Job Description

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Senior Research Executive

(Responsible to Insight Manager)

Company Profile

Sparkminds is an independent marketing insight agency based in Warwickshire, UK, delivering world class insight to the world’s biggest and most ambitious brands. Our purpose as an agency is simple; to help our clients make more informed decisions, enabling them to better control their future. We are nothing without our team, and as such all team members are highly valued, well rewarded, and unconditionally respected.

We operate a flexible working environment, where trust is at the heart of our culture.

The Role In A Nutshell

You will be a Senior Research Executive with strong research fundamentals and growing quantitative capability. You’ll focus on research craft: designing studies, managing fieldwork, working with data, and producing clear, high-quality analysis and deliverables. You’ll support the Insight Manager in running projects smoothly and at pace, while building confidence with clients through reliable, well-organised delivery.

You’ll have increasing ownership of workstreams within projects (e.g. questionnaire or discussion guide drafting, survey scripting briefs, fieldwork coordination, data checks, analysis, and slide preparation). Client influence and strategic steering will typically be led by the Insight Manager/Director, but you will be expected to communicate clearly, contribute ideas, and represent Sparkminds professionally.

Hours of work – 30 to 37.5 hours per week. Once agreed at a total weekly level, hours can, to a large extent, be worked flexibly – around school pick up, for example.

Place of work, Southam, however some working from home is possible.

Specific Skills / Qualifications

·      Experience and confidence in quantitative workstreams (qualitative experience beneficial).

·      Strong written & verbal communication skills; able to write clearly and structure thinking.

·      Highly organised and experienced at prioritising and managing tasks across multiple projects.

·      High attention to detail and strong quality-control instincts (data checks, logic checks, proofing, consistency).

·      Comfortable working with data in Excel; confident in analysis; able to build strong data visualization in charts; and able to understand & learn new tools quickly.

·      Strong MS Office skills – particularly PowerPoint & Excel.

·      Curious about brands, advertising and human behaviour; motivated to find the ‘why’ behind the data.

·      Comfortable using AI-enabled tools to accelerate drafting/synthesis where appropriate, while maintaining rigour, confidentiality and clear provenance.

Whilst academics are important, we place more emphasis on work ethic, attitude and personality than academic qualifications. If you feel that you are a good fit for this exciting role, please get in touch.

Specific Roles & Responsibilities

Project delivery & research craft

·      Support the Insight Manager to deliver projects to agreed timelines; keep tasks moving and communicate progress and risks early.

·      Contribute to study design: draft questionnaires, discussion guides and stimuli; sense-check against objectives and decision needs.

·      Coordinate fieldwork logistics and liaise with suppliers/partners as required.

·      Draft clear briefs for survey scripting/tabbing or qualitative recruitment; check outputs against spec.

·      Perform data quality checks (logic, outliers, sample structure, weighting notes where relevant) and maintain tidy working files.

·      Analyse data to find the key stories (including stats, cross-tabs, charts) and contribute to interpretation.

·      Draft charts and supporting materials with strong story flow, clarity and polish

·      Maintain organised project folders, version control and documentation to support team efficiency.

Client communication & support

·      Attend client calls/meetings as needed; take accurate notes, actions and decisions; follow up promptly with the project team.

·      Provide clear status updates and practical guidance (timings, what happens next, what we need from the client) under direction of the Insight Manager.

·      Build positive working relationships through responsiveness, reliability and a calm, helpful collaborative mindset.

Team contribution & ways of working

·      Work collaboratively with Insight Managers, Directors and other team members; ask for help early and share learning.

·      Contribute to templates, checklists and efficient ways of working that improve quality and speed across the agency.

·      Stay curious and continue developing craft across methodologies, analysis, storytelling and tools.

What success looks like

·      Projects run smoothly because the detail is handled well: timelines are met, risks are flagged early, and nothing falls through the cracks.

·      Data and deliverables are high quality: accurate, consistent, well-proofed and easy for others to build on.

·      Analysis is clear and useful: you spot patterns, ask smart questions, and contribute to compelling storylines.

·      The team feels supported: you communicate well, take ownership of your work, and improve how we work together.

You In A Nutshell

You care deeply about research craft and take pride in producing accurate, well-structured work. You’re proactive, organised and calm under pressure, able to balance speed with rigour. You enjoy learning and want to grow your capability across methodologies, analysis and storytelling. You communicate clearly, bring positive energy, and you’re happy to roll your sleeves up when required.

Remuneration

·      Salary - £30,000 - £40,000 (FTE) based on experience

·      Pension contributions matched up to 5%

·      Annual and spot bonus based on company performance, up to 15% of salary

·      30 days holiday on a FTE basis

·      3 days Christmas shut down

·      Mobile phone and laptop

·      Health / life / death in service insurance available on a salary sacrifice basis

For more information, or to apply for this role, please get in touch via careers@sparkmindsinsight.com