At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead exciting research projects and deliver actionable insights that drive client success.
- Company: Join The Harris Poll UK, a leader in consumer understanding and market research.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, professional development, and a supportive team environment.
- Other info: Opportunity to mentor junior team members and grow within a dynamic company.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by translating data into compelling stories for clients.
- Qualifications: Experience in market research and strong project management skills required.
The predicted salary is between 75000 - 85000 £ per year.
At The Harris Poll UK, we exist to understand consumer needs in a demanding world. We help organisations stay closer to the people they serve through research that combines hard data with human truths. Our work spans customer experience, reputation, thought leadership, innovation and brand strategy, helping clients make smarter decisions in a world where consumer expectations are constantly evolving.
Overview
Research Managers play a central role in the successful delivery of client programmes and projects across the business. They are responsible for managing research from end to end, building strong client relationships, leading project teams and ensuring outputs deliver meaningful commercial value. This role requires someone who combines strong research expertise with commercial awareness, excellent organisational skills and the ability to translate data into compelling, actionable insight. Research Managers are expected to think strategically, operate proactively and contribute positively to both client growth and team development.
Responsibilities
- Project & Programme Leadership: Manage and deliver quantitative and qualitative research projects through the full project lifecycle, from project kick-off through to final delivery. Lead project design, questionnaire development, discussion guides, fieldwork management, quality assurance and reporting. Ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget and to a consistently high standard. Coordinate effectively across Client Advisory and Research Operations teams to ensure smooth project execution. Proactively identify risks, challenges or opportunities throughout project delivery and take ownership of resolving them.
- Client Management: Build strong day-to-day relationships with clients and become a trusted extension of their team. Lead client communications across projects and programmes, ensuring a responsive, organised and professional experience. Develop a strong understanding of clients’ commercial objectives, sectors and strategic challenges. Support senior colleagues and stakeholders in growing client relationships and identifying opportunities for additional value or future work. Escalate issues appropriately while demonstrating confidence and ownership in resolving day-to-day challenges independently.
- Insight & Storytelling: Deliver clear, commercially relevant and strategically meaningful insight that goes beyond reporting data. Identify trends, tensions and implications within research findings and translate them into compelling narratives. Create high-quality reports, presentations and client-ready outputs that demonstrate strong storytelling and consultancy thinking. Contribute to thought leadership, proactive insight generation and wider business initiatives where relevant.
- Team Support & Development: Support, mentor and guide junior team members across project delivery and day-to-day development. Delegate effectively and provide clear direction across project teams. Contribute to team resourcing discussions, workflow management and operational efficiencies. Help ensure established processes and quality standards are consistently followed across projects. Foster a collaborative, supportive and high-performing team environment.
Qualifications: Previous experience within a market research, insight or consultancy environment. Strong understanding of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. Excellent project management and organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously. Strong analytical thinking and confidence interpreting data and identifying meaningful insight.
Research Manager employer: The Harris Poll
At The Harris Poll UK, we pride ourselves on fostering a dynamic and inclusive work culture that empowers our employees to thrive. As a Research Manager, you will benefit from comprehensive professional development opportunities, a collaborative team environment, and the chance to make a tangible impact on client success through insightful research. Located in the heart of the UK, we offer a vibrant workplace that values innovation and creativity, ensuring that your contributions are recognised and rewarded.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Research Manager
✨Get Involved in Data Science Meetups
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We think you need these skills to ace Research Manager
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Projects:In the world of data science, your projects can speak volumes about your skills. Make sure to showcase a few key projects in your CV or portfolio, especially those that highlight your ability to work with data sets, build models, or use relevant tools like Python, R, or SQL. Don’t forget to include links to any GitHub repositories if applicable!
Quantify Your Achievements:Employers love numbers! When drafting your CV, highlight your achievements with quantifiable results. For instance, mention how your data analysis led to a certain percentage increase in efficiency or revenue at a previous job or project. These details can really make your application pop!
Craft a Tailored Cover Letter:For a full-time role at The Harris Poll, your cover letter should reflect your passion for data science and your excitement about the specific projects or values of the company. Dive into why you’re a good fit, how your skills align with their needs, and any unique perspectives you can bring to the team.
Stand Out with Relevant Courses and Certifications:Although experience talks, relevant courses or certifications can be your ticket to impressing hiring managers at The Harris Poll. Mention any standout courses you've completed that equipped you with essential skills, such as machine learning certifications or data visualisation courses. This shows your commitment to continuously developing your skills in the field!
How to prepare for a job interview at The Harris Poll
✨Brush Up on Your Statistics
For a data science role, we need to seriously sharpen our statistics skills. Get ready to tackle technical questions on probability distributions, hypothesis testing, and regression analysis. These are often the bread and butter of data science interviews, so don't just skim over them!
✨Showcase Your Projects
Prepare a killer portfolio showcasing your data science projects. We should include details about the datasets used, the tools and techniques applied, and the impact of your findings. If we can walk them through a particularly challenging project or a cool visualisation that had real-world implications, it’ll really make us stand out!
✨Get Comfortable with Python and R
Most data science positions require us to be proficient in programming languages like Python and R. We should practice common libraries like pandas, NumPy, and scikit-learn, and be ready for live coding exercises or algorithm questions. Showing off our coding chops can really impress the interviewers at The Harris Poll!
✨Prepare for Case Studies
Expect to encounter real-world case studies during the interview. We might be asked how we’d approach a data problem or analyse a dataset to extract insights. It's essential to think out loud and demonstrate our problem-solving process so that the interviewer can see our logical thinking in action.