Senior Project Manager - Qualitative Consumer Research

Overview

Who we are

Hall & Partners is a team of unconventional thinkers, obsessed with how marketing influences the relationship between people, brands and culture. Born out of ad land, we are the insight agency known for weaving creativity with science.

We distil data through a strategic lens to reveal ‘uncommon insights’ – human truths tailored to individual brands, not black box data available to the masses. We partner with clients to shape brand strategy and optimise brand and campaign performance. Our award-winning approach amplifies insights across every business area, propelling marketing decision-making to create an unmatched competitive advantage.

We do this for an eclectic group mix of brands, including 29 of Interbrand’s Top 50 Best Brands and 16 of the top 20 biopharmaceutical companies.

Hall & Partners is an uncommon insight agency that specializes/specialises in brand strategy, brand performance measurement, and campaign performance research. 

Responsibilities

Our Values

COMMUNITY

We have created an inclusive and supportive environment. Everyone is encouraged to contribute, and every idea and opinion is respected. When one of us succeeds, we all celebrate.

COLLABORATION

We do great work by inspiring each other and having fun along the way. We forge strong connections with each other, our clients and our network by being honest and loyal partners.

CREATIVITY

We improvise and experiment to solve problems when solutions don’t already exist. We make the complex feel simple. Our thinking delights clients and helps them see problems in a different light.

CURIOSITY

We never stop asking questions. We keep digging until we find genuinely uncommon insights. We’re always pushing ourselves to improve the value we offer to clients.

COURAGE

We encourage our clients, and each other to try new things, to learn and to grow. We see every challenge as an opportunity to be bold and original.

Role

The role of a Research Project Manager is to oversee the set up and management of qualitative research projects to ensure successful completion within H&P Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). This will require working closely with research teams, clients, field partners, data management centers, and other external suppliers/partners. You will be expected to contribute to the company’s operational processes by providing proactive ideas and plans about improving the efficiency of the project management function and by supporting operational initiatives.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Qualitative Senior Project Manager to join our business.

The role of Qualitative Senior Project Manager is to cost and oversee the set up and management of research projects to ensure successful completion within best practices.

This will require working closely with the research team, clients, field partners and other external supplier-partners. The role operates in a matrix structure and in addition to reporting to the Operations Director you would also have a dotted line into the research team you are working with. You will also be expected to contribute to company operations processes; providing proactive ideas and plans about improving the efficiency of the project management function and working on projects and supporting operational steering groups.

The role will give you broad exposure and visibility within the company and will require you to have contacts with all research and administrative staff to ensure the success of the initiatives you manage.  We are looking for proactive, positive solutions orientated people who have a determination to drive growth and deliver change. As part our transformation strategy we are in the process of building on our changing supplier relationships and developing end-to-end automation from scripting to visualisation. The role will require an ability to embrace and drive this change within the business.

Working in a fast-paced environment the role requires someone who is adaptable and able to prioritise. We are open to a variety of professional backgrounds and need someone who can deliver across a broad spectrum of projects.

Qualifications

Core responsibilities

• Set‐up and manage projects spanning from across a range of qualitative methodologies
• Act as an expert to support researchers and other project management team members for methodology, sampling and supplier selection in markets
• Cover full project management, including not just the research team and the suppliers, but also liaising professionally with clients as needed, taking a key role in status meetings and providing updates on fieldwork, timelines, deliverables, etc.
• Manage the team’s resourcing, ensuring that we balance timelines and client expectations against the team’s capacity.
• Direct the team’s focus ensuring you are supporting the team to stay on track with their deliverables and focused against the right work daily.
• Identify opportunities throughout the project lifecycle for improvements and efficiencies. Share these with the teams and provide expertise and guidance as to how to be operationally efficient
• Manage relationships with freelancers to supplement team capacity as required.
• Provide full costs and timings for new business proposals or existing projects
• Lead negotiation and supplier management at a project level. Develops and manages positive supplier relationships to effectively manage cost, delivery timings and risk. Provides suppliers with performance feedback and makes recommendations for improvements. Good understanding of SLA’s and SOW content and implementation.
• Drive adherence to H&P Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) within the research teams
• Proactively identify project efficiencies and ways of improving profitability of projects
• Provide expertise and proactive guidance as to how to be as operationally efficient as possible
• Mentor, develop and train more junior members of operations and research teams
• Support the wider operations and research teams with any training and implementing of operational initiatives

Key attributes

• Extensive experience in project management in a qualitative market research environment, including understanding and/or experience of tasks such as recruitment management, scheduling, screener and profile review.
• Has strong working knowledge of approaches to brand and communications research, including concept testing, creative development, pre‐testing and methodology types such as focus groups, self ethnography and in depth interviews
• Experience or involvement in costing projects and budget management is a pre-requisite for this role
• Excellent project management skills, managing the end‐to‐end project life cycle with multi‐market and complex studies
• Ability to liaise professionally with clients, including taking a key role in status meetings, updating the client on fieldwork, timelines, deliverables, etc.
• Ability to manage multiple projects at a time while sticking to deadlines and achieving a high quality output
• Ability to work effectively across all levels including senior leadership
• Experience in managing external suppliers
• Excellent communication skills with an ability to influence others within areas of responsibility
• Excellent organization skills and processes work under tight deadlines and shifting priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Dedicated to quality and responsiveness with a focus on processes and efficiency
• Previous experience implementing and driving best practice processes within an organisation.
• Ability to champion methodological choices with clients and teammates and identify potential pitfalls in clients’ briefs/requests and question those
• Has a presence in the office community; looks for ways to interact with other teams and departments within H&P
• Experience with quantitative research a plus but not required

And, importantly, embodies Hall & Partners’ core values: curious, courageous, collaborative, creative.

Overall, we are looking for people who can act as genuine consultants to their clients and teams. People who can offer them integrated solutions and talk to them about what research methods and suppliers/partners can contribute to solving their business issues.  Be a “go‐to” person.

What we offer you

We believe we have a unique culture. It’s a difficult thing to put into words but it’s all about being challenging yet treating each other with respect. We are naturally curious and we love to learn and discover new things.

We nurture opinions and really respect people who have a point of view and aren’t afraid to share their thinking. We work as teams and responsibilities sit with everyone in that team, whatever their job title. A can-do attitude goes a long way in our business and we don't tolerate egos!

We are passionate about helping our people to learn, stretch and grow. We want this to be a place where people feel challenged, as well as guided and supported.

We have a Learn calendar packed with opportunities to attend interactive training sessions. From “OutsideIn” sessions with industry experts to “15 minutes of Fame” sessions with colleagues to share the amazing work we do, there are lots of ways to build your skills for the future

Benefits

We want our people to feel rewarded for the great work they do. Here are some of the benefits we offer.

Private healthcare

Permanent health insurance

Salary sacrifice pension scheme

Group life insurance

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Monthly financial planning clinic

Additional weeks holiday after 4 years continued service

Interest free season ticket loan

£50 gift voucher for each birthday 

Childcare vouchers

Eye test & £50 contribution to lenses

Cycle to work scheme

Paid Volunteer day

Flexible working

To find out more about Hall & Partners click here to check us out online.

We believe the best teams are the ones that have the most diverse range of talent. We celebrate difference and believe that everyone has unique strengths to contribute. We uncover the personal strengths of everyone who works for us, recognising that we’re stronger when we work together.

We recognise the importance of a truly diverse workforce that reflects the world we live in, as we work together to close the ‘relationship gap’ between people and brands.    We welcome applications from individuals regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexuality, social background, religion and/or belief.