Market Signals Intelligence Lead in London

Founded in 1896, Knight Frank is one of the world's leading independent real estate consultancies. We work responsibly in partnership to enhance people's lives and environments in over 50 markets, with 600+ offices and 20,000+ people globally. At the heart of all we do are our clients, and a relationship built on trust is vital. As trusted partners in property, we act with integrity and care, understanding our clients’ unique needs and consistently thinking about the bigger picture to provide personalised, clear and considered advice across all areas of property.

The Market Signals Intelligence Lead is accountable for establishing and leading Knight Frank’s enterprise market intelligence capability, synthesising complex internal and external data into a single, authoritative interpretation of market dynamics for senior leadership decision-making. Currently, market insight is fragmented across Business Intelligence, Data Science, and Research, with no single accountable owner of synthesis. This role resolves that gap by owning the transition from descriptive reporting to interpretive, forward-looking intelligence, directly shaping how the firm understands and responds to market conditions.

Scope & Accountability:

• Firm-wide remit spanning Residential, Research, and Finance
• Direct accountability for defining which market signals matter at enterprise level
• Establishing the firm’s leading indicator framework and interpretive standards
• Delivering a coherent market narrative adopted at Partner / Board level
• Operating as a senior, non-hierarchical capability lead, influencing multiple functions (BI, Data Science, Research)
• Regular engagement with Global Head of Research, Head of Residential, the Senior Partner, and executive decision-makers

What experience you will need:

• Deep understanding of housing and real estate markets (core and prime segments)
• Credit conditions, mortgage lending cycles, refinancing behaviour
• Macroeconomic indicators and geopolitical drivers
• Advanced capability in interpreting interdependent economic variables and system dynamics
• Distinguishing leading vs lagging indicators and signal vs noise
• Assessing causality limitations (beyond simple correlation)
• Practical expertise in integrating heterogeneous data sources (internal performance + external datasets such as Macrobond)
• Navigating structural constraints (data quality, granularity, timing mismatches, access limitations)
• Ability to operate across analytical domains (Data Science outputs, BI metrics) and commercial judgement (market interpretation, strategic implications)

What you will be responsible for:

• Enterprise Signal Framework: Define and continuously evolve a firm-wide signal taxonomy and prioritisation model; establish a forward-looking (1-3 year) signal architecture supporting forecasting and scenario planning.
• Market Narrative Leadership: Own the Quarterly Market Signals Narrative, synthesising all relevant inputs into a small set of high-priority, decision-relevant signals; clear directional judgement and confidence levels; explicitly identify gaps in evidence and weak or non-correlating signals and their implications.
• Cross-Functional Orchestration: Set the analytical agenda for BI and Data Science through signal prioritisation; ensure alignment of outputs across BI, Data Science, and Research; eliminate fragmented or conflicting interpretations at senior level.
• External Data & Integration Strategy: Define enterprise use of external economic datasets (e.g. Macrobond); integrate external indicators with internal performance data to enable causal and contextual insight.
• Governance & Strategic Influence: Establish firm-wide standards for signal definition, interpretation, and narrative consistency; act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, directly informing market positioning, investment and resource allocation decisions, and response to macroeconomic and geopolitical shifts.

Impact & Value:

• Nature of Impact: Directly influences enterprise-level decision-making, including strategic, commercial, and investment decisions; shapes firm-wide understanding of market conditions, replacing fragmented perspectives with a single, coherent view.
• Scope of Impact: Impacts multiple business lines globally (Residential, Finance, Research); influences both short-term tactical responses and longer-term strategic positioning.
• Magnitude of Impact: Enables faster, higher-confidence decisions in volatile market conditions; alignment of resources and strategy with real underlying market drivers; establishes a proprietary, defensible capability centred on continuous interpretation of complex market dynamics.

Autonomy & Judgement: Operates with high levels of independent judgement, determining which signals are material, how they should be interpreted and communicated; accountable for narrative integrity at senior leadership level, without reliance on prescriptive frameworks.

Role Profile: Senior individual contributor with enterprise accountability and board-level influence, distinguished by ownership of judgement, synthesis, and narrative authority; responsibility for firm-wide decision framing, not execution layers (BI / Data Science).

Success Measures (12-18 months):

• A single, authoritative market narrative adopted across senior leadership.
• Demonstrable shift from hindsight metrics to leading indicator-based decisions.
• Alignment of BI and Data Science outputs to a prioritised signal framework.
• Increased decision speed, consistency, and confidence at senior level.

Competitive salary.