Associate Manager - Research

Company description

YouGov is an international research data and analytics group. We help the world’s most recognised brands, media owners and agencies to plan, activate and track better marketing activities. As pioneers of online market research, we have been building an ever-growing source of consumer data for more than twenty years, creating the richest and most complete understanding of consumers’ complex lives. We call it living data.

We are driven by shared values. We are fast, fearless and innovative. We work diligently to get it right. We are guided by accuracy, ethics and proven methodologies. We respect and trust each other and bring these values into everything we do.

With operations in the UK, North America, Mainland Europe, the Nordics, the Middle East, India and Asia Pacific, YouGov has one of the world’s largest research networks.

Role overview

This is a consultative, client-facing research role. We are looking for someone who understands clients’ businesses, asks the right questions and gives advice that leads to better decisions. Delivery still matters, but it is no longer the whole job.

Our team is also changing how research is produced. We use AI tools, including Claude, AI agents and connected data workflows, for tasks such as questionnaire drafts, data processing, tabulation, charting and first-draft reports, while still delivering some work through traditional methods. This frees up more time for client work and thinking. You will help lead this change and bring the judgement that AI tools cannot provide on their own.

You will own a portfolio of tracking and ad hoc research for medium and large accounts, working with a high degree of independence. You will turn broad business questions into sound research designs, guide AI-assisted work, and check that every output is accurate, methodologically sound and answers the client’s real question.

You will be the trusted day-to-day partner for your clients: keeping them informed, challenging briefs where needed, bringing in insights from across YouGov’s data assets, and making recommendations that stand up to scrutiny. You will also introduce clients to YouGov’s AI-enabled data products and help the wider team adopt new ways of working.

What you will be doing

Client ownership and advisory

Act as the main point of contact for a portfolio of clients, owning relationships from brief to debrief and beyond.

Take over and manage existing accounts with ongoing work in place, including live trackers and recurring deliverables, ensuring continuity, consistent quality and on-time delivery.

Review inherited projects with a fresh eye, identifying risks, inefficiencies or opportunities to add value, and agree improvements with clients where appropriate.

Respond to new briefs from existing clients and support new business opportunities.

Understand the business problem behind each brief before recommending a solution, drawing on existing data and category knowledge, and push back constructively when a request will not deliver value.

Bring a point of view to client conversations, proactively sharing ideas, relevant data and opportunities beyond the brief.

Build a strong understanding of each client’s business, category, competitors and internal policies.

Lead kick-off meetings, debriefs and strategic reviews, presenting findings with clear implications and recommendations.

Spot opportunities to extend or deepen engagements, and work with commercial colleagues on proposals, scoping and accurate costings, confirming supplier and fieldwork costs before anything is shared with clients.

Manage complex stakeholders, competing priorities and difficult conversations with confidence and tact.

Keep clients and internal stakeholders informed with timely, proactive updates on progress, risks and next steps, and flag any delay early with a recovery plan.

Introduce clients to YouGov’s AI-enabled data products and tools [confirm product names], and help them understand both the strengths and the limits of AI-generated insights.

Research design and problem solving

Translate business problems into robust tracking and ad hoc research designs, including sampling, questionnaire structure and analysis plans.

Design and review questionnaires in English and Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), ensuring neutral wording and consistency with MRS and ESOMAR standards.

Identify ways to combine YouGov’s existing data assets with custom research to answer questions more efficiently.

Diagnose and resolve issues in live trackers, such as shifts in trend data, sample changes or questionnaire updates, and explain their impact to clients.

Delivery and quality assurance

Deliver projects using a mix of hands-on research and AI-enabled workflows, moving more production to AI where it improves speed and quality, and giving AI tools clear instructions and refining their output.

Respond quickly to changing client priorities, turning around proposals, costings and early findings at pace without compromising accuracy.

Review all outputs carefully, especially AI-assisted ones, for accuracy, logic, statistical validity and relevance before anything reaches a client.

Sense-check data against expectations, prior waves and external context, and investigate anything that does not add up.

Make sure every deliverable reflects margins of error and sample limitations, and never overstates what the data supports.

Apply sound judgement on data protection and confidentiality when using AI tools, in line with YouGov’s GDPR and data governance policies.

Insight and storytelling

Go beyond reporting what the data says to explain why it matters and what the client should do next.

Build concise, decision-focused narratives for senior client audiences.

Synthesise findings across waves, markets and data sources into a coherent point of view.

Team and ways of working

Work closely with internal teams, including operations, scripting, data processing, panel, analytics and commercial, to ensure smooth project flow from setup to delivery.

Set clear timelines, hand-offs and requirements with internal teams, anticipate bottlenecks, and resolve issues quickly so client deadlines are met.

Coach and develop junior researchers, with a focus on critical thinking, client judgement and responsible use of AI.

Help the team move more of its work onto AI-enabled workflows, and improve templates and quality checks along the way.

Collaborate with colleagues across Asia Pacific and Europe on multi-market projects.

What success looks like in your first 12 months

Clients in your portfolio see you as a trusted adviser and bring their questions to you first.

Your deliverables reach clients with no material errors, because you catch issues before they do.

You run your accounts independently, escalating only genuinely strategic or commercial decisions.

You have shaped at least one research design or recommendation that changed a client’s decision or expanded the engagement.

Clients regularly bring new briefs to you, and your portfolio shows repeat or expanded business.

Clients describe your communication as proactive and timely, with no surprises on timelines or costs.

You have measurably improved at least one AI-enabled workflow, quality check or template used by the team.

You have introduced at least one AI-enabled data product or approach to a client in a way that added clear value.

About you

Experience

4+ years in market research, consumer insights or a related analytical field, with hands-on ownership of client accounts.

Solid, hands-on research knowledge across the full project life cycle: research and questionnaire design, sampling, fieldwork, data processing, analysis and reporting.

Experience running complex, multi-market tracking studies, including managing trend continuity and questionnaire changes.

A track record of handling demanding clients, turning vague requests into clear, actionable research, and growing relationships through consultative advice.

Core capabilities

Consultative approach: you listen first, diagnose the real issue and recommend what will move the client’s business forward.

Critical thinking: you question outputs, assumptions and briefs, and can spot when something sounds right but isn’t.

Analytical and numerical strength: you are confident with numbers and data, can interrogate crosstabs and trend data quickly, and know which differences are meaningful and which are noise.

Storytelling: you turn data into a clear, compelling narrative, selecting the findings that matter and linking them to the client’s business decisions.

Problem solving: you break down ambiguous problems, weigh options and reach sound conclusions with incomplete information.

Client management: you build credibility quickly, communicate with clarity and manage expectations proactively.

Independence and agility: you take ownership, adapt quickly to change, prioritise well under pressure and drive work forward without close supervision.

Commercial awareness: you understand how research supports client business decisions and where added value lies.

Communication: you write and present concisely in English and Chinese, speak fluent Cantonese (Mandarin an advantage), adapt to senior and technical audiences, and keep people informed before they need to ask.

Technical skills

Strong grounding in quantitative research methods: sampling, weighting, significance testing, questionnaire design and tracking design.

Proficient in data analysis, from crosstabs and segmentation to driver or trend analysis, with the ability to verify results independently.

Working knowledge of statistical or data tools (R, SPSS, Python or comparable) sufficient to run analyses, check outputs and interrogate data.

Practical experience with AI tools such as large language models and AI agents, or a strong interest in learning, including writing effective prompts and checking outputs critically.

Advanced Excel and strong PowerPoint skills, including building clear, insight-led charts and presentations.

Nice to have

Experience building or improving automated research or reporting workflows.

Familiarity with brand tracking, media or advertising effectiveness research.

Exposure to integrating syndicated or panel data with custom research.

Experience presenting data products or platforms to clients.

What is in it for you

Help shape how AI is changing market research, with access to leading tools and the freedom to try new approaches.

Spend more of your time advising clients and less on routine production, as AI takes on more of the work.

Own key YouGov client relationships with a high level of autonomy.

Connect YouGov’s extensive data assets with custom research to deliver richer insight.

Collaborate across YouGov’s offices in Asia Pacific and Europe in a truly international environment.

Grow in a culture that supports personal development and rewards initiative.

Why join YouGov?
Join our global team to help us achieve our social mission: to make millions of people’s opinions heard for the benefit of our local, national, and international communities.

Understanding diversity of opinion requires diversity of background. Although our global panel of millions of people worldwide powers our research, our biggest asset is our people. If our research is to be truly representative of what the world thinks, we need people from all walks of life to be part of the team to bring their perspective to the work we do.

Life at YouGov
We are driven by a set of shared values. We are fast, fearless, and innovative. We work diligently to get it right. We are guided by accuracy, ethics, and proven methodologies. We respect and trust each other, bringing these values into everything that we do.

We strive to provide YouGovers with best-in-class benefits to support their physical, financial, and emotional wellbeing. We want our employees to have a sense of belonging and uniqueness in a supportive workplace, so they can bring their full selves to work.

Equal Opportunity Employer
As an Equal Opportunity Employer, qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity or expression, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, marital status, age, disability, genetic information, HIV status, political affiliation, socioeconomic background, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law or in line with our responsibilities as a fair and ethic employer. All employment decisions are made based on occupational qualifications, merit, and business need.

Data Privacy
To find out how we collect and use your personal data when you apply for a role at YouGov, please read our privacy notice at https://jobs.yougov.com/privacy