Research Manager - Quantitative / Mixed Methods

Research Manager – Quantitative / Mixed Methods (Trade, Innovation & Enterprise)

Ipsos Public Affairs is recruiting for a an experienced quantitative or mixed-methods Research Manager to run high profile studies which influence government policy and decisions

We have offices in London, Manchester and Edinburgh. We welcome applications from candidates that can be based from one of these locations and open to travel for internal/client meetings.

The Trade, Innovation and Enterprise team within Ipsos Public Affairs is a fast-growing team of social researchers and evaluators. We work to understand and shape the interactions between businesses, government and the public. We carry out a wide range of qualitative and quantitative projects. These address some of the most important challenges facing society, including:

• How and why businesses grow and prosper 

• The challenges faced by different types of businesses, such as SMEs, or those in creative and tech industries

• How the UK works and trades with other countries, and what businesses and the UK public think about this 

• How UK organisations can meet their Net Zero commitments

Our work has influenced trade policies (e.g. around the NI Protocol) and strategies (e.g. the National AI Strategy), strengthened the evidence base for various business tax reliefs (e.g. Video Games Tax Relief) and supported new businesses to deal with challenges like cyber crime.

What is in it for you?

This is a fantastic career opportunity for a Research manager to use their research skills to work with a range of research participants, including businesses, industry bodies, and policy experts. 

You will have the opportunity to:

• Lead project teams and be the first point of contact for our clients. 
• Train, mentor and delegate to junior team members, while learning from experienced project directors who will give support and guidance.
• Work closely with our associated policy teams, the Energy and Environment team, and Transport and Infrastructure team, as well as our evaluation, economic analysis, stats analysis and qualitative methods experts in Ipsos Public Affairs.

 Our team is a diverse and exciting place to work within Ipsos Public Affairs. We run regular knowledge sharing sessions, encourage our team to gain experience across a range of disciplines, and have regular social activities.

The Role…

The overarching responsibilities, and the key opportunities this role offers, include:

• Managing quantitative or mixed-methods research projects from inception through to the final reports and presentations
• Writing and contributing to research proposals, to help us win exciting new work and develop your proposal writing skills
• Supporting the development of our team including training and mentoring junior researchers to improve their research skills. This may include getting involved in line managing junior staff, being supported to run training for the team, or taking on specific business development roles (e.g. building your policy knowledge for specific client accounts)

Specific responsibilities might include:

• Ensuring projects are delivered on budget and to time, through effective project planning (including planning ahead and managing risks) and delegation
• Effective communication with clients and stakeholders as main point of contact for research projects. 
• Taking the lead on designing questionnaires and topic guides to meet client/study objectives
• Effectively managing relationships with suppliers and with internal operations colleagues to ensure specifications are met
• Monitoring fieldwork and recruitment (quantitative and qualitative)
• Drafting quantitative data specifications and checking data files
• Writing reports and presentations that deliver insights to meet the stakeholder’s and client's objectives
• Making suggestions for more efficient or effective approaches
• Working in multidisciplinary teams 
• Taking a proactive approach to developing knowledge of clients 
• Contributing to business development and proposals
• Working with the client and colleagues to share knowledge and identify new research opportunities, including using AI and innovative methods to further the Ipsos offering

Essential Skills:

We are seeking someone with experience in or someone with a keen interest in our policy areas, such as trade, enterprise and/or economic policy.

Ideally you will be a mixed methods researcher equally adept and well versed in both quantitative and qualitative methods

• Exceptional quantitative research skills, and ability to comfortably manage projects and deliver day-to-day
• Experience in writing questionnaires
• Ability to understand and interpret data to find insights and narratives
• Experience in contributing to proposals and business development activities
• Good project management skills including working with suppliers and timetable management
• Time management skills, working across multiple projects, prioritising tasks efficiently and meeting demanding deadlines
• Excellent attention to detail, organisational skills, and a focus on solutions
• Proven ability to work well in teams, handle clients and negotiate with suppliers
• Confident and clear written and verbal communication skills, with a high level of accurate use of English, and the ability to write in a variety of styles
• Curiosity and drive to help to grow our business

Desirable skills:

• Policy knowledge and expertise in trade, enterprise and/or economic policy
• Experience of leading on primary research components of wider evaluation studies
• Use of analysis software, such as NVivo, SPSS or other statistics packages

Benefits

We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support you as an individual. Our standard benefits include 25 days annual leave, pension contribution, income protection and life assurance. In addition, there are a range health & wellbeing, financial benefits and professional development opportunities.

We have a hybrid approach to work and ask people to be in the office or with clients for 3 days per week. We appreciate you may have commitments outside of work and will consider flexible working applications - please highlight what you are looking for when you make your application.

We are committed to equality, treating people fairly, promoting a positive and inclusive working environment and ensuring we have diversity of people and views. We recognise that this is important for our business success - a more diverse workforce will enable us to better reflect and understand the world we research and ultimately deliver better research and insight to our clients. We are proud to be a member of the Disability Confident scheme, certified as a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer. We provide an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. Your application will be reviewed by someone from our Talent Team who will be in touch either way to let you know the outcome.

Ready to have an impact? Apply now!

About UsIpsos is one of the world’s largest research companies and currently the only one primarily managed by researchers, ranking as a #1 full-service research organization for four consecutive years. With over 75 different data-driven solutions, and presence in 90 markets, Ipsos brings together research, implementation, methodological, and subject-matter experts from around the world, combining thematic and technical experts to deliver top-quality research and insights. Simply speaking, we help the biggest companies solve some of their biggest problems, serving more than 5000 clients across the globe by providing research, data, and insights on their target markets. And we are proud of our continuous efforts in making Ipsos the best place to work! About the Team

The Public Affairs Service Line is the world leader in Social and Opinion Research.  We work with clients on political and public opinion polling, citizen and stakeholder management, social policy improvement, sustainable development strategy and identifying societal trends and perceptions across several sectors.  We assess how government and public affairs policies as well as societal trends and views impact our client’s brand/products/markets.