Senior Director, Analyst- IT Sourcing & Managed Security Services

About the role: Gartner Analysts are industry thought leaders who create must-have insights, market predictions and best practices for a broad range of world-leading organizations. A Senior Director serves as a leader within Gartner’s Business and Technology Insights (BTI) group, establishing oneself as a credible voice within their designated market at local, regional and global levels. Utilizing exceptional research and analytical skills, a Senior Director plays a significant role in producing pragmatic and provocative insights which Gartner clients consume and apply to propel their business toward key objectives. They are a trusted source of advice for clients, reinforcing Gartner’s value every day by engaging them via in-person meetings, virtual meetings, sales support visits and Gartner conferences to discuss complex client challenges and offer appropriate recommendations. What you will do: Create innovative, thought provoking, and highly leveraged “must-have insights” content Develop new insights and ideas through thought leadership and offer compelling, actionable approaches to client's needs and requests that accelerate the client's ability to act Develop in-depth analysis to identify the root cause of a client’s barriers or overall needs and reframe thinking to drive strategy forward Demonstrate thought leadership in establishing Insights positions across a team of analysts Bring provocative, independent insights to Gartner leaders that can evolve the course of a research agenda Research, analyze and predict market trends and shifts to provide clients and vendors with actionable insights Provide clients and prospects with actionable advice aligned to their designated content area via virtual or face-to-face interactions Create and deliver high value presentation materials on and off stage for Gartner events, industry and professional association conferences, and client briefings Support BTI and Sales: Provide sales support serving as voice of the market to help Insights teams create content and to drive engagement with clients to make progress against their critical priorities to grow their business Provide high quality and timely content peer review Build credibility as an industry expert to represent Gartner insights, methodology and strategy Actively participate in innovation, ideation, and research discussions and collaborate effectively with peers in the Insights community Identify research process improvements or develop new processes that help the team and BTI provide excellent service delivery Be a mentor and a coach by supporting more junior team members Be client-centric while actively seeking to help clients engage regularly and often with Gartner insights and interactions What you will need: Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience; Graduate degree preferred 15+ years of relevant field or industry experience Demonstrate executive presence; can immediately establish credibility with executives and additional stakeholders Strong organizational skills; ability to work under tight deadlines and produce high quality deliverables Demonstrate excellence in research and writing ability Strong written and verbal proficiency, analytical and presentation skills; ability to engage clients and respond effectively to questions Proficient in analyzing and synthesizing data; can effectively apply patterns and frameworks while drawing and defending conclusions to client challenges Strong communication skills - able to explain complex concepts concisely and simply Subject matter expertise; comfortable presenting at large and small-scale speaking engagements Strong business and financial acumen Deep knowledge of the global and competitive landscape within subject area as well as the interplay in that market Ability to work independently, while also being intrinsically motivated to collaborate across teams and support the workflow of others, in a multicultural global team Learning agile and adept with navigating highly matrixed environments Ability to represent Gartner's research methodology and strategies effectively at all levels Willingness and ability to travel up to 25% (where applicable) Required Knowledge & Experience – Managed Security Services and Public Cloud Market & Research Leadership: Demonstrated expertise in the outsourced managed security services (OMSS) market, including managed detection and response (MDR), SOC outsourcing, cloud security operations, incident response, threat intelligence, and security technology management. Ability to produce high-impact, client‑relevant research that reflects deep understanding of market dynamics, vendor strategies, and evolving cybersecurity threats, regulatory requirements, and operating models. Deep familiarity with modern security capabilities such as SIEM, XDR, EDR, SOAR, CTEM, cloud security posture management, and AI‑driven security operations, with the credibility to challenge both providers and clients with independent, evidence‑based insights. Advisory & Client Engagement : Proven ability to deliver high-quality, actionable advisory services to sourcing and procurement executives through inquiry, presentations, webinars, and written research. Guide clients in evaluating OMSS providers, defining outcome‑based security requirements, and designing hybrid operating models that balance internal teams with external security partners across on‑premises, cloud, and hybrid environments. Sourcing, Commercial & Contract Expertise : Strong experience advising on the sourcing, negotiation, and governance of managed security service contracts, including multiyear SOC, MDR, and platform‑based engagements. Expertise in pricing models, SLAs, shared responsibility frameworks, regulatory compliance obligations, exit clauses, and risk mitigation strategies aligned to frameworks such as NIST and ISO 27001. Cloud Domain Knowledge : Strong knowledge of public cloud optimization and transformation se