Innovation Analyst - Pacesetter Research in London

About Pacesetter Research

Pacesetter Research is a research and intelligence team dedicated to studying how the legal world—law firms, legal departments, and third-party players like legaltech, ASLPs, and etc.—are adapting to rapidly-changing market environments. The Pacesetter Research team is dedicated to studying the role of innovation in law, focusing on innovation that has a measurable impact for key stakeholders. We look across firm management, client relationship management, service delivery, and talent strategy.

We approach innovation through a combination of primary research, proprietary data collection, executive interviews, and market analysis, identifying the innovations, business strategies, and operating models shaping the future of law. Our mission is to generate actionable insights that inform key decision-makers across legal markets.

About the Role

The Law.com Pacesetter Research team is seeking a highly analytical and intellectually curious Research Analyst to join our team. This role combines primary research, secondary research, data analysis, data management, and thought leadership development focused on the evolving legal industry. The successful candidate will conduct executive interviews, analyze survey and market data, maintain a database of proprietary data, evaluate business and technology trends, and help produce original research for publication through Law.com Compass and other industry channels.

The analyst will contribute to major research initiatives led by senior analysts while also owning portions of research projects and producing independent content. While relevant experience is important, we are equally interested in candidates who demonstrate exceptional research instincts, analytical rigor, intellectual curiosity, and strong communication skills. Candidates who show the potential to quickly learn the legal market and contribute to our research mission are encouraged to apply, even if they do not meet every preferred qualification.

This position is ideal for candidates who enjoy uncovering patterns, testing assumptions, and translating complex information into actionable insights for senior business leaders.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct Primary Research
• Conduct in-depth interviews with managing partners, chief operating officers, innovation leaders, talent executives, general counsel, and other senior professionals.
• Develop interview guides and research protocols.
• Identify key themes, emerging trends, and differing viewpoints across interviews.
• Extract actionable insights from qualitative research.
• Perform Secondary Research
• Analyze publicly available information including firm websites, industry reports, financial disclosures, news coverage, conference presentations, and other published sources.
• Evaluate the credibility and significance of competing information sources.
• Monitor emerging developments affecting the legal market and professional services sector.
• Analyze Data and Develop Insights
• Analyze survey results and research datasets.
• Identify patterns, correlations, and outliers.
• Synthesize qualitative and quantitative findings into evidence-based conclusions.
• Develop frameworks, models, and narratives that explain business outcomes and market developments.
• Produce Research Content
• Draft report sections, executive summaries, and analytical commentary.
• Create charts, exhibits, and visualizations that support key conclusions.
• Contribute to major research publications.
• Independently author shorter reports, articles, or research briefs.
• Support Research Program Development
• Assist in survey design and questionnaire development.
• Help refine research methodologies and analytical approaches.
• Contribute ideas for future research topics and study design.
• Collaborate with senior analysts and research leadership on publication planning.
• Liaise with adjacent teams to provide innovation insights and output support.

Skills Knowledge and Expertise

• Education
• Bachelor's degree required. Preferred disciplines include Business, Economics, Political Science, Public Policy, Sociology, Communications, Legal Studies, Market Research, Data Analytics, or related fields.
• Experience
• 5-8 years of experience in one or more of the following: Market research, Competitive intelligence, Industry analysis, Management consulting, Business research, Legal industry research, Strategic planning, Journalism or business reporting.
• Research Skills
• Experience conducting qualitative interviews and synthesizing findings.
• Experience designing and executing research projects.
• Strong online research and source validation skills.
• Ability to work with multiple data sources simultaneously.
• Analytical Skills
• Strong Excel capabilities.
• Experience working with survey data.
• Exposure to data analytics, quantitative research methods, statistical analysis, or data visualization tools is not required but is highly valued.
• Ability to identify meaningful business implications from research findings.
• Demonstrated critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Communication Skills
• Exceptional written communication skills.
• Ability to explain complex concepts clearly and concisely.
• Ability to create executive-ready presentations and written reports.
• Comfortable interacting with senior professionals.

What We Value Most

We are looking for someone who can grow into the role, not just someone who has already performed every aspect of it. Successful candidates will demonstrate strong critical thinking, sound judgment, excellent writing ability, intellectual curiosity, and a genuine interest in understanding how organizations evolve and compete. While relevant professional experience is valuable, we are willing to invest in a candidate who possesses the core analytical and communication skills necessary to develop into a high-performing industry analyst.

About Centellic

Centellic stands at the center of the markets it serves, empowering organizations with indispensable data and insight to make critical decisions on growth, risk and opportunity. Through proprietary data, deep market expertise and AI-enabled technology, our platforms are embedded in client workflows. That capability is underpinned by our events, which bring the market together to share perspective and deepen understanding of the issues shaping each sector.

At Centellic, we’re a global intelligence and information services business, setting the standard for how critical business decisions are made.

Why Centellic?

At Centellic, we help our clients make better decisions, and our people are at the heart of that work. Every individual plays an important role in this, bringing curiosity and high standards to everything they do. Those who thrive here take ownership, care deeply about their work and are committed to excellence. Standards are high because our people set them that way. And while we have decades of expertise, we are still growing, pushing and building something extraordinary.

Centellic’s advantage is our people and the culture we’ve created together. It’s an environment where individuality is encouraged, relationships are genuine, and there’s a strong sense of purpose in what we’re building together. Collaborative, respectful and driven, we take our work seriously without taking ourselves too seriously.

Benefits

Our people are our most valuable asset, as such, we offer a wide range of benefits to help ensure that all are supported:

• Start of employment: Eye care, Employee Assistance Programme, A day off for your birthday
• After 3 months employment: Pension (4% employer contribution and 4% employee contribution)
• After 4 months employment: Life assurance
• After probation: Cycle to work scheme, Season ticket loan, £350 annual wellbeing allowance to contribute to gym memberships or fitness classes, Puregym access, Perks at work platform access
• After 1 year service: Private healthcare
• Additional Perks: Company socials, Access to Employee Affinity Networks, Mentoring scheme, Volunteering Day, Mortgage Advice, Work from anywhere (2 weeks), Generous parental leave

We are committed to making our organisation an inclusive, respectful & engaging place to work with a culture shaped by our core values that promote equality, collaboration & respect in everything we do. We are proud to be part of the Disability Confident Scheme, meaning we are committed to being inclusive and accessible, which starts with our application and recruitment process. If you do require any reasonable adjustments to be made, please let us know as part of our application page.

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and are committed to ensuring that all candidates are given the same opportunity to succeed regardless of their sex, gender identity/expression or reassignment, sexual orientation, marital status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion, age or disability.