Director / Associate Director - Research &

**The Role **

Ipsos Northern Ireland has been one of the most reputable research agencies in the region with experienced researchers and evaluators in a range of policy areas.

The team in Belfast uses local knowledge and global expertise to provide high quality, innovative research solutions, which informs public policy and drives organisational strategy among some of the largest companies in Northern Ireland.

Although we work with many organisations on a range of policy areas, we do have key areas of focus including:

- Financial research, with our own dedicated financial survey, which has been operational for over 25 years, along with Customer Satisfaction work for local financial institutions
- Health research, with expertise in mental health and maternity health projects. The Belfast team has also run waves 1 and 2 of the Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA), on behalf of Queen’s University, Belfast
- Local government, specifically in relation to resident’s surveys on consumer issues and utilities
- Advertising and branding, more specifically, aiding brand and advertising agencies to inform and develop campaigns and strategies through evidence-based research.

We deliver sector-leading qualitative and quantitative research. Available techniques range from the traditional; such as face-to-face and telephone interviewing, to the cutting edge; including facial recognition and augmented reality.

We are looking for an Associate Director or Research Director with substantial research experience to join us and help deliver and drive our growth in these key areas.

We are looking for a **methods expert Research and Evaluation **specialist with in either **quantitative or mixed method research skills **, with experience in business development and managing client accounts. We are particularly keen to hear from applicants with localised knowledge and experience of project delivery in the Northern Ireland region.

**What will I be doing?**

This is an exciting opportunity for a dynamic leader and experienced researcher. You will deliver and direct high profile studies which influence and inform communications and decision-making within Government and the third sector. You will also develop key client accounts and grow our business.
- Taking responsibility and accountability for **overall delivery and quality of projects **(including **large and complex multi-year projects **).
- Designing **methods which stand up to scrutiny **, mitigating limitations as much as possible and providing clients with **quality and innovation **.
- **Overseeing all aspects of the project lifecycle **, from inception to design of questionnaires and sample strategies, to leading analysis plans to deliver final data and reporting outputs.
- **Signing-off deliverables **(e.g. questionnaires, presentations and reports) which meet clients’ and stakeholders’ objectives, adopting creative approaches where relevant.
- **Leading proposals and revenue generation **, including making pricing recommendations.
- **Developing a strong understanding of our clients’ needs **and helping to grow our business by taking a proactive approach to developing knowledge of the client’s needs. This might include taking on specific client account leadership roles.
- **Communicating **effectively with clients, internal and external suppliers, and internal colleagues both in writing and verbally.
- **Supporting and supervising **team members to deliver work and develop their own communication style whilst ensuring professionalism and outcomes which are in client and Ipsos’s long-term interests.
- **Effectively managing relationships **with suppliers and internal operations colleagues to ensure the objectives of the research are met on time and to budget.
- Being **accountable for the financial performance **and **overall quality **of projects.
- Contributing to the successful working of the Energy and Environment team and its **positive, supportive environment **where people are encouraged to challenge themselves to develop their skills.
- **Line management **of staff.

**What do I need to bring with me?**

We are looking for someone with:

- Expert quantitative and mixed method research skills. This includes the ability to develop high-quality research materials answering client objectives, and to interrogate quantitative and/or qualitative data to find insights and narratives
- Experience of designing and delivering evaluation in a commercial environment - i.e. to timescale, budget, quality and external (e.g. client) requirements - or equivalent experience in a policy, third sector or academic environment.
- Managing evaluation projects through the full project cycle, from evaluation design, to data collection and analysis, through to developing conclusions and recommendations or work package of a complex project
- Solid commercial skills
- Experience of writing and costing winning proposals.
- Desire to work clo