Insights Manager

About the Role

The role joins a growing insights team and drives strategic research across a diverse portfolio of clients spanning sports, music, and entertainment, including brands and rights holders. It partners closely with all parts of dentsu Sports International to provide considered and impactful insights for a wide range of client needs. The role leads research initiatives across multiple disciplines, with key services including partnership valuation and consumer research such as brand health and audience research. The position champions a consumer‑centric mindset, synthesises actionable insight from multiple sources, and makes evidence‑based recommendations that shape winning strategies, reporting into the VP Dentsu Sports Analytics.

Key Responsibilities

• Champion a consumer‑centric mindset by elevating data into deep, actionable insights that drive strategic decisions.
• Partner with client teams and clients directly to shape the research questions that matter most and use insight to answer them with clarity and purpose.
• Run focused, fast, and meaningful research using agile tools and trusted agency partners to deliver deep consumer understanding and brand health tracking.
• Shape and apply consumer segmentation frameworks grounded in behavioural science to create actionable audience profiles that guide strategic decisions.
• Transform complex data into clear, compelling narratives that drive action and inform strategic recommendations.
• Work with commercial and product teams to develop compelling propositions grounded in human insight rather than assumptions.
• Lead compelling client presentations and internal stakeholder updates that bring insights to life and inspire action through storytelling and data visualisation.
• Act as the expert on key research platforms and tools, managing updates, quality standards, and agency partnerships to ensure best‑in‑class delivery.
• Act as a passionate advocate for insight, inspiring teams and stakeholders to listen, learn, and act with curiosity and conviction.
• Set high‑performance standards for self and peers, ensuring continuous improvement in how the team works and what it delivers.
• Manage day‑to‑day and strategic client relationships, set the tone for client servicing excellence, prepare proposals, and lead status calls and updates.
• Support culture and values targets by contributing to the planning and delivery of culture and values initiatives.
• Support the new business function by participating in new client proposals and pitch processes, and identify opportunities to increase business from the current client base.
• Contribute to the development of new tools and services for potential clients and support the agency marketing plan with data and insights.
• Seek out and actively learn new skills through relevant training, webinars, and other development to increase knowledge, and plan and agree short‑and long‑term goals with the line manager to drive own career development.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• Proven experience in a client‑side insight function or leading research agency, having led insight projects across a wide range of research capabilities and methodologies.
• Strong understanding of consumer, customer, and market research methodologies, including segmentation, attitudinal, behavioural, and partnership valuation research, with particular knowledge of first‑party data capture, management, and application in sports and entertainment contexts.
• Experience leveraging self‑service research tools, AI‑driven insight solutions, and managing third‑party research agencies to deliver best‑in‑class insights.
• Excellent storytelling, data visualisation, and presentation skills, with the ability to create succinct, impactful communications that drive action and influence senior stakeholders.
• Experience working on partnership valuation studies, brand health tracking, audience segmentation, or consumer research programmes across quantitative or qualitative research.
• Demonstrable experience in project management and client servicing excellence.
• Strong proficiency with research and analytics tools and platforms, including first‑party data platforms and customer data management systems used in sports and entertainment (e.g. GWI, YouGov, Brandwatch etc.).
• A genuine interest in understanding consumer behaviour, motivations, and the factors that drive decision‑making across sports and entertainment.
• Demonstrable ability to influence senior stakeholders by conveying complex insights in a clear, actionable manner that inspires decision‑making.
• A people‑first mindset that values curiosity, collaboration, and connection, and understands that the best insights come from deep understanding of human behaviour.
• A team mentality, building high‑performing teams both through line management and brilliant project work.
• A passion for understanding consumer behaviour and a drive to unlock insights that shape winning strategies.
• Deep research expertise combined with commercial acumen and the ability to influence senior stakeholders.
• Curiosity, collaboration, and commitment to delivering impact.
• A diverse range of experience and an appetite to expand expertise.

Workplace

• Hybrid

Benefits & Perks

• Competitive compensation.
• Professional development support.
• A collaborative working environment.
• Flexible working arrangements.
• Support for growth and wellbeing.
• Work‑life balance, with openness to discussing flexible working arrangements for all roles.
• Reasonable adjustments available during the recruitment process for candidates with a disability or medical condition.

About the Company

MKTG is a global integrated agency that helps brands understand and connect with their audiences, combining creative excellence with deep research capabilities to deliver insights that drive strategic decisions. MKTG has partnered with some of the world's biggest brands to unlock consumer understanding and business value through data‑driven insights. MKTG is part of Dentsu, a global network of integrated companies, and its insights team works across diverse sectors, bringing together research expertise, data analytics, and strategic thinking to deliver transformative business insights.

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