Senior Manager, Brand and Communications Research

We’re looking for an experienced, curious and commercially minded Senior Manager, Brand and Communications Research to join the Marketing Effectiveness and Analytics team within Customer Strategy. You’ll lead the research that helps Nationwide understand how our brand and communications are performing, where we can make the greatest difference for customers and members, and how evidence can shape future marketing and business decisions.

Working across a strategically important portfolio of brand and communications research, you’ll bring together evidence from research and analytics and turn it into clear, compelling stories for senior leaders, the Executive Committee and Board. You’ll also shape and continually improve our research capabilities, tools and techniques, ensuring our measurement keeps pace with changes in Nationwide’s marketing activity, customer behaviour and the wider market landscape. This is a high-impact leadership role, combining research expertise with team leadership, strong governance, budget ownership and strategic supplier management.

We are happy to consider flexible working approaches to help you perform at your best. This is a 12-month Fixed Term Contract opportunity. At Nationwide we offer hybrid working wherever possible. More rewarding relationships are supported through our hybrid approach, bringing colleagues together across our UK wide estate, whilst also supporting generous access to home working. We value our time in the office to solve problems, to learn, and to feel connected. For this job you'll spend at least two days per week, or if part time you'll spend 40% of your working time, based at either our London or Swindon office.

If your application is successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this works. You can also find out more about our approach to hybrid working here. If we receive a high volume of relevant applications, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so please apply as soon as you can.

What you’ll be doing

• You’ll lead, motivate and develop a team of research professionals, setting clear priorities, building capability and creating the conditions for high-quality delivery.
• Working closely with leaders across the organisation, you’ll translate strategic questions into focused research programmes and briefs that address customer, brand and communications priorities.
• You’ll own and evolve our brand and communications research approach, introducing the capabilities, tools, methodologies and techniques needed to keep measurement relevant as marketing and the external landscape change.
• Bringing together research and analytics evidence, you’ll turn complex information into coherent, actionable narratives for senior leaders, the Executive Committee and Board.
• You’ll also own the research portfolio plan, governance and controls; lead budget management, resource planning and financial oversight; and manage strategic agency and supplier relationships to deliver rigorous, high-quality work, strong commercial outcomes and value from our investment.

About you

As a minimum you’ll have:

• Significant experience leading complex, large-scale brand and communications research, with strong knowledge of qualitative and quantitative methods, sampling, tracking and questionnaire design.
• A track record of evolving research frameworks, tools and techniques so measurement remains fit for purpose as marketing activity, media, technology, customer behaviour and markets change.
• Proven experience of portfolio planning, governance, risk management, budget ownership, resource allocation and prioritisation across a complex programme of work.
• Strong commercial supplier-management skills and the credibility to influence senior stakeholders, challenge constructively and build productive partnerships across a large organisation.
• Substantial experience leading, developing and motivating research teams, alongside the ability to communicate complex evidence through concise, compelling executive-level presentations and papers.

Our customer first behaviours put customers and members at the heart of how we work together. They are the set of behaviours that every colleague needs to display, in every role:

• Feel what customers feel - We step into our customers’ shoes, using their feedback and insights to empathise with them and to understand their needs, so that every decision we make starts and finishes with our customers in mind.
• Say it straight - We are brave in speaking out and saying what we think – we’re honest and direct with good intent, openly sharing diverse perspectives to reach the best conclusions and using language everyone can understand.
• Push for better - We don’t settle for mediocrity, we challenge the status quo, taking responsibility for continuous improvement and personal development.
• Get it done - We prioritise what will have the greatest impact, we are decisive, and we take accountability for delivering brilliant customer outcomes.

You can strengthen your application by showing how our customer first behaviours resonate with you, and where you may have already demonstrated these.

The extras you’ll get

There are all sorts of employee benefits available at Nationwide, including:

• Private medical insurance.
• A highly competitive pension to help you build a strong foundation for retirement.
• Access to an annual performance-related bonus.
• Training and development to help you progress your career.
• A great selection of additional benefits through our salary sacrifice scheme.
• Life assurance to provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones in the event of your death.
• Wellhub – access to a range of free and paid options for health and wellness.
• Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year.

Banking – but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society. We forge our own path at Nationwide. As a mutual, we’re owned by our members - those customers who bank, save or have a mortgage with us. We challenge the financial sector status quo. We don’t see customers as the engine of our own profit. We share our profits with them and put their needs first. Always there when they need us. Supporting them and their lives.

If you’re inspired by fairer finances, passionate about making a meaningful impact, and truly care about our customers, you’re one of us. At Nationwide, you are challenged to grow and rewarded for doing so. Valued. Recognised. Inspired to be your best. As a community, we want our working lives to count. As a team, we celebrate what we achieve. As a standard-setter, we work for the good of customers, communities, and broader society. We are purpose-driven. Uncompromisingly customer. Unstoppably Nationwide.

We respond to everyone, so we will be in contact shortly after the closing date to let you know the outcome of your application. Keeping your data and personal information confidential is important to us. To find out more about how we use and process your data, please read our Privacy policy.

If you want to find out more about using AI in our recruitment process, please read more here.

Disability Confident - We’re not just guided by data, we’re driven by the real experiences of our people. We’re a Disability Confident Level 3 Leader, the highest level. That’s why we’re constantly evolving our policies and practices to make sure everyone feels genuinely supported, valued, and empowered to champion inclusion. Whatever your needs, we’re here to support you. If you need any additional support throughout your application journey, email our team at Recruitment Support.

Apply safely with Nationwide. Please note that should you be successful in securing this role, the job title on our internal systems will be Marketing and Corporate Affairs Senior Manager.