Customer Research Expert

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

This is an exciting opportunity to join a small, friendly, and highly skilled customer research team within our Economic Regulation function. As we prepare for our next business plan submissions to Ofwat, you’ll play a central role in shaping how we understand and respond to the needs, expectations, and priorities of our customers.

You’ll help design and deliver a robust, wide-ranging programme of customer research to inform our long‑term strategy, future infrastructure investments, and service improvements. Your work will directly influence key business decisions and help ensure that our future plans remain both affordable and genuinely reflective of our customers’ views.

We are seeking an experienced market research professional to lead and deliver a continuous programme of high‑quality insights. You’ll draw on both established and innovative research techniques to uncover meaningful customer perspectives and help guide strategic decision‑making across the organisation.

You will manage a diverse portfolio of projects—from ongoing tracking studies to bespoke research supporting business planning—and will be comfortable owning multiple complex pieces of work simultaneously.

What you’ll be doing

• Work collaboratively with teams across Severn Trent and Hafren Dyfrdwy to design and embed an ongoing programme of customer research and insight that informs investment decisions and strategic priorities.
• Lead the delivery of quantitative and qualitative research projects—both externally commissioned and delivered in‑house—ensuring outputs meet high standards of rigour and withstand executive and regulatory scrutiny.
• Provide expertise on strategic research topics (e.g., long‑term planning, investment strategy), rather than tactical or customer experience‑focused studies.
• Write a substantial portion of the customer engagement sections in key strategic documents such as PR29 (2030–2035), Water Resources Management Plans, Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans, and consultation responses for Ofwat.
• Support internal teams, particularly Communications, by advising on research methods, preparing briefs, and producing clear, actionable insight reports.
• Critically evaluate research findings to inform business planning and future service levels.
• Present compelling insights to both internal and external audiences, including quarterly Customer Insight Sharing Sessions open to all colleagues.
• Chair a quarterly network of customer insight professionals across the business, facilitating collaboration and reducing duplication.
• Oversee the management of ongoing research tools, including customer tracker surveys and our customer panel, Tap Chat.
• Produce a quarterly Tap Chat newsletter, sharing recent findings and how we have acted on customer feedback.
• Provide coaching and guidance to less experienced members of the research team.

HOW WE WORK

You'll be based at ourSevern Trent Centre in Coventry. With this being such a critical role, we’re looking for someone who can join us 37 hours a week.

You'll join a caring culture that collaborates to achieve, grow, and develop. Our employee engagement scores are among the highest globally in energy and utilities. That’s why, we value in-person moments to keep our culture alive but also understand the flexibility working from home can bring. So, you'll usually find us in the office, but working from home is supported, when you need it.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

• Minimum of five years’ experience in a client‑side or agency‑side research role, ideally involving sole responsibility for large, complex or high‑value projects.
• Strong knowledge of market and social research methodologies and their practical application.
• Thorough understanding of the Market Research Society’s Code of Conduct.
• Proven experience in commissioning and delivering both quantitative and qualitative research, including managing suppliers.
• Demonstrable ability to write research briefs, questionnaires, discussion guides, and detailed insight reports.
• Strong track record of producing formal, high‑quality written documents without reliance on AI tools.
• Comfortable managing multiple projects simultaneously and…