Associate Head of Research

We have built an amazing team of research industry expert and great engineers to reimagine what is possible in research. We do impactful work with amazing organisations ranging from well-known brands to life-changing non-profits. We’re looking for an Associate Director of Research Operations to supercharge our research delivery engine. This is a senior role that blends operational leadership, hands-on project management, and strategic account growth. Build a World-Class Research Ops Function. Own the end-to-end research delivery workflow — from brief through proposal, delivery, and wrap-up. Resource Planning at Speed and Scale. Lead monthly, quarterly and annual planning to ensure we have the right people in the right roles at the right time — balancing demand, capacity, and growth. Drive hiring pipelines and lead performance management and development for our research team. You’ll mentor junior staff and instill a strong standard for training and development. Own High-Value Projects and Accounts. Take the reins on high-priority, high-impact client projects and own a set of key accounts — delivering excellence and building long-term relationships. Experienced in Research Ops and Delivery. You have 5+ years of experience as a quant or mixed-methods researcher — over 90% of our projects are quant. ****You’ve led teams and owned complex research workflows, whether agency- or client-side. You understand the mechanics of good research delivery and know how to scale quality. You’re outstanding at managing people, developing talent, and driving performance — while also building the processes and systems they need to thrive. You hold a high bar for quality — in delivery, in hiring, in training — and you move fast without compromising standards. At Focaldata, we’re building a new kind of tech-enabled research agency — that offers clients deep insight at the speed of software. You’ll get the opportunity to work alongside a highly collaborative team of researchers, client leads, engineers, data scientists and product specialists. We do impactful work with leading organisations, from brands like New Balance to campaign groups like Hope not Hate and non-profits like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. We encourage all applications regardless of age, disability, gender, marriage, pregnancy, maternity, race or nationality, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.