Qualitative Team Lead. This is an opportunity to lead and shape a qualitative insight function within a creative, strategy, and research organization. The role involves defining and building the qualitative offering with visibility to senior leadership, working on high-profile, global brands, and delivering commercial impact through curiosity-driven, innovative research.
You will take ownership of the qualitative research function, leading both delivery and strategic direction. Responsibilities include leading and developing a team of qualitative researchers (including hiring, coaching, and performance), designing and delivering high-quality qualitative research projects across a range of methodologies, and partnering with account and strategy teams to support key client relationships and contribute to growth. You will also play a central role on major accounts by contributing to insight-led decision making, introducing and scaling new methodologies (including ethnography, semiotics, and digital or UX research), ensuring high standards of storytelling and insight presentations that drive action, and collaborating across creative, strategy, and data teams in a matrix structure.
To succeed, you will bring strong commercial experience in qualitative research within an agency environment, along with proven ability to lead, mentor, and grow a team or practice area. You should have deep expertise across qualitative methodologies with a creative and flexible approach, confidence in senior stakeholder engagement, and commercial awareness through involvement in proposals, pitching, or account growth. An interest in innovation—such as behavioural science, cultural insight, or emerging qualitative techniques—is expected, and you will be supported in shaping and growing the function with autonomy and exposure to strategic decision making.