At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead impactful research to shape strategic decisions and enhance customer insights.
- Company: Join SGN, a pioneering company transforming the gas industry for a net-zero future.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, hybrid work, enhanced family leave, and wellness support.
- Other info: Be part of an award-winning employer committed to inclusivity and career growth.
- Why this job: Make a real difference by influencing business strategies with your research expertise.
- Qualifications: 10+ years in market research with strong analytical and stakeholder management skills.
We’re looking for an experienced Research Manager to ensure customer and stakeholder insight drives strategic decision‑making across the business. This role will lead and deliver a broad range of quantitative, qualitative and deliberative research, including customer tracking studies, recurring insight programmes and an ongoing online deliberative customer panel. Alongside managing business‑as‑usual insight activity, you’ll play a central role in developing the evidence base underpinning SGN’s five‑year business plan and wider strategic priorities. This is a rare opportunity to work client‑side in a strategic insight role, influencing decision‑making and helping shape how insight is used across the business.
What you will contribute
- Lead quantitative, qualitative and deliberative research programmes to ensure customer and stakeholder needs are reflected in business planning and decision‑making.
- Manage customer tracking studies, recurring insight programmes and an ongoing online deliberative customer panel to answer strategic and operational business questions.
- Design research methodologies, surveys, discussion guides and stimulus materials to support high‑quality insight generation.
- Facilitate and moderate workshops, deliberative sessions and qualitative research activities with customers and stakeholders.
- Analyse and interpret research findings and wider business data to identify actionable insights and recommendations.
- Produce high‑quality reports, presentations and insight summaries tailored to different audiences.
- Build strong relationships across the business to understand research requirements and provide appropriate insight solutions.
- Provide strategic oversight of external research agencies and suppliers, ensuring high‑quality delivery, methodological rigour and value for money.
- Provide line management and professional leadership for a Research Executive, ensuring high‑quality delivery across research programmes.
- Support the continuous improvement of SGN’s research, insight and stakeholder engagement capability.
What you will need
Essential experience
- Minimum 10 years’ experience in market research, customer insight or stakeholder research roles.
- Proven experience delivering quantitative tracking studies, qualitative research and deliberative research programmes.
- Experience managing ongoing customer or stakeholder panels, including recruitment, engagement, facilitation and insight generation.
- Experience designing and facilitating workshops and deliberative research sessions, including developing discussion guides, stimulus content and workshop materials.
- Experience commissioning and managing external research agencies and suppliers.
- Experience providing line management within a research environment.
- Proven analytical skills, with the ability to interpret research findings and wider business data to identify meaningful insights.
- Significant experience synthesising and triangulating insight from multiple research and business data sources to develop clear, evidence‑based recommendations.
- Experience influencing senior stakeholders and translating complex insight into clear strategic recommendations.
- Stakeholder management and relationship‑building skills.
- Excellent organisational and project management skills, with excellent attention to detail.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
- A relevant degree or equivalent commercial experience.
Desirable experience
- Experience working in a regulated industry, ideally within utilities.
- Experience supporting strategic planning or business planning activity.
Not sure you meet every requirement? Research shows some people – particularly women and those from underrepresented backgrounds – may hesitate to apply unless they meet every criteria. At SGN, we value diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. If this role interests you but you’re not sure you tick every box, we’d still love to hear from you. While this role has specific requirements, we’re always keen to hear from strong candidates who may be a better fit for other opportunities – now or in the future.
Why SGN?
SGN leads pioneering research and development for a net‑zero energy system. Our innovative technologies are transforming the gas industry while keeping people safe and warm. We are an award‑winning employer, including CCA Gold Awards for Great Places to Work and Inclusivity and Accessibility, and a proud Gold member of the Armed Forces Covenant.
If you require any accommodations or support during the application process, reach out to us. We're here to help ensure an inclusive and accessible experience for everyone.
Insight and Stakeholder Research Manager in Horley employer: Cornerstone
At SGN, we pride ourselves on being an award-winning employer that champions inclusivity and employee growth. Our hybrid work culture fosters collaboration while offering a comprehensive benefits package, including enhanced family leave and a joint-contribution pension scheme. Join us in London to play a pivotal role in shaping strategic decisions through insightful research, all while contributing to our mission of pioneering a net-zero energy system.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Insight and Stakeholder Research Manager in Horley
✨Get to Grips with Data Visualisation Tools
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✨Join Local Business Intelligence Meetups
Look for local business intelligence meetups or analytics conferences in your area. These events are not just great for learning but also for networking with industry professionals who could lead you to opportunities at companies like Cornerstone!
✨Engage with Online BI Communities
Join online forums or communities focused on business intelligence—think LinkedIn groups, Reddit threads, or even dedicated Slack channels. Engage actively by sharing your insights and asking questions; this can help you build visibility and connect with potential employers.
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We think you need these skills to ace Insight and Stakeholder Research Manager in Horley
Some tips for your application 🫡
Highlight Your Analytical Skills:In the business intelligence field, showcasing your analytical skills is a must. Make sure your CV includes relevant experience with data analysis tools, programming languages like SQL or Python, and any projects where you've interpreted complex data sets to drive business decisions.
Showcase Your Business Acumen:Don't just focus on data; show us how you can apply your insights to real-world business problems. Highlight projects where you made a tangible impact on company performance, and be prepared to explain your thought process in your cover letter.
Tailor Your Documents for Us:When applying for a full-time role at Cornerstone, tailor your CV and cover letter to reflect our organisational goals and strategies. Mention specific tools and methodologies that align with what we do—this shows you’ve done your homework and are genuinely interested in our mission!
Include Relevant Certifications:Certifications like Google Data Analytics or similar qualifications can really make you stand out in business intelligence. Include these in your application, as they demonstrate your commitment to the field and your willingness to stay current with industry standards.
How to prepare for a job interview at Cornerstone
✨Show off your analytical skills
In a business intelligence role, you're going to need to demonstrate your analytical prowess. Be prepared to discuss specific tools you've used, like SQL, Tableau, or Power BI. Have real-world examples ready where you’ve turned data into actionable insights – this is what makes us shine in interviews!
✨Practice your technical know-how
Expect some technical questions during the interview that dive deep into your understanding of data modelling and analytics frameworks. Brush up on your knowledge of data warehousing concepts and be ready to tackle any real case scenarios they might present. They’ll want to see how you approach problems using your BI toolkit.
✨Portfolio of Projects
Since it's a full-time role, having a strong portfolio is key! Compile case studies demonstrating your previous projects, preferably showing how your insights led to business improvements. This can help us display how you think through complex datasets and your problem-solving process, which is what employers are keen on seeing.
✨Know their business model
Get familiar with Cornerstone’s business model and recent data-driven decisions. Be prepared to discuss how your skills can specifically support their objectives or challenges. Understanding their landscape shows that you’re not just a data buff, but you’re also genuinely interested in how BI can impact their bottom line.
