Associate Director – Mixed Methods Insight & Consultancy

About Verve

At Verve, we help brands make decisions of consequence.

We combine Human, Cultural and Artificial Intelligence to uncover fresh perspectives, tackle complex business challenges and help clients see what's next.

From deep human insight to AI-powered simulations, we're pushing the boundaries of what research and consultancy can achieve.

We're curious, ambitious and entrepreneurial. We challenge convention, embrace new possibilities and believe the best thinking comes from bringing different minds and disciplines together.

About the role

We're looking for a strategically minded Associate Director who knows how to bring qualitative and quantitative insight together to solve complex client challenges.

You'll lead high-impact programmes, build trusted client partnerships and play an active role in growing our business. We're particularly interested in experience across retail or FMCG, where understanding consumers, categories and commercial realities is critical.

We're looking for candidates based in London or Manchester who can attend their local Verve hub at least once a month.

What you'll be doing

• Leading strategic insight programmes, owning projects from proposal to debrief and ensuring outstanding quality, storytelling and commercial impact.
• Designing mixed-methods approaches, combining qualitative, quantitative and AI-powered techniques to solve complex business challenges.
• Leading client relationships, becoming a trusted adviser who understands their business, challenges their thinking and identifies new opportunities.
• Turning insight into action, connecting consumer understanding, category knowledge and commercial context to shape strategic recommendations.
• Growing our business, developing accounts, shaping compelling proposals and helping win new work.
• Developing our people, guiding project teams, mentoring consultants and raising standards across delivery.
• Owning commercial performance, managing project costing, resources and profitability while maintaining quality.
• Championing smarter ways of working, applying AI and automation thoughtfully to improve efficiency, innovation and the rigour of our outputs.

These are the sort of traits we're looking for

• Strong insight consultancy experience, with the confidence to advise senior clients.
• Quantitative experience across a wide range of methodologies, from simple concept tests through to advanced analytics approaches such as MaxDiff, Conjoint and TURF.
• Solid qualitative skills, both face-to-face and online.
• Commercially minded, with experience growing accounts and winning new business.
• Ideally able to demonstrate expertise working with UK retailers or in FMCG.
• Curious about AI, innovation and new ways of working.
• Proactive, adaptable and comfortable navigating ambiguity.
• A confident communicator and collaborative leader who develops others.

What we offer

• The opportunity to help shape the future of insight consultancy
• Exposure to cutting-edge AI tools, thinking and methodologies
• Real ownership of client relationships and commercially significant work
• Freedom to experiment, innovate and make things happen
• A collaborative, ambitious and entrepreneurial culture
• The chance to develop people and build capabilities
• High-impact challenges for leading brands

If you're excited by the opportunity to combine strategic thinking, great research and new technology to make a real difference, we'd love to hear from you.

By applying to Verve, you acknowledge our use of AI-assisted tools to help screen applications against job-related criteria. All outcomes are reviewed by humans and are not determinative. You can request human review, express your views, or contest any assessment at any time via privacymanagement@addverve.com.

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Compensation: £52,000 - £59,000