Role Overview:

We are looking for an Associate Director to join our Education, Children and Families team – helping to deliver some of the most interesting and impactful research studies covering early years through to adulthood.

We pride ourselves on delivering results that can be acted on and impact on policy making. 

The ideal candidate would be interested in working on a range of evaluations, including implementation and process evaluations and impact evaluations using RCTs, QEDs, and small-n methods. 

Key clients:

Department for Education, Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, Youth Endowment Fund, Foundations (What Works Centre for Children and Families),  Institute for Apprenticeships, CLS, Office for Students, TASO (Transforming Access and Student Outcomes), the Gambling Commission, UNICEF, British Council, the Sutton Trust and The Royal Foundation. 

Ipsos operates a hybrid working policy, 3 days in the office and the rest remote. We have offices in London, Manchester & Edinburgh and invite applications from candidates that are able to work from one of these locations and open to traveling to other sites as required.

What will I be doing?

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Mixed methods researcher/evaluator to lead high profile studies and help us grow our business.  As an Associate Director, you will act as Project Director on Research & Evaluations (or Project Manager of large-scale projects), lead winning proposals, and support the team and wider management of the business. 

We are looking for someone with excellent mixed methods (quantitative & qualitative) skills, strong project management skills and experience of undertaking research/evaluation with a range of audiences. 

The main responsibilities will include:

Designing methods which stand up to scrutiny, mitigating limitations as much as possible and providing clients with quality and innovation. Delivering 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. Directing small to medium Research & Evaluations projects - and managing large and complex ones.  Leading proposals and revenue generation, including making pricing recommendations.  Communicating effectively with clients, internal and external suppliers, policymakers, stakeholders and internal colleagues both in writing and verbally. Supporting junior team members to develop their own communication style whilst ensuring professionalism and outcomes which are in Ipsos’ long-term interests. Signing off deliverables (evaluation frameworks, questionnaires / discussion guides, stimulus materials, presentations and reports) which meet clients’ and stakeholders’ objectives, including creative approaches where relevant. Effectively managing relationships with suppliers and internal operations colleagues to ensure the objectives of the evaluation are met on time and to budget. Developing a strong understanding of our clients’ needs and seeking opportunities to grow our business by taking a proactive approach to developing knowledge of the client’s needs. Contributing to the successful running of our team through adding to our positive, supportive, enthusiastic environment where people are encouraged to challenge themselves to develop their skills. 

 

What do I need to bring with me?

This role will suit candidates who enjoy working very closely with clients, often delivering at a fast pace. 

We are looking for someone with: 

We are looking for a highly capable methods expert specialised in either quantitative or mixed method research skills, with experience in business development and managing client accounts.  Good understanding of evaluation methodology and methods and ability to comfortably pick up projects and deliver day-to-day. Experience writing winning proposals including drafting costs. Desire to work closely with clients to maintain and grow our contracts.  Excellent management skills: able to lead multiple projects and support junior members of the team to develop their research and project management skills.  Ability to work to tight deadlines to deliver profitable work and assure quality of all outputs. Ability to understand and interpret complex data to draw out a clear narrative and insight to inform client decision-making. Excellent client handling and supplier negotiation skills. Confident and clear written and verbal communication skills, including experience of preparing presentations (and ideally written reports) with a high level of accurate use of English. Interest in the social issues affecting education, children and families.

 

What is in it for me?

Ipsos UK offer an attractive basic salary and a rewards package including 25 days annual leave, a pension scheme and a great range of flexible benefits to suit your personal needs. For roles at Research Manager level and above we also offer private healthcare.

In addition to this we have a fantastic Learning & Development offer delivered through a mix of face to face, online or on-demand; you can read more by clicking here.  

We realise you may have commitments outside of work and will consider flexible working applications - please highlight what you are looking for when you make your application. 

Ipsos is committed to equality, treating people fairly, promoting a positive and inclusive working environment and ensuring we have diversity of people and views. We also recognise that this is important for our business success - a more diverse workforce will enable us to better reflect and understand the world we research and ultimately deliver better research and insight to our clients.