UK Insights Director

London, England, United Kingdom

10/29/2024

A job with Merlin isn’t like a job anywhere else. With attractions around the world, from rollercoasters to wax figures, we don’t trade in suits, handshakes or briefcases. We trade in fun. In smiles, shrieks and spine-tingles. In Memories. In magic. But there are no tricks behind our magic. Instead, there are people like you. Passionate, dedicated people who are committed to making sure our worldwide attractions and guests’ experiences are the best they can be.

Due to continuing growth and development of Merlin’s attractions and brands on a global scale, we are looking for a UK Insights Director to join our Group Insights department on a permanent basis. The role will be based at our London Bankside office, with a hybrid element for those looking for more flexibility.

Key Accountabilities: Strategic Business Partnership:

• Act as a trusted strategic advisor to the UK Managing Director and UK Marketing Head, driving data-informed decision-making to optimise marketing impact and support business growth.
• Provide data-driven recommendations to influence annual and long-term business plans, maximising revenue growth, market share, and guest engagement.
• Collaborate with regional and global teams to ensure UK strategies align with broader business objectives while adapting to local market dynamics.
  
  

Trading, Market, and Competitor Insights:

• Monitor macroeconomic trends, industry developments, and competitor activities to anticipate changes in consumer behaviour affecting the UK business.
• Offer clear narratives on UK trading performance, highlighting key drivers and identifying growth opportunities.
• Lead competitor benchmarking to detect shifts in the competitive landscape, including pricing, marketing strategies, and potential threats or opportunities for Merlin in the UK.
• Provide insights for short- and medium-term strategies, budget planning, and emerging market opportunities, risks, and consumer needs.
  
  

Guest Profile and Experience:

• Utilise insights to drive strategic initiatives aimed at increasing visitation from valuable guest segments and enhancing their overall experience.
• Partner with operational teams to implement improvements in key guest experience metrics, such as NPS and CSAT, to boost customer loyalty.
  
  

Consumer Insights:

• Lead strategic consumer insights projects, including demand segmentation, price perception studies, and regional customer propositions, to inform regional commercial and marketing strategies.
• Embed foundational consumer insights into business decision-making processes, ensuring all stakeholders use a unified consumer language. Work with CRM, e-commerce, marketing, and creative teams and agencies to target the right segments using the appropriate channels.
  
  

Collaboration and Leadership:

• Serve as a liaison between UK teams and global Merlin departments, including Brand, Commercial, Strategy, Merlin Magic Making, and New Business Development, to ensure a unified approach to insights and strategy.
• Foster a culture of data-driven decision-making across marketing, operations, and commercial teams, using insights to inform strategic initiatives and cross-functional projects.
• Manage UK-focused research initiatives, collaborating with external partners to ensure high quality, contextual relevance to Merlin, and robustness to guide business decisions.
• Lead on select global Insights topics as a subject matter expert, supporting Global Insights and the executive team to drive consistency and best practices across regions.
  
  

Data-Driven Decision Making:

• Champion analytics and data-driven methodologies to influence business strategies, enhance trading performance, and optimise marketing effectiveness.
• Translate complex data sets into clear, actionable insights that guide marketing campaigns, inform strategic investments, and elevate the guest experience.
  
  

Qualifications & Experience

• Significant experience in a senior insights, analytics, or strategy role within a consumer-focused, leisure, entertainment, or retail organisation.
• Strong background in trading performance analysis, marketing effectiveness, guest experience, and competitor analysis in the UK.
• Proven ability to provide strategic recommendations that influence senior leadership and drive revenue growth.
• Expertise in conducting consumer research and leading strategic research initiatives to inform market and product strategies.
• Experience in a fast-paced, matrixed organisation with a track record of building collaborative relationships across teams.
• Experience in working with external partners and delivering high quality deliverables.
• Advanced degree in business, marketing, data analytics, or a related field is preferred.
  
  

Benefits

We’re growing fast and alongside a fun and friendly environment, we offer a fabulous package and amazing prospects – ideal if you’re already fantastic and want to become even better (our magic can help here). Benefits include Pension, Life Assurance, discretionary company bonus, 28/33 days’ holiday including bank holidays, a Merlin Magic Pass which gives you and your friends and family free admission to all of our attractions worldwide, an Enjoy the Ride pass which entitles you and 5 loved ones unlimited entry into your regional attractions, 25% discount in our retail shops and restaurants and 40% discount on LEGO, plus lots more!

If you have any questions or if you require any assistance, because of a disability or medical condition, please contact us by email at [email protected] and one of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.

Pay Range

Competitive