Market Research Specialist in Edinburgh

About ITW:

ITW Construction – Offsite Europe is a division of ITW within in the Construction Products segment, a segment which generates $1.9 billion in global revenue. The Offsite Europe business\' annual revenue is $40 million, with 80+ colleagues across the UK & Ireland. We are suppliers of innovative engineered connectors and design software, and our products are uniquely capable of driving value for our customers, supported by strong customer service capabilities and a continuous improvement mindset.

ITW Construction – Offsite Europe are consistently innovating, designing and manufacturing advanced industrial technology. We are industry influencers with 2 high quality brands that are known throughout the industry, and we aspire to grow our business in our current markets as well as explore new market opportunities. At all levels in our organisation, we are encouraged to embrace our inner entrepreneur to drive actions, focus on what matters and share ideas so that every individual can have an impact on the business. In return we are rewarded, supported in our development and given the opportunities to grow within a large multinational organisation.

This role is a field based role requiring travel throughout the UK & Ireland to visit customers and housebuilders.

Position Summary

The Market Research Analyst plays a pivotal role in advancing the Offsite CBI (Customer Back Innovation) strategy, product portfolio, driving growth, consistently outperforming market trends. Your responsibilities will include supporting and leading strategic initiatives across the Cullen connectors segment, with a focus on the development of market opportunity research strategies that feed the product pipeline screening process.

A key part of the role involves travelling, ensuring you are able to build strong relationships with housebuilders, architects, joist manufacturers, offsite fabricators, and end users, as well as actively participating with industry associations. The insights gained from these engagements will be instrumental in shaping strategic direction and driving competitive advantage.

You will support creating and implementing business cases for products, market extensions or new services, following in-depth analysis from on-site and end user research.You will need a solid knowledge of Cullen products and their applications to successfully provide CPD and onsite training sessions.

Reporting directly to the Connectors Owner, success in this role will be measured by the ability to prioritise effectively using the 80/20 principle, manage time efficiently, deliver measurable results, generate high-quality insights, build strong relationships with market leaders (primarily housebuilders), and drive the successful adoption of new innovations.

Responsibilities

CBI Strategy

• Support Connectors\' growth initiatives, contributing to 3% annual CBI yield targets.
• Lead research using customer-back insights to capture qualitative feedback and drive product range growth, with a focus on the Floors, Roofs & Walls segmentation.
• Prioritise opportunities in line with Cullen Connectors\' Strategic Intent, focusing on Growth Levers, Defending the 80\'s, and New Technology.

CBI Pipeline

• Develop research plans for opportunity projects in collaboration with product managers.
• Gather market intelligence to qualify opportunities and support Offsite\'s pipeline screening process.

CBI Process

• Build strong external partnerships through discovery initiatives and stakeholder
• engagement.
• Conduct pain point analyses, system discovery sessions, process mapping, and competitor benchmarking.
• Collect market intelligence across the value chain, from design offices to on-site installers.
• Run surveys, external research, and roundtables with key influencers (e.g., housebuilders, NHBC, Homebond).Translate findings into actionable insights and business cases

Value Proposition Development

• Define customer-focused value propositions, spanning design to installation.Use qualitative and quantitative insights to capture pain points, workarounds, and impacts.
• Own the conversion of market intelligence and customer insights into new business opportunities.

General

• Identify emerging markets and opportunities around products and services.
• Develop and communicate system value propositions internally and externally.
• Support product launches in collaboration with Marketing, Commercial, and Product teams.

Experience & Skills:

• Health & Safety – Strong commitment to safe working environments and continuous improvement.
• Observation & Interviewing – Skilled at structured/unstructured discovery, asking probing questions, and spotting user behaviours, workflows, and pain points.
• Communication Excellence – Clear and confident communicator, both verbal and written, with the ability to present findings and engage effectively with stakeholders at all levels (from end users to senior leadership).
• Analytical Thinking – Skilled in gathering and interpreting qualitative and quantitative data, with experience applying frameworks such as SWOT and Jobs-to-be-Done to uncover insights.
• Problem-Solving – Ability to translate unclear feedback into actionable opportunities; identifying root causes behind industry challenges.
• Technical Understanding – Strong ability to grasp technical concepts, workflows, and environments, translating feedback into meaningful product improvement ideas.
• Adaptability & Initiative – Comfortable in varied environments (sites, factories, offices); proactive, flexible, and eager to learn.
• Collaboration – Team-oriented, sharing knowledge and best practices to drive continuous improvement.