Ready to join a new breed of qualitative research company?

Global insight and strategic branding group is seeking to add a curiosity-driven Senior Manager to their nimble and entrepreneurial team.  These folks believe research should be creative, rigorous, and flexible.

This qual-focused Senior Manager will have various responsibilities including client management and drafting proposals, to workshops and creation of documentaries, reporting, new business pitches, invoicing, strategic initiatives, and conducting various modes of research (ethnographies, shop-alongs, in-depth interviews, moderation of focus groups, etc.). Present projects touch on myriad categories such as CPG, technology, retail, hospitality, lifestyle, etc. While this is not a dedicated role, we are particularly interested in someone who has the skill and expertise to help advise clients working in the US Hispanic marketplace. This will include understanding segments, sub-groups, traditions, customs and nuances, as well as the related cultural dynamics and issues. Fully English/Spanish bilingual a must.

YOU are a talented senior researcher, planner or strategist with an involved, passionate, connected, collaborative spirit. You are smart, ambitious, exciting, a strategic thinker up for the challenge of growth. Experienced in tackling strategic, high profile briefs and projects, you’ll be happy working in a creative, informal but intellectually demanding environment. Enjoyment is key; please love what you do.

Further, a forward-thinking qualitative researcher with 5+ years experience (planning, brand consulting and/or research), involved in all stages of the research process, from designing and setting up projects and conducting fieldwork, through to analysis, report writing/storytelling and presenting findings. You must have experience leading projects and being the main client point of contact.  You should relish the idea of working in a small growing team that offers progression through achievement and attitude rather than moving up a static career ladder.  Please be human, creative and full of energy; resourcefulness, flexibility, individual passions, and confidence mixed with quirkiness are highly valued.

You will be fully supported by a well-developed project management team, back office support team, film team and a very ambitious group of qualitative researchers and brand consultants who delight in getting on planes to go to places to solve client problems. Compensation will be competitive based on the skills and experience of the candidate and will include healthcare, 4 weeks vacation as standard, participation in the company bonus scheme and of course invitations to our various outings, shindigs and away days.

If this is you, send us your resume/portfolio showing that you are whip-smart and never boring and why we would be mad not to have you on the team.

Sounds great?! Shoot your details to [email protected]. Not for you? Please share with your network, and get someone working!

When it comes to business, new ideas are a valuable commodity. Every business is seeking a competitive edge, a new idea that can catapult the company forward.

But, new ideas can be hard to come by. This is especially true when employees all derive from similar backgrounds or have been in the same industry for a number of years. Things can get pretty stale due to lack of fresh stimulation. And you know? That’s pretty normal.

When you operate in a certain “world” – for instance, the world of advertising, real estate, finance, or whatever it may be – you’re surrounded by people with similar experiences. They are in the same industry, so there’s a lot of familiarity with the methodology. There may be little exposure to outsiders, so things can get stale, meaning creativity is not exactly flowing.

New ideas – more often than not – come from the least expected avenues. They happen as a result of situational stimulation; something sparks. This usually happens when we’ve been motivated by something outside of our normal frame of reference. This is equally true when it comes down to hiring staff.

If you’re recruiting, it’s pretty common to be looking for industry experience. Sure, it may seem like the logical solution is to be looking for someone with industry experience. But here’s the thing, when you go down the traditional route, it’s the same gene pool that you, and most of your competitors, are drawing from.

Hiring outside of or adjacent to your industry means widening the net, expanding the talent pool and building a stronger company. It doesn’t mean hiring someone with no experience. Rather it means making a hire based on soft skills.

Soft skills are what separates one candidate from another when they are on equal footing. They are also highly transferrable; they are skills that are honed as a result of life and work experiences. The industry specifics can, more often than not, be acquired – of course, this does depend somewhat on the exact role and industry you’re recruiting for.

A candidate with strong soft skills, honed in a different industry, will bring a totally different perspective. The non-traditional hire is looking with a fresh set of eyes and seeing things inside your industry for the first time. A non-biased view allows a sense of wonder – thought-provoking questions are asked.

With a non-traditional hire, you get a totally new perspective that has an effect on flow. The blinders fall away, and the business gets a fresh injection of new ideas. That’s when the magic starts to happen.