75 Research Director jobs in the United Kingdom

Our client is a creative insight consultancy known for its planning mentality: making research work harder, sharper, and more energising for ambitious brands.

They’re employee-owned, collaborative, and driven by big ideas but also by commercial impact.

And right now, they’re looking for a Research Director who can bring both strategic brilliance and business-building firepower.

What you’ll do:

Lead high-profile, insight-rich qual projects from pitch through to debrief

Design innovative approaches and run brilliant groups, depths and cultural immersions

️ Craft sharp, strategic narratives that cut through and inspire action

Grow client accounts and spot new opportunities to expand the agency’s reach

Our client is a creative insight consultancy known for its planning mentality: making research work harder, sharper, and more energising for ambitious brands.

They’re employee-owned, collaborative, and driven by big ideas but also by commercial impact.

And right now, they’re looking for a Research Director who can bring both strategic brilliance and business-building firepower.

What you’ll do:

Lead high-profile, insight-rich qual projects from pitch through to debrief

Design innovative approaches and run brilliant groups, depths and cultural immersions

️ Craft sharp, strategic narratives that cut through and inspire action

Grow client accounts and spot new opportunities to expand the agency’s reach

• Research Director
• Advertising Effectiveness - Brand Lift Research
• Salary: up to £75,000 plus bonus + great benefits
• London 1 day per week in the office.
• Open to part time 4 days a week too

We are looking for a strategic and commercially minded quant Research Director to lead high-impact advertising and media research. This is a senior role for someone with strong ad effectiveness credentials and a passion for shaping team culture, driving innovation and delivering work that matters.

You will play a key role in building client partnerships, guiding a talented team, and influencing decisions at the highest level. Expect to work across digital, social and cross-media campaigns, with plenty of opportunity to shape the future of the Ad Effectiveness Insight function.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead strategic ad effectiveness research projects from start to finish
• Act as a senior advisor to clients, including C-suite stakeholders
• Drive commercial success through smart pricing, scoping and planning
• Mentor and develop team members, supporting progression and retention
• Promote operational best practice and high-quality outputs

What You Will Bring

• Proven experience in ad effectiveness and media research
• Strong understanding of digital and cross-media methodologies
• Confident commercial decision-making and financial awareness
• Ability to influence and communicate at all levels
• Calm, adaptable leadership style with a focus on collaboration

This is a standout opportunity to step into a pivotal leadership role and help define the future of advertising research.

Please apply for next steps. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds and actively seek to embrace diversity across age, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, race, religion, and sex.

For successful applicants, a recruitment consultant will be in touch via email to schedule a briefing call. We’ll explain the role in more detail and share company information before progressing with a formal application.

Note: Due to the high volume of applications we receive, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

We're hiring for a Research Director to join our team at Firefish Data

We are a small agency, with big ambitions, where everyone counts!

As a key strategic contributor,

you'll bring curiosity, adaptability and entrepreneurial spirit, alongside the experience to drive commercial growth and deliver outstanding work directly with our clients.

So if you're motivated by creating impact with data and excited by the chance to influence the direction of Firefish Data, we would love to hear from you!

You'll need to have

• Strategic Insight & Storytelling : the ability to turn data, cultural signals, and behavioural science into compelling, actionable narratives.
• Methodological Expertise: proven expertise in quant research design, data and analytics and applying advanced quant methods to client challenges.
• Commercial Acumen : a track record of delivering revenue, managing margins, negotiating fees, and protecting profitability.
• Proposal & Pitch Leadership : confidence in leading high-stake proposals and converting opportunities.
• Client Impact Delivery : experience at running multi-strand programmes of work, ensuring outputs are both strategically sharp and practically viable.
• Operational Discipline : the ability to spot efficiencies, streamline processes, and manage workload across multiple projects.
• Presentation & Gravitas : experience engaging and influencing senior / C-suite audiences.

Plus

A Hands-On Mindset: you thrive in a small team, willing to roll your sleeves up and contribute directly.

• Agility & Problem Solving: you stay calm under pressure, can quickly create solutions, and lead through challenges.
• A Collaborator and Team Player : you are comfortable working side-by-side with colleagues, sharing responsibility, and celebrating collective wins.
• Resilience & Accountability : you take ownership for client satisfaction and delivery, even when things get tough.
• Be a Clear Communicator: you are transparent, structured, and persuasive in how you explain thinking and decisions.
• A Relationship Builder : you are trusted by clients for your judgement, integrity, and reliability.

Firefish Data is the newest specialist business within the Firefish Group, built to help clients make data work harder for them. We blend data engineering, analytics, and data science to create human-centred, scalable data solutions that deliver real impact.

Being part of Firefish Group means we're plugged into world-class strategy and insight expertise, while working in a start-up style environment where entrepreneurial thinking and collaboration thrive.

Location : UK-based, Hybrid working

Flexibility : Full-Time, hours can be shaped to fit your working style

Package : Competitive salary + excellent benefits

Sounds like the job for you? Mail us direct on to apply. Please include a cover letter and a most recent copy of your CV / Resume.

We are not working with agencies for this position, and are only considering direct approaches. Thank you for understanding.

For more information about Firefish Data and other positions, look at our website

Research Director | Global Consulting Company | £70k-£100k DOE + Bonus | Mostly Remote / Central London

We’re working on an exciting opportunity with a global research and analytics firm; they are hiring for a Research Director (B2B) to join their global team.

The Company

Operating internationally, the company provides research and insight services that help businesses make better decisions through data.

They specialise in market intelligence, competitor analysis, and sector-specific research across industries such as finance, private equity, FMCG, and Tech.

The Role

This high-impact role combines strategic client advisory, advanced quantitative research, and team leadership across multiple sectors. If you’re driven by data, insight, and commercial outcomes – and want to shape strategies that matter – this is your chance to step into a pivotal leadership position with global reach.

The Candidate

Key attributes of the successful Research Director & Analytics include:

• Deep expertise in quantitative research methods – Conjoint, Max Diff, Segmentations, etc.
• Strong commercial mindset with a history of hitting revenue targets
• Proven leadership within a market research/analytics setting, with experience working across multiple sectors (ideally Financial Services or Tech)
• Experience of working with B2B Clients

Research Director | Global Consulting Company | £70k-£100k DOE + Bonus | Mostly Remote / Central London

We’re working on an exciting opportunity with a global research and analytics firm; they are hiring for a Research Director (B2B) to join their global team.

The Company

Operating internationally, the company provides research and insight services that help businesses make better decisions through data.

They specialise in market intelligence, competitor analysis, and sector-specific research across industries such as finance, private equity, FMCG, and Tech.

The Role

This high-impact role combines strategic client advisory, advanced quantitative research, and team leadership across multiple sectors. If you’re driven by data, insight, and commercial outcomes – and want to shape strategies that matter – this is your chance to step into a pivotal leadership position with global reach.

The Candidate

Key attributes of the successful Research Director & Analytics include:

• Deep expertise in quantitative research methods – Conjoint, Max Diff, Segmentations, etc.
• Strong commercial mindset with a history of hitting revenue targets
• Proven leadership within a market research/analytics setting, with experience working across multiple sectors (ideally Financial Services or Tech)
• Experience of working with B2B Clients