Qualitative Research Director - Automotive

Location: London – 3 days per week in office

Salary: Up to 90k + discretionary bonus

Travel: Regular international travel (Europe & occasional long‑haul)

This range is provided by Harnham. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end qualitative research projects, particularly within the automotive sector.
• Design and deliver studies including:
  • Ethnography (including long in‑field sessions)
  • Focus groups
  • Online communities and boards
  • Communications and concept testing
• Work closely with clients on NPD programmes, including multi‑year vehicle development.
• Write proposals, scope work, cost projects, and manage fieldwork delivery.
• Conduct analysis and storytelling, translating insights into clear recommendations.
• Manage projects and mentor junior team members where required.
• Collaborate with global teams across Europe and North America.

About You

• 7-10+ years’ experience in market research with a strong qualitative focus.
• Proven experience working on automotive research.
• Comfortable in a small, fast‑paced consultancy environment.
• Experienced across the full research lifecycle: proposal writing → fieldwork → analysis → client delivery.
• Strong client‑facing skills and confident presenting to senior stakeholders.
• Ethnographic research experience highly desirable.
• Mixed‑methods exposure is a plus, but qualitative is core.

Why Join?

• Work with globally recognised automotive brands.
• High level of ownership and visibility in a growing team.
• Exposure to international research and travel opportunities.
• Backed by a larger marketing group while retaining a boutique feel.
• Clear opportunity to influence and shape the function as it scales.

Interview Process

• First stage: Virtual interview (45‑60 mins)
• Second stage: Short task + presentation to the team
• Final stage: Brief conversations with senior stakeholders

Job Information

• Seniority level: Director
• Employment type: Full‑time
• Job function: Analyst
• Industries: Media and Telecommunications