--- title: 'Research Interviewer at IANS' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/research-interviewer-ians-boston-8hb5nepervqt' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-07' --- # Research Interviewer at IANS - **Company:** IANS - **Location:** Boston, MA - **Work type:** hybrid - **Posted:** 2026-04-27 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-07 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/ians/jobs/5121175007 ## Job description Compensation: $60,000-$70,000 + bonus. This role preferred a minimum of two days a week onsite at our Boston, MA office. ## About the Role The Research Interviewer role, within the New Product Development team, will primarily support qualitative data collection efforts, conducting 10-20 structured interviews with senior security executives per week.  This is a research role, not a call-center role, and you will lead interviews following established protocols, and is a key contributor to IANS data collection efforts. Core Responsibilities Interview Coordination & Scheduling (~50% of time) - Manage an assigned caseload of cybersecurity executives, lead outreach and recruitment, scheduling, and note-taking review (AI tools will supplement) - Use IANS resources (such as account managers) to reach executives on caseload, ensuring outreach is proactive and timely - Maintain a master tracker of interviews completed and flag coverage gaps to Director in advance of target deadlines Conducting Interviews & Data Review (~50% of time) - Conduct 10-20 (30 or 60-minute structured interviews online via Zoom, Teams) per week - Adhere to the established interview protocol, showing judgment for using probing - Ask intelligent, probing follow-up questions when responses are vague, surface-level, or inconsistent - Record all interviews (with consent) and capture real-time notes during the call to supplement the automated recording and transcription - Edit and process verbatim quotes from interview recordings: remove filler words (e.g., “um,”), fix grammar, and ensure quotes are fully coherent and attributable — while preserving the interviewee’s authentic voice - Proactively flag data quality issues for Director, and ensure all data is properly tagged for later review and integration into the data stream Requirements: Must-Haves: - 5 years of relevant experience, or a bachelor’s degree + 1 year of relevant experience with executives/senior professionals - Highly organized, quick and self-directed learner, able to get up to speed (with direction and support) on the cybersecurity space, including key products and terminology used by executives - Ability to ‘read the room’, build relationships, and direct conversations with senior level executives - A client-first mentality—our clients are our first priority, and you will be representing IANS while interviewing them Nice-to-Have: - Experience interfacing with other teams, coordinating client outreach, scheduling, and follow-up - Experience working with quotas and targets, in market or applied research settings - Qualitative data collection experience - B2B experience strongly preferred - Familiarity with cybersecurity concepts and terminology - Experience with Qualtrics and other data collection tools; AI tools (e.g., Copilot) Not-Needed: - Deep/senior level cybersecurity experience ## About IANS ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: IANS delivers vendor-agnostic cybersecurity intelligence and advisory services to CISOs and security leaders, powered by a proprietary database of practitioner-validated conversations. - **Entity Type**: Private (self-funded / bootstrapped; no disclosed funding rounds) - **Headquarters**: Boston, Massachusetts, United States - **Founded**: 2001 - **Founders**: Phil Gardner ## Core Business - Primary industry: Cybersecurity (computer and network security) - Target customers: CISOs, security leaders, and their teams at Fortune 1000, mid-market, and enterprise organizations (B2B) - Mission / Purpose: To become the intelligence layer behind every security decision by providing governed, first-party data that generic AI cannot replicate – turning what peers actually practice into actionable insights. ## Products & Services - **[Ask IANS]**: An AI-powered, always-on intelligence platform that surfaces benchmarks, implementation guidance, and vendor insights drawn from 6,000+ anonymized practitioner conversations, 6,500+ content pieces, and proprietary surveys. Type: SaaS / Data Platform. - **[End User Decision Support]**: Subscription-based access to 170+ experienced Faculty (active CISOs and practitioners) for 1:1 consultations, curated research, and decision support. Type: Advisory Service. - **[Consulting Services]**: Field-tested advisory engagements including architecture reviews, program assessments, risk analysis, and incident response support. Type: Professional Services. - **[Professional Development]**: Leadership coaching, team training, and CISO development programs. Type: Education / Training. - **[Events]**: Annual conferences, roundtables, and peer networking events for security leaders. Type: Events. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available (private company) - **Key Metric**: Estimated annual revenue of **$39.8M** (LinkedIn data); headcount of **329 employees** (+13.7% YoY growth) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Bootstrapped; no external investors disclosed. Partners include Fortune 100 companies and a network of 170+ active practitioner Faculty. - **Growth Signals**: Operating in 9 countries, revenue growth, headcount expansion, new product launch (Ask IANS AI platform), and growing demand for practitioner-validated cybersecurity intelligence. ## Competitive Advantages - **Proprietary Practitioner-Validated Data**: Intelligence base built from thousands of consented, anonymized conversations with real CISOs and practitioners – not scraped web data or analyst reports. - **Vendor-Agnostic Model**: Faculty have no vendor affiliations; insights are free from marketing bias, focused on what actually works under real constraints. - **Governance & Anonymization**: Strict protocols (consent, anonymization, human verification) make the data trustworthy and legally defensible. - **AI with a Moat**: General-purpose AI learns from published sources; IANS learns from practiced experience, giving it a durable competitive edge. ## Strategic Focus - **Scale the Ask IANS platform** to become the default intelligence layer for security decision-making. - **Expand data collection** through Research Interviewer roles that capture fresh, granular insights. - **Grow the Consulting and Professional Development** practices to deepen client relationships and recurring revenue. - **Maintain high-touch human validation** alongside AI to preserve data quality and trust. ## Why Work Here - **Culture & Values**: Guided by Grit, Results, Initiative, Passion, Positivity, Teamwork, and Curiosity. Emphasis on collaboration, ownership, and fast growth ("talent is the engine"). - **Work Environment**: Hybrid model – 2 days/week in the Boston office with a weekly lunch stipend. Remote roles may exist for some positions. - **Perks & Benefits**: Fidelity 401(k) with match, medical/dental/vision, deductible reimbursement, fitness stipend, Calm app subscription, dependent care and healthcare FSAs, transit/parking pre-tax benefits. Work/life balance includes PTO, paid holidays, sick time, and Summer Fridays (early close on summer Fridays). Social events: monthly "Club IANS", annual summer outing, team events. - **Volunteer & Community**: Paid volunteer day, employee-led community initiatives. - **Growth & Development**: Mentorship, real responsibility, transparent promotion criteria. Strong learning culture for cybersecurity professionals. ## Sources 1. [iansresearch.com – Careers page](https://www.iansresearch.com/who-we-are/careers) 2. [iansresearch.com – About page](https://www.iansresearch.com/who-we-are/about-us) 3. [iansresearch.com – Homepage](https://www.iansresearch.com/) 4. [Greenhouse job board – IANS](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/ians/jobs/4665746007) 5. [LinkedIn – IANS company page](https://www.linkedin.com/company/ians) ## Other roles at IANS - [Office Administrator](https://feeny.ai/job/office-administrator-ians-boston-byjfv52e0h29) — Boston, MA - [Event Coordinator](https://feeny.ai/job/event-coordinator-ians-boston-pdabsgn6detw) — Boston, MA - [Client Services Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/client-services-specialist-ians-boston-j8sz57sep4n9) — Boston, MA - [Vendor Expert (Cybersecurity Products)](https://feeny.ai/job/vendor-expert-cybersecurity-products-ians-united-states-ecmw6v57364g) — United States - [Consulting Technical Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/consulting-technical-specialist-ians-boston-qmtzhppz5jdm) — Boston, MA - [Agentic Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/agentic-engineer-ians-boston-y4h2c2cgxr1y) — Boston, MA - [Senior Manager of Organization Design](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manager-of-organization-design-ians-boston-massachusetts-tdkgkeayb848) — Boston Massachusetts, United States - [Head of Enterprise GTM, MCP](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-enterprise-gtm-mcp-ians-boston-zn4g4v70s4d4) — Boston, MA - [Reporter](https://feeny.ai/job/reporter-ians-boston-sf05mvcdzf58) — Boston, MA - [Sr. Account Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/sr-account-manager-ians-boston-4jm2xx3thx92) — Boston, MA