What is a Project Manager at AlphaSense?

At AlphaSense, the role of a Project Manager—particularly within the Directed Content and Expert Insights teams—is far more than just tracking timelines and moving tickets. You are the operational engine behind a massive market intelligence library. AlphaSense, especially following the acquisition of Tegus, is building the world's most comprehensive collection of expert knowledge. Your role is to ensure that the content generated (such as expert transcripts and interviews) is high-quality, relevant, and strategically aligned with what institutional investors and corporate clients need to make decisions.

You will sit at the intersection of research strategy and operational execution. For the Directed Content team, this means defining the scope of research projects, identifying which industry experts (e.g., former executives, medical professionals) should be interviewed, and managing a pod of Analysts who execute the sourcing. You are responsible for the output quality of your team, ensuring that the "Expert Transcript Library" remains a premium resource for clients.

This position is critical because you directly influence the product's value proposition. When a client searches for insights on a niche healthcare trend or a TMT merger, the content they find is there because a Project Manager identified the need, scoped the project, and guided an Analyst to secure the right expert. You are a player-coach who balances high-level strategy with the granular details of project execution and team productivity.

Getting Ready for Your Interviews

Preparing for an interview at AlphaSense requires a shift in mindset. You need to demonstrate not just organizational skills, but also a "content mindset"—an understanding of how market research works and what constitutes valuable insight.

Key Evaluation Criteria

Research & Content Strategy – You must demonstrate the ability to translate a broad client interest (e.g., "AI in Healthcare") into a specific, executable project. Interviewers will assess your ability to define "angles" and vetting questions that ensure the right experts are recruited.

Operational Rigor & Efficiency – AlphaSense operates at scale, generating thousands of calls per quarter. You will be evaluated on your ability to manage high volumes of work, balance loads across your team, and use data (like Tableau or internal dashboards) to spot bottlenecks.

People Leadership & Coaching – A significant part of this role involves managing the day-to-day productivity of Analysts. You need to show that you can be a "natural coach," providing feedback on sourcing strategies and helping junior team members improve their output quality.

Client-Centric Critical Thinking – You will be tested on your ability to connect the dots between user engagement data and future content needs. Expect questions on how you prioritize projects based on what will deliver the highest value to the customer.

Interview Process Overview

The interview process at AlphaSense is thorough and structured to assess both your analytical capabilities and your operational fit. While the process can move quickly, it is rigorous. The company values candidates who can hit the ground running, so expect the process to focus heavily on practical scenarios rather than abstract theory.

Typically, you will start with a recruiter screen to align on your background and interest in the market intelligence space. This is followed by a hiring manager interview (often a Sector Lead), which dives into your project management experience and your understanding of the research lifecycle.

The core of the evaluation often involves a practical component or a deep-dive interview focused on a case study. For a Directed Content role, this might involve reviewing a hypothetical research request, defining the scope, and explaining how you would vet experts for it. The final rounds will include cross-functional panels with Directors of Research or other stakeholders to assess your collaboration style and culture fit.

This timeline illustrates a standard progression. The "Take-Home or Practical Assessment" stage is particularly important for this role; use it to demonstrate your attention to detail and your ability to think like an investor or researcher. Be prepared to defend your decisions on which experts to prioritize and how you would manage a team's capacity during a busy cycle.

Deep Dive into Evaluation Areas

Based on the role requirements, you should prepare for deep dives into three specific areas. These are the pillars of the Project Manager role at AlphaSense.

1. Research Scoping and Quality Assurance

This is the most domain-specific area. You aren't just managing a schedule; you are managing intellectual property. Interviewers want to know if you can distinguish between a "good" expert and a "great" expert.

Be ready to go over:

• Defining Angles: How you break down a broad sector trend into specific interview topics.
• Vetting Profiles: How you review an expert's biography to ensure they have the specific, non-public operational knowledge a client needs.
• Quality Control: How you handle situations where an Analyst sources a candidate who looks good on paper but fails the vetting questions.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "We need to build content around the 'GLP-1 weight loss drug market.' How would you scope this project? What kind of experts would you target?"
• "Walk me through your process for QA-ing an expert profile before it goes to a client. What red flags do you look for?"

2. Operational Management & Data Analysis

AlphaSense is a data-driven company. You will be expected to use tools to drive efficiency. This section tests your ability to run the "machine" of the Directed Content engine.

Be ready to go over:

• Load Balancing: How you assign projects to Analysts based on their current capacity and skill set.
• Metrics Management: Familiarity with KPIs like "calls per project," "time to schedule," and "yield rates."
• Tool Proficiency: Experience using Tableau, Salesforce, or proprietary internal tools to track progress.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Your pod is behind on their monthly call generation goals, but morale is low due to burnout. How do you intervene?"
• "How do you use data to identify if a specific project is stalling? What actions do you take to get it back on track?"

3. Team Coaching and Leadership

The JD explicitly highlights the need for a "Natural Coach." You will be responsible for the success of the Analysts in your pod.

Be ready to go over:

• Performance Feedback: How you deliver constructive criticism to an Analyst who is struggling with sourcing.
• Onboarding: Your approach to getting new team members up to speed on complex sector dynamics.
• Motivation: How you keep a team motivated when working on repetitive or difficult sourcing targets.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Tell me about a time you had to coach a team member who was not meeting their quality standards. What was the outcome?"
• "How do you balance your own project work with the need to support and answer questions from your Analysts?"

Key Responsibilities

As a Project Manager in Directed Content, your day-to-day work is a blend of strategy and execution. You will report to a Sector Lead and act as the "lynchpin" of the content engine.

Your primary responsibility is to create and own research projects. This involves taking guidance from leadership or platform demand signals and turning them into active projects. You will populate these projects with specific "angles" and vetting questions. You aren't just handing off work; you are setting the strategic direction for how the research should be conducted.

Simultaneously, you are responsible for pod management. You will run daily huddles to check status, remove blockers, and ensure your Analysts are focused on the highest-priority targets. You are the first line of defense for quality control, vetting the expert profiles your Analysts find before they move to the next stage. If a profile is irrelevant or expertise is poorly documented, you provide immediate feedback, turning the moment into a coaching opportunity.

You will also work cross-functionally. You will meet with Directors of Research and Client Contributors to understand emerging trends (e.g., a new regulation in Fintech or a supply chain issue in CPG) so you can proactively align your team's sourcing efforts. You are also expected to identify ways to bring scale and efficiency to the process, ensuring the team leverages their time effectively.

Role Requirements & Qualifications

To succeed in this role, you need a mix of project management discipline and research intuition.

Must-Have Skills

• Project Management: Proven ability to manage multiple deadlines, prioritize conflicting tasks, and keep complex workflows moving.
• Research Orientation: Experience with qualitative research, expert networks, or market intelligence. You need to understand what "expertise" looks like.
• Data Fluency: Comfort using quantitative inputs (Tableau, Excel/Sheets) to make decisions and track team performance.
• Coaching Experience: A track record of mentoring, training, or managing junior team members or peers.

Nice-to-Have Skills

• Sector Expertise: Background in specific industries like Healthcare, TMT (Technology, Media, Telecom), CPG, or Financial Services is a major asset.
• Platform Experience: Familiarity with AlphaSense, Tegus, or similar research platforms.
• SQL/Advanced Analytics: While not strictly required, the ability to query data or build your own dashboards is a differentiator.

Common Interview Questions

The following questions are representative of what you might face. They are designed to test your ability to handle the specific challenges of the Directed Content role.

Operational & Situational

• "Imagine you have three urgent projects: one from a high-value client, one that aligns with a major market event happening tomorrow, and one that your Analyst has been struggling with for weeks. How do you prioritize resources?"
• "How would you handle a situation where an Analyst consistently sources experts who are slightly off-topic?"
• "Describe a time you identified an inefficiency in a workflow. What solution did you implement, and what was the quantifiable result?"

Research & Critical Thinking

• "If we wanted to build a content set around 'Generative AI in Enterprise Software,' what three distinct angles would you choose to explore? Who would you interview for each?"
• "How do you verify if an expert actually has the P&L responsibility they claim to have on their profile?"
• "What tools or methods do you use to quickly get smart on a new industry sector you haven't covered before?"

Leadership & Collaboration

• "Describe your style of feedback. How would you deliver difficult feedback to a high-performing Analyst who made a careless error?"
• "How do you manage stakeholder expectations when a Director of Research wants a project completed on an unrealistic timeline?"

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How technical does this interview get? The role is not "technical" in the engineering sense (coding), but it is technical in the subject matter sense. You are expected to be proficient with data tools (Tableau) and have a strong grasp of industry verticals. You won't be asked to write SQL, but you might be asked how you would structure a dashboard to track progress.

Q: What is the biggest challenge in this role? The volume and pace. The Directed Content team generates thousands of calls. Balancing the need for high quantity (scale) with the strict requirement for high quality (relevance) is the central tension of the job.

Q: Is this a remote role? The job description specifies New York, NY. AlphaSense generally operates with a hybrid model, valuing in-person collaboration for teams that rely heavily on real-time communication and coaching, like the Directed Content team.

Q: How does the Tegus acquisition affect this role? The acquisition is a major growth driver. It means the library of content is expanding, and the tools available are integrating. Candidates should view this as an opportunity to work in a rapidly evolving environment where processes might change to accommodate best practices from both companies.

Other General Tips

Know the Product: Before your interview, familiarize yourself with what AlphaSense and Tegus actually do. Understand the difference between "public content" (filings, news) and "private content" (expert transcripts). Your role focuses on the latter.

Highlight Your "Coach" Mentality: AlphaSense places a high premium on culture and team success. When discussing your past experience, use "we" to talk about successes but take personal responsibility for failures. Explicitly mention times you helped a colleague improve.

Be Data-Backed: Whenever you answer a behavioral question, try to include a metric. "I improved efficiency" is weak. "I reduced scheduling time by 20% by implementing a new tracking template" is strong.

Demonstrate "Service" Mindset: Remember that your internal clients are the Directors of Research and the external clients are investors. Frame your answers around delivering value to them.

Summary & Next Steps

The Project Manager role at AlphaSense is a career-defining opportunity for operational leaders who love content and research. You will be instrumental in building the "Expert Transcript Library," a product that thousands of major companies rely on to make investment decisions. This role offers a unique blend of people management, strategic scoping, and operational execution.

To succeed, focus your preparation on demonstrating how you balance efficiency with quality. Show the hiring team that you can manage a high-volume workflow without letting the details slip, and that you are passionate about coaching Analysts to do their best work.

The compensation for this role typically reflects the high cost of living in New York and the strategic importance of the position. When interpreting salary data, consider that AlphaSense competes with top tech and financial services firms for talent. Be prepared to discuss your expectations based on your experience level and sector expertise. Good luck—your ability to organize and lead will be your greatest asset in this process!