Qualitative Research Project Manager

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced qualitative specialist to really make your mark and play a key role in building and shaping a growing qualitative team. 

Growth opportunities on a number of levels;

• Developing own strategic skills via involvement in a wide diversity of strategic marketing, innovation and brand development projects
• Building the agencys qualitative offer externally by delivering  excellent projects and evolving current methodologies
• Helping to grow the business qualitative ‘engine’ internally by building and developing junior qualitative colleagues

This is an exciting opportunity for an accomplished qualitative specialist who’s keen for new challenges and would like to make their mark playing a key role in helping to build up a first rate qualitative division within a larger marketing insight and brand development business.

• Building client relationships – not just focused on methodologies but able to identify and understand the long term needs of the client’s business, identify opportunities and develop solutions to help solve client insight-related problems

• Responsibility for running qualitative projects i.e. be the main client owner at project level or work as part of a team partnering with a senior member of the Los Angeles team

• Responsibility for delivering quality outcomes as well as project profitability

• Effectively plan and collaborate with colleagues to deliver complex projects that integrate several methodologies

• Be an experienced & resourceful thinker i.e. able to adapt and adjust the project approach on an on-going basis

• Able to interpret insight-gathering solutions in new and different  ways - develops thinking that puts the consumer at the heart of the brand strategy

• Responsible for development of (growing) junior qualitative team

SPECIFIC JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Key contributor in the development and implementer of new qualitative approaches

• Structuring qualitative research – experiments with new innovations in project structure

• Evolving current qualitative practices and processes to ensure maximum effectiveness and quality outcomes

• Setting up & overseeing qualitative research – adapts and finds solutions to any problems as the project progresses

• Writing discussion guides & analysis specs – creates innovative discussion guides and analysis specs that introduce new thinking

• Moderates groups – introduces innovative moderation techniques tailored to the project as it progresses

• Designs and implement a broad range of insight gathering approaches – including interactive consumer workshops, in-depth ethnographic approaches

• Leads the analysis of qualitative research – develops insights to influence the project solution

• Leads the development of a impactful qualitative presentations – loves to experiment and constantly seeking to find innovative ways to bring insight to life for clients

• Takes responsibility for contributing to & owning the development of the outcome (insight and/or brand)

• Takes responsibility for a wide range of project types and to understand how to integrate them with different disciplines in the wider project scope

• Ideally, has an interest in participating in cultural insight and emerging trend analysis projects

Qualifications:  University degree

Experience:  Minimum of 7+ years in a client-facing position within a qualitative agency/qualitative division of an insight/brand or innovation consultancy or as a freelance client-facing qualitative insight specialist

• Expertise in doing/directing all aspects of qualitative research from client brief, initial pitches/proposals through to owning the strategic implications/presenting the overall results
• Broad experience across range of client categories
• Experience with national and international project management, organizing and running groups, depths & different methodologies
• Experienced client relationship owner – build trust and identified new ways to help solve client issues
• Great project manager able to effectively manage project profitability
• Able to happily apply more traditional qualitative techniques, yet has a desire to embrace less traditional/more creative approaches too. e.g. loves getting out of the viewing facility, work with affinity groups and using more ethnographic approaches.
• Understanding and interest in semiotics.

Successful candidate

1. Able to oversee all aspects of qualitative research projects – and take ownership for the solution and final project delivery
2. Creative – someone who thinks creatively and is happy to push the boundaries/challenge conventional research methodologies on a project by project basis
3. Someone who is passionate about brands and marketing and thinks more about the actual application and actionability of qualitative than the results per se 
4. Exceptionally good project and team management skills, including:

• being proactive
• using initiative
• problem solving 
• prioritizing and time management, and
• managing people (internally and externally)
• Strong client relationship-building skills