Job Description

About us

At Focaldata, we’re building a new kind of tech-enabled research agency — that offers clients deep insight at the speed of software. You’ll get the opportunity to work alongside a highly collaborative team of researchers, client leads, engineers, data scientists and product specialists. We do impactful work with leading organisations, from brands like New Balance to campaign groups like Hope not Hate and non-profits like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Join us.

About the role

Focaldata is growing its Consulting & Analytics team and is looking for an Associate Director to lead strategic client relationships, win complex research work and raise the quality of delivery across our portfolio. This is a senior, hands-on leadership role combining commercial ownership, trusted client partnership, high-stakes project oversight and the development of talented researchers—helping organisations make better decisions through fast, rigorous research.

Salary range: £63,000 - £75,000 per annum.

What you'll be doing

As an Associate Director, you’ll combine senior client leadership with commercial ownership and a high bar for delivery. You’ll work closely with clients, the Growth team, Operations and researchers across Focaldata to:

• Own and grow strategic client accounts, building a deep understanding of their goals and identifying opportunities to expand our work
• Win new business by shaping compelling proposals for large or complex projects, including RFPs, and drawing on the right expertise across the team
• Senior-lead significant projects, setting direction and ensuring the work is rigorous, useful to clients and delivered to agreed quality and commercial standards
• Review and shape analysis, reports and presentations, getting hands-on when your input will have the greatest impact
• Act as an escalation point when client, quality or margin risks arise; address issues early and help the team learn from delivery
• Manage and develop Research Managers through clear expectations, regular feedback, coaching and formal reviews
• Improve how the team works with Operations, championing processes and technology, including AI tools, that help us deliver faster and better

Who you are: skills and experience

You’ll bring a track record of combining excellent research delivery with trusted client relationships and team leadership. We’re looking for:

• Experience leading complex quantitative (and qualitative) research, analytics or insight projects from scoping through to clear, client-ready recommendations in a social research setting (e.g., foundations, Quangos, corporates)
• Strong analytical and communication skills: you can challenge evidence, find the important story and explain it clearly to senior audiences
• Confidence developing proposals and responding to complex briefs or RFPs, with sound judgement about scope and value
• Evidence of building senior client relationships, growing accounts and contributing to revenue or commercial targets
• The ability to oversee multiple projects and maintain high standards for quality, client service and commercial performance
• Experience managing, coaching or developing researchers or consultants, including giving constructive feedback
• An interest in improving ways of working and helping teams make effective use of technology and AI

You likely have 8+ years of market research experience, providing a breadth and depth of knowledge handling different situations which you can bring to this role

Who you are: mindset

• You’re curious and rigorous, detail-minded without losing sight of the bigger picture, and motivated by solving clients’ problems quickly and thoughtfully
• You build trust through responsiveness, transparency and delivery — you take ownership, and make decisions with clear rationale behind your thinking, raising risks early
• You welcome challenge, learn openly from what doesn’t go to plan, and enjoy helping colleagues grow through clear and constructive feedback and support
• You’re commercially minded without compromising research quality, you know when to hold the line
• You’re energised by a fast-moving environment where you can improve how work gets done, including through technology and AI

Focaldata is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We believe in the value of a diverse and inclusive workforce for our business, team and customers. We encourage all applications regardless of age, disability, gender, marriage, pregnancy, maternity, race or nationality, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.