Research Data Products Sales Director

The Group: Morningstar, Inc., a leading global provider of independent investment research, is seeking an experienced sales professional to join Morningstar's CRSP Research Data Products (RDP) business within the Indexes Group. Morningstar's RDP suite is a market-leading source of research-quality historical market and returns data, trusted by more than 600 institutions across 35 countries. RDP clients include leading financial institutions, government agencies, and top-tier research universities that rely on these deep historical databases for academic research, investment analysis, and strategic decision-making.
The Role: Morningstar Indexes is seeking a highly motivated Research Data Products (RDP) Sales Specialist to drive growth across sophisticated asset management clients. This role focuses on promoting and expanding adoption of the RDP suite among Asset Managers, Wealth Managers, Hedge Funds, Market Makers, Banks, and Broker-Dealers that use deep historical market data for advanced use cases, including back-testing, risk modeling, and market simulation.
You will collaborate closely with colleagues across Index Data Sales, Product, and Client Service to identify expansion opportunities and deliver tailored RDP solutions. Because this role covers a broad range of client segments, it will require approximately 30% travel. The position will be based in Chicago, New York or London.
Responsibilities

• Own and grow a commercial book of business across asset managers, hedge funds, trading firms, banks, and wealth platforms.
• Consistently meet and exceed revenue targets, with a focus on new sales, expansions, and repricing opportunities.
• Identify, qualify, and develop short-term opportunities and long-term strategic partnerships.
• Lead consultative sales conversations around data usage, licensing scope, and value intensity.
• Collaborate closely with Product, Legal, and Customer Success teams to structure optimal commercial solutions.
• Develop a strong understanding of client workflows, including data needs for research, portfolio construction, trading, risk, and analytics.
• Deliver compelling product demonstrations and clearly articulate the value of Morningstar RDP datasets.
• Maintain accurate pipeline management, forecasting, and activity tracking in CRM.
• Build trusted relationships with senior decision-makers, including PMs, quants, risk teams, and heads of research.

What You Will Bring

• Direct experience selling financial data, analytics, or market data to institutional clients (asset managers, hedge funds, banks, or trading firms).
• Demonstrated success closing new business and expansion deals in a quota-carrying role.
• Experience selling complex, data-driven solutions with non-standard pricing and licensing structures.
• Strong consultative selling skills with the ability to understand client use cases and translate them into commercial opportunities.
• Ability to engage credibly with sophisticated clients across research, investment, trading, and risk functions.
• Familiarity with data licensing models, enterprise agreements, or usage-based pricing.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present technical concepts clearly and persuasively.
• Highly organized, proactive, and comfortable managing multiple opportunities simultaneously.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 5+ years' experience in market data, index data, financial analytics, or adjacent data products.
• Willingness to travel up to 30%.

Base Salary Compensation Range
$101,422 - $172 USD Annual
Incentive Target Percentage
60% Annual: Individual Target
Compensation and Benefits
At Morningstar we believe people are at their best when they are at their healthiest. That's why we champion your wellness through a wide range of programs that support all stages of your personal and professional life. Here are some examples of the offerings we provide:

• Financial Health
  
  • 100% 401k match up to 6% of salary
  • Stock Ownership Potential
  • Company provided life insurance - 1x salary + commission
• Physical Health
  
  • Comprehensive health benefits (medical/dental/vision) including potential premium discounts and company-provided HSA contributions (up to $500-$2,000 annually) for specific plans and coverages
  • Additional medical Wellness Incentives - up to $300-$600 annual
  • Company-provided long- and short-term disability insurance
• Emotional Health
  
  • Trust-Based Time Off
  • 6-week Paid Sabbatical Program
  • 6-Week Paid Family Caregiving Leave
  • Competitive 8-24 Week Paid Parental Leave
  • Adoption Assistance
  • Leadership Coaching & Formal Mentorship Opportunities
  • Annual Flex Stipend - $1000 annually to cover personal education & well-being expenses
  • Tuition Reimbursement
• Social Health
  
  • Charitable Matching Gifts program
  • Dollars for Doers volunteer program
  • Paid volunteering days
  • 15+ Employee Resource & Affinity Groups

Morningstar's hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to collaborate in-person each week as we've found that we're at our best when we're purposely together on a regular basis. In most of our locations, our hybrid work model is four days in-office each week. A range of other benefits are also available to enhance flexibility as needs change. No matter where you are, you'll have tools and resources to engage meaningfully with your global colleagues.
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