Market & Strategic Intelligence Analyst

Yazaki is a global leader in the research, development, and delivery of vehicle power and data solutions.

Yazaki works with virtually every major auto manufacturer globally, and we've strived to maintain strategic and stable growth throughout our 84-year history. Today, we're looking for energetic people with the potential to perform and the ability to strengthen - and thrive in - the positive work environment we pride ourselves on.

Location: Canton, MI, USA  

What we are looking for:

Yazaki is looking for a Market & Strategic Intelligence Analyst to join our Corporate Planning team in Canton, MI.  The ideal candidate will enjoy working in a collaborative and action-driven environment making lasting impacts on the organization. 

A Market and Strategic Intelligence (MSI) team member's main task is gathering and evaluating trends and providing actionable insights.  Hence, as a member of MSI, the Market and Business Analyst has intimate knowledge of the automotive ecosystem, the prevailing trends affecting this industry, and the potential impact on business performance.

The ideal candidate will analyze past, present, and future trends in the automotive industry and, in conjunction with business units and function groups, determine their impact on Yazaki. To accomplish this, one of the key requirements is connecting with and building collaborative relationships with business units, core function groups, other associates, and the newly established “buhin” regional and global product management group to understand Yazaki's needs better. The ideal candidate will help define and achieve Yazaki's strategy by supporting the necessary actions.

What you will be doing:

• Technology monitoring & scouting: Track emerging technologies, standards, patents, academic research, startups, and competitor releases; maintain a structured watchlist and signal log.
• Research & synthesis: Collect information from credible sources, summarize technical concepts accurately, and synthesize key takeaways (what happened, why it matters, and potential implications).
• Initial assessments: Support evaluations of technology maturity, feasibility, and relevance (e.g., maturity levels, cost/performance trends, ecosystem readiness) using established frameworks (such as technology S-curves or hype-cycle thinking).
• Business impact translation: Translate technical developments into business facing insights (use cases opportunities, risks, and dependencies) tailored to stakeholder needs (R&D, product, strategy, operations).
• Reporting, dashboards & deliverables: Draft sections of technology trend reports, competitive/technology briefs, and executive-ready slides; build and maintain recurring tech indicators, metrics, and dashboards (e.g., patent intensity, funding velocity, standards timing, adoption signals); contribute data tables, visuals, and concise narratives.
• Stakeholder collaboration: Coordinate with internal technical experts (engineering, IT, product teams) to validate assumptions, collect inputs, and refine recommendations; participate in cross-functional working sessions.
• Knowledge management: Organize sources, document research trails, and keep repositories current (templates, trackers, taxonomies, and briefing libraries).
• Operational support: Assist with scheduling expert calls, organizing demos/webinars, capturing notes and action items, and following up on assigned tasks.
•  Quality & integrity: Ensure accuracy, cite sources appropriately, and apply information-security and confidentiality practices when handling internal or sensitive data.

What you will bring to the table:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering or Electronics or related field
• 0-2 years of relevant experience (lab/research experience, or entry-level roles in technology analysis, IT, engineering, product, or data/operations analytics)
• Advantageous: Bilingual in Spanish or Japanese
• Strong knowledge of and/or experience with reporting packages such as MS Office and PowerBI, databases like SQL, and programming languages such as Python, R, XML, Javascript, ETL frameworks, etc., is a plus
• Process oriented, ability to meet deadlines, excellent written, oral and interpersonal communication skills, strong organizational skills, ability to think critically

What we can provide you:

• A collaborative learning environment that will help you reach your maximum potential
• A diverse team of experts
• Supportive leadership and team members to help you do your best work
• Opportunities to build your professional network
• An engaging and supportive work culture
• Competitive compensation and benefits package including incentive compensation, 401K match, tuition assistance and a generous holiday schedule

Yazaki North America is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, marital status, national origin, disability, handicap, veteran status, or other legally protected status or characteristic. Equal opportunity extends to all aspects of the employment relationship. Yazaki North America complies with federal and state equal employment opportunity laws and strives to keep the workplace free from all forms of harassment.