increasingly challenging projects and responsibilities. Know that as you take on more complex projects, the company will provide you the resources you need to help you succeed in your projects and in your career.

Listen and contribute.
There are regular meetings with research peers where best practices and institutional knowledge are shared, so be present and active in them.

Seek senior input.
Senior-level employees are always willing to provide guidance when it is sought, so don’t hesitate to approach them.

Why Hanover

I’m able to shadow senior leaders and more tenured employees on a regular basis. This helps me to gain the skills I need to do my job well and also makes me comfortable reaching out to them if there are questions I’m not able to answer on my own.

Making an Impact:

A lot of the smaller colleges with whom we work face limited resources and are tuition-dependent. When we provide them with actionable data and analysis that allows them to solve a problem, I see the magnitude of the impact we’re making. I love getting feedback like, “I don’t know how we could have done this without you,” and “This means a lot to our planning committee.” And that happens a lot.

Tips for New Recruits:

Know your customer’s world.
Research the industry you’ll be serving heavily. Read blogs, read publications, read the news, and be aware of everything that affects the clients you’ll be serving. This will help you to hit the ground running when you start.

Why Hanover

Prior to Hanover, I sold IT solutions at major software companies. I joined Hanover to shift industries into a company where I could not only grow my career, but help my clients grow as well. Working at Hanover allows me to provide value beyond just offering IT solutions, but rather positions me to help solve critical business challenges that impact entire organizations.

Making an Impact:

As a Sales Director, I speak with executives at B2C companies to strategize how research can address their key business challenges.  On a daily basis, I have the opportunity to help these organizations identify ways to enter new markets, launch new products, or improve brand awareness. Our business model allows clients to commission an unlimited number of projects throughout the year, but at a cost that is less than their traditional approach to marketing research. I am always confident and excited to grow closer to our clients knowing that, thanks to Hanover’s model and the vast capabilities of our research team, we can help them reach new levels.

Tips for New Recruits:

Think Outside the Box. This may sound cliché, but it is critical to think big to help our clients be proactive instead of reactive. If you enjoy a challenge and understand the rewards rising to that challenge can provide, Hanover is for you. ­­­­­