Research Director

Research Director Location: US 6 Month Fixed Term Contract (Temp) Salary: $154,500 (Pro Rata) About System1? In the words of one of our senior clients recently… “Market Research has changed more in the last 3 years than the previous 40” System1 is the leading global Marketing decision making platform. We help brands measure and understand whether their marketing works. Predictive technology is our passion but our focus is very much human. We understand the power of emotion and capture the nuances of human behaviour to power data-driven decisions. We want to drive change and rewire behaviours, envisioning a world where our pioneering methodologies are embedded in the workflows of every marketing decision-maker. We are also who we are because of our people. So if you share our enthusiasm, are ambitious, creative, and highly motivated, then we’d love to hear from you! Join the System1 team to continue to help us remove the guesswork for marketeers everywhere, as well as secure our growth, ambition, and success. About the role? The role is in our Research and Guidance team reporting into the Head of Research & Guidance in the US. You will be responsible for overseeing & contributing to high quality project output. To deliver this, you will support our Commercial team in building strong client relationships & securing repeat revenue on key strategic accounts. You will be a key point of contact the US Commercial team advising on project design, scope & timings to feed into proposals & contribute to pitches. You will line manage a R&G sub team to include the allocation of projects as well as supporting the growth & development of the team. This is a hybrid office/remote role with one day in the office expected each week (and ad hoc as required) Key Responsibilities: Research Design: Lead research project design, ensuring proposals are robust, aligned with product taxonomy, and reflect past learnings. Analysis & Reporting: Prepare, review, and improve consultancy reports while coaching the team on analysis and reporting best practices. Client Liaison & Relationships: Assist Sales in building strong client relationships, sharing insights, and leading debriefs. Team Management: Manage and develop the R&G team, including workload allocation, training, and engagement. Drive personal and team capability through ongoing learning, knowledge sharing, and staying current with industry trends. Competencies: Manages Complexity: Makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems. Plans & Aligns: Plans and prioritises work to meet commitments aligned with organisational goals. Business Insight: Applies knowledge of business and the marketplace to advance the organization's goals. Monitors business news and market changes for impact on the business or on own expertise area; uses to shape decisions. Ensures accountability: Holds self and others accountable to meet commitments. Communicates Effectively: Develops and delivers multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences. Keeps others well informed; conveys information clearly, concisely, and professionally when speaking or writing. Decision Quality: Makes good and timely decisions that keep the organization moving forward. For example, knows when to act independently and when to escalate issues. Integrates various inputs, decision criteria, and trade-offs to make effective decisions. Customer Focus: Builds strong customer relationships and delivers customer-centric solutions. For example, is interested in Sales needs, learns requirements, and delivers effectively. Responds promptly to requests; secures the support of others to resolve the issues. Proactivity: Demonstrates proactivity & a positive can-do attitude when working with all stakeholders both internally & externally. Experience Required: Ideally 10+ years experience Passionate about Marketing, Market Research & consultancy Proven experience working within the industry across communications, brand & innovation e.g. research or media agency, or in Insights or Marketing function within a client organisation Excellent analytical & consultancy skills with the ability to see the ‘so what’ for clients Experience of line management & team development Benefits Our people are important to us, and we understand that each person has a life outside of work and we therefore offer flexible working arrangements (Hybrid) aiming to suit your needs. We also offer several wellbeing resources such as “de-clutter” days for your personal and professional needs. We also have recognition schemes, and regular socials and company events. We welcome applicants from all diverse communities and encourage our candidates to ask us about reasonable adjustments that we may be able to make to support through our recruitment process and while in post. We welcome applicants from all diverse communities and encourage our candidates to ask us about reasonable adjustments that we may be able to make to support through our recruitment process and while in post.