Deputy Managing Director - Research & Evaluation (Northern Ireland)

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Job Description

The Role...

The Ipsos Northern Ireland team sits within the Ipsos Public Affairs service line. It is one of the most innovative and fast-moving professional services operations within Northern Ireland. The team responds to the needs of government, helping to design, deliver and evaluate policies in areas, such as Energy, Education, Early Years and Housing. The team works with prestigious clients such as Dept. for Energy Security and Net Zero, DE (NI), DoH (NI) and other NI public and voluntary sector organisations.

Based in Belfast, we are looking for an Associate Director or Director who will work closely with the Managing Director for Northern Ireland as well as with the UK Public Affairs Managing Director and Deputy MD in London to deliver and oversee projects and help implement strategy to set and achieve targets.

We are looking for a research or evaluation specialist, with experience in business development and managing client accounts. We are particularly keen to hear from applicants with localised knowledge and experience of project delivery in Northern Ireland itself. The role involves people, resource and budget management to deliver complex large scale and leading-edge social research and evaluation to our clients in both the public and private sector, as well as the ongoing development of new business opportunities.

You will be working with an established team of policy specialists, evaluators, project managers and researchers in the team to advance the use of key methodologies and innovative techniques. As part of the Northern Ireland and wider Public Affairs team, you will be able to contribute to Ipsos' wider knowledge sharing, impact and social value activities.

What will I be doing?

This is an exciting opportunity for an aspiring leader and experienced researcher. Responsibilities include:

• Taking responsibility and accountability for overall delivery and quality of projects (from smaller quick turnaround projects through to large and complex multi-year projects).
• Designing methods which stand up to scrutiny and providing clients with quality and innovation.
• Overseeing all aspects of the project lifecycle, from inception to design of questionnaires and sample strategies, to leading analysis plans to deliver final data and reporting outputs.
• Signing-off deliverables (e.g. questionnaires, presentations and reports) which meet clients' and stakeholders' objectives, adopting creative approaches where relevant.
• Leading proposals and revenue generation, including making pricing recommendations.
• Developing a strong understanding of our clients' needs to help grow the business.
• Communicating effectively with clients, partners, internal and external suppliers, and internal colleagues both in writing and verbally.
• Supporting and supervising team members to deliver work and develop their skills.
• Effectively managing relationships with suppliers and internal operations colleagues to ensure the objectives of the research are met on time and to budget.
• Being accountable for the financial performance and overall quality of projects.
• Contributing to the successful working of the Northern Ireland team and its positive, supportive environment where people are encouraged to challenge themselves and develop.
• Line management of staff.

What do I need to bring with me?

• A broad understanding of the research and evaluation industry and its market in Northern Ireland
• Excellent communication skills including client handling and negotiation skills
• Experience of managing a successful area of the business, including all the financial aspects
• Experience as a senior representative in a client-focused environment, working with clients at all different levels
• Demonstrable experience of business development success
• Strong large scale quantitative and qualitative research, evaluation and analytic experience
• Strong leadership qualities and proven experience and enthusiasm for developing high performing, motivated teams
• Well known in chosen sector
• Line management experience and interest in developing senior and junior colleagues to fulfil their potential

What is in it for me?

Ipsos UK offer an attractive basic salary and a rewards package including 25 days annual leave, a pension scheme and a great range of flexible benefits to suit your personal needs. For roles at Research Manager level and above we also offer private healthcare.

In addition to this we have a fantastic Learning & Development offer delivered through a mix of face to face, online or on-demand; you can read more by clicking here.

We realise you may have commitments outside of work and will consider flexible working applications - please highlight what you are looking for when you make your application.

Ipsos is committed to equality, treating people fairly, promoting a positive and inclusive working environment and ensuring we have diversity of people and views. We also recognise that this is important for our business success - a more diverse workforce will enable us to better reflect and understand the world we research and ultimately deliver better research and insight to our clients.

About Us

Ipsos is one of the world's largest research companies and currently the only one primarily managed by researchers, ranking as a #1 full-service research organization for four consecutive years. With over 75 different data-driven solutions, and presence in 90 markets, Ipsos brings together research, implementation, methodological, and subject-matter experts from around the world, combining thematic and technical experts to deliver top-quality research and insights. Simply speaking, we help the biggest companies solve some of their biggest problems, serving more than 5000 clients across the globe by providing research, data, and insights on their target markets. And we're proud to share we've received our Great Place to Work Certification in 2022 & 2023!

About the Team

The Public Affairs Service Line is the world leader in Social and Opinion Research. We work with clients on political and public opinion polling, citizen and stakeholder management, social policy improvement, sustainable development strategy and identifying societal trends and perceptions across several sectors. We assess how government and public affairs policies as well as societal trends and views impact our client's brand/products/markets.