Director – Research & Insights

Join Our Team as a Director – Research & Insights! About the Job

The Director – Research & Insights owns the end‑to‑end success of research projects and client accounts within their portfolio. They are the senior point of accountability for project delivery, account management, deliverable quality, customer satisfaction, and project profitability.

• Lead research projects end‑to‑end from scoping and proposal through fieldwork, analysis, reporting, and final presentation.
• Approve methodology selection, project plans, resourcing, and timelines to ensure rigorous, on‑time delivery.
• Manage project risks and dependencies, flagging risks early to internal stakeholders and clients, and driving resolution.
• Serve as the senior quality gate on every engagement under their portfolio.
• Embed AI responsibly across the project lifecycle, identifying where generative AI, automation, and advanced analytics can compress timelines or improve quality — from desk research and questionnaire design to coding, synthesis, and reporting — while ensuring human oversight, data privacy, and client‑approved use of AI on every engagement.

• Act as the primary point of contact for assigned accounts, building trust with senior client stakeholders.
• Lead client engagement aligning research deliverables with the client’s strategic objectives and decision‑making needs.
• Grow accounts by identifying upsell and cross‑sell opportunities and partnering with Sales to convert them.
• Drive client satisfaction through structured account reviews, and repeat‑business metrics.
• Oversee proposals and contracts, ensuring scope, pricing, and commercial terms are sound.

• Own the quality of all reports, dashboards, and presentations produced for the client.
• Lead the analysis and interpretation of data, translating quantitative and qualitative findings into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Set the bar for storytelling, visualization standards, and reporting frameworks across the team.
• Collaborate with the Technology team to improve dashboard design and digital delivery of insights.
• Drive innovation in analytical approaches, such as segmentation, modelling, benchmarking, and advanced analytics, including the application of generative AI and large language models to qualitative coding, synthesis, and pattern detection.
• Critically evaluate AI‑generated outputs, applying expert judgement to validate accuracy, mitigate bias, and ensure that any AI‑assisted analysis or written content meets the firm’s standards before it reaches the client.

• Own the P&L for each project in the portfolio (margin, utilisation, scope control).
• Track project economics, monitoring budgets, hours, and external costs against approved estimates.
• Manage scope creep and change requests in a way that protects both the client relationship and project margin.
• Partner with Operations to forecast staffing needs and optimise team utilisation.
• Lead, coach, and develop Team Leaders, Consultants, and Business Analysts assigned to their projects.
• Build capability through clear delegation, feedback, and on‑the‑job coaching.
• Conduct performance reviews, development plans, and promotion recommendations within the department’s framework.
• Foster a culture of accountability, curiosity, and client‑centricity.
• Build AI fluency across the team, coaching consultants and analysts on effective prompting, tool selection, and the responsible use of AI — and setting clear expectations on when AI is appropriate, how outputs must be reviewed, and how confidentiality is protected.

• Contribute to the evolution of the Research & Insights value proposition by developing new services and methodologies, including AI‑enabled offerings that differentiate the firm in the market.
• Develop and contribute to thought leadership, case studies, and client workshops.
• Team engagement, retention, and progression of direct reports.

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Economics, Statistics, Marketing, Social Sciences, or a related field;…