Research Operations Lead

Office requirement: Hybrid - 1 day a week in the office. At GWI we’re always looking for extraordinary people who thrive on making an extraordinary impact. Right now we’re looking for a Research Operations Lead to play a key role in our Global Research team in London. If that’s you, and making a difference gets you out of bed in the morning, keep reading. It could be the start of something, well, extraordinary.

Sounds great, what will I be doing? As our Research Operations Lead you’ll take ownership of the fieldwork behind our largest dataset—ensuring research is executed with precision, efficiency, and impact. You’ll be the backbone of the operation; a reliable problem-solver, a calm presence when things get hectic, and a key partner to our researchers. If you thrive on organization, enjoy bringing order to complexity and like being at the center of a high-performing team, this is the role for you. In a nutshell, you’ll be responsible for fieldwork on our Core project with other projects added to your ledger over time.

Here are the key tasks you’ll be responsible for:

• All things fieldwork - set up, quality assurance, sample distribution, monitoring, reporting
• Driving efficiencies & automation - a key next step for us is automating as much of this process as possible and we need someone to take this forward
• Working with Product Team coordination - whilst you’ll mainly be responsible for fieldwork, you will have several other team members to engage and utilise in the fieldwork processes
• Quota management - ensuring the correct quotas are implemented
• Panel communication - daily comms with our panel providers, building relationships
• Troubleshooting - leading the way, using your analytical skills to resolve issues
• Running panel pilots - set up through to data analysis to inform recommendations
• Costs, POs, invoicing - coordinating and helping ensure our financials are in order
• Improving quality - quality of our sample achieved through quality fails/data cleaning

It’s also fun; shaking things up is what working for a growing company is all about. So you’ll need to be flexible, comfortable with continuous change, and working in a high-tempo environment as we grow.

What do I need to bring with me? You’ll need to be able to demonstrate the core skills this role requires. You don't have to tick all the boxes right away; the important thing is that you’re willing to learn. Here’s what the team will be looking for:

• Experience of working in a research environment where data has played a key part of your role
• Experience or demonstrable knowledge of how fieldwork is conducted using panel partners to collect data across multiple countries for surveys
• Expert excel user with experience of using macros
• Experience or demonstrable knowledge of fieldwork challenges on large, multi-market research studies
• Exceptional project management skills
• Ability to analyse data, pulling out insights as well as identifying issues
• Good understanding of the challenges that come with running large, multi-market surveys
• A relentless focus on quality and ensuring processes are followed
• Enthusiasm for coordinating, engaging and coaching junior team members including a supportive approach to working in a team with more junior members
• A proven track record of improving workflow

Nice to have:

• Previous experience of working in a panel provider / data collection company
• Experience using Confluence, Jira and Qualtrics
• Line management or mentoring experience
• Ability to set personal objectives for team members, including translating business goals/strategy into personal goals

Equally important is attitude. We want people who think big (to make an impact), ask why (to find a better way), and show respect (to everyone, at every level, all the time). Those are our values, exemplified by our leadership team, and they’re a big part of what we’re looking for in you.

Interview steps:

• Preliminary phone call with the Talent Team (no video required)
• First video interview with the hiring managers
• Second (and final*) video interview with the hiring panel, often including a presentation, followed by a values conversation with members of the wider GWI community.

*Don’t be alarmed if there are other stages in the process, it’s all part of the plan for some of our roles.

What exactly is GWI? GWI is modernized consumer research; global, on-demand, and accessible to everyone, not just data experts. Our platform is designed for companies looking for fresh and insightful data about their consumers’ values, purchase journeys, media usage, and social media habits. With data representing the views of nearly 3 billion people across 52+ countries, GWI has become the go-to for agencies, brands, and media companies that want to know what really drives their audience to action. Since launching in 2009 we’ve grown at a healthy pace, and to maintain this growth we need more extraordinary people.

What’s in it for me? You’ll do the sort of work that got you excited about your career in the first place - not as a cog in a machine, but as an individual whose contribution matters. So gigantic job satisfaction comes as standard, but it’s only part of the package. You’ll also get:

• Tons of days off: 25 days annual leave | Xmas office closures
• Great work-life balance: Flexitime | early Friday finishes | Work-from-anywhere options
• Family-focused flexibility: Carer days | Enhanced parental leave | Health cash plan for your family
• A commitment to YOU: Accredited learning programs | A commitment to mental and physical health | Reward and recognition programs | Career development opportunities
• A commitment to the community: DE&I committee | Volunteer options | 100% donation matching | Payroll giving options

Put all that together and GWI is the friendliest, most fulfilling place any of us has ever worked.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: We take DE&I seriously. Not only is it obviously the right thing to do, it’s also the bedrock of our value of show respect and at the heart of our company culture. We’re a global data business, so it’s essential our data reflects the global reality. Putting diversity into practice like this literally makes our business stronger. That’s why we strive to make our offices - and our teams - as diverse as our data.

As a Disability Confident employer, we encourage applications from disabled candidates and are dedicated to providing all relevant assistance during the application and interview process. We also encourage individuals from all backgrounds, including those from underrepresented and marginalized communities, to join our team.