Research Director

We are looking for an evaluation-focused Research Director with proven business generation experience to join the Navigator Insight team in a brilliant role at the heart of our talented team.

We’re proud of the impactful work we do and strive for excellent client relationships. We’re a team of more than 40 research experts working together to deliver social and market research that shifts perspectives, and drives decisions that shape our society and economy. Formed from three agencies with 75+ years of heritage, we enjoy an intellectually stimulating and dynamic working environment.

Job title: Research Director

Reporting to: Senior Research Director

Job Description:

You will have significant responsibility for business generation through bid writing and relationship management. You will also lead flagship projects and play a key role in managing our talented team. 

You’ll have a proven track record of winning mid - to large -sized evaluation contracts. This might be through strong bid writing, or through brilliant account management – or a combination of both.

You'll also have a strong history of delivering large, complex projects. Ideally, your areas of expertise will overlap with our specialist sectors: education and skills, health, science and technology, utilities, transport and housing/built environment. If you have econometric evaluation experience, that would be a bonus.

Business generation & Project delivery:

• Be a major motor of new business, through a combination of formal procurement activities, informal relationship building and proactive identification of opportunities

• Build our profile and footprint in key target sectors

• Champion new business internally, supporting the Associate Directors and Research Managers to win work

• Directly contribute to our collective annual target of new commissions

• Oversee min. 3 “key account” relationships, nurturing and developing these into repeat clients who are valuable for the business

• Lead project delivery and client relationships

• Add significant value to key deliverables, such as proposals/tender responses, final reports and debriefs

• Uphold extremely high - quality standards of output across the team, ensuring all tenders and project work is quality assured.

Skills and experience:

• Experience of managing the end -to- end research process from developing effective proposals to delivering insightful reports.

• Strong understanding of research and evaluation methods

• Able to deliver proposal and project work at a consistently high level

• Able to manage competing priorities

• Able to perform well under pressure

• Significant people management experience

• Communicates clearly with clients, colleagues and suppliers/partners

• Strong attention to detail 

This is a home working with access to office/shared workspace. You will be expected to travel to our York office min. 3- 4 times a year. You will also be expected to travel for fieldwork and business generation activities as required (primarily in the UK).

Applicants must have the right to work in the UK. No agencies please.

You can find out more about Navigator Insight at our website: https://www.navigator-insight.co.uk/join-us, and can download the candidate pack for this role here: https://shorturl.at/7yk0z