Research Director

YouGov M.E. FZ-LLC; Dubai; On-site; AED 350,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

YouGov M.E. FZ-LLC seeks a Research Director to set design standards, lead top client relationships in the region, and drive AI-enabled research and team development. You will own complex projects from enquiry to delivery, mentoring staff and shaping methodologies with a client-first mindset.

The role demands senior leadership, cross-functional collaboration, and strong commercial acumen to grow key accounts while upholding YouGov’s standards in accuracy and ethics.

Qualifications

• 10–12 years of quantitative market research with client leadership and team management.
• Proven ability to grow high-value accounts and drive repeat business.
• Lead multiple complex projects and teams to deadline and budget.
• Excellent attention to detail and strong judgment for stakeholders.
• Authoritative presenter adaptable to C-suite and analysts.
• Experience with CI/G4 scripting and ops familiarity.
• Interest in AI tools to enhance research and reporting workflows.

Responsibilities

• Lead the region's most complex, high-value client relationships and advise on strategy across YouGov suite.
• Design and oversee research projects, guiding junior staff and ensuring quality and impact.
• Write proposals, price strategies, and sign-off on large-scale bids and tenders.
• Lead client presentations, translate insights into actionable recommendations.
• Champion AI/automation within the team and ensure responsible use.

Skills

Client leadership

Project management

Executive communication

AI awareness

Team leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

CI/G4 scripting

Crunch

Office 365

Google Workspace

Job description

About the Role

About the Role This is a senior leadership role for someone who sets the standard for how research is designed, how clients are advised, and how the next generation of researchers is developed. You'll own the most complex, highest-value client relationships in the region, leading on methodology and commercials from first enquiry through to delivery, and acting as the go-to specialist your clients and colleagues come to when the answer isn't obvious. We're looking for a Research Director who leads by example: someone who can rationalise decisions with the bigger picture in mind, hold a room of senior stakeholders, and build a solutions-focused culture around them. You'll be accountable not only for your own work but for the quality, development, and engagement of the team delivering alongside you — and genuinely curious about how AI and automation can make that team smarter, not just faster.

Key Responsibilities

• Client Leadership & Account Growth Own the region's most complex, high-value client relationships — acting as their main point of contact and trusted adviser, so that YouGov becomes their default, repeat choice. Seek out cross-sell and upsell opportunities as part of a wider client strategy, introducing clients to the full YouGov suite (Data Services, Data Products, Sport, Custom) and advising honestly on when each is and isn't the right fit. Demonstrate Brand Index and Profiles to clients and translate research insight into commercial growth in partnership with Account Management. Lead on client enquiries, tenders and RFIs for complex projects — owning methodology, costs, and the commercial conversation end-to-end. Consult with clients on complex, sensitive, or contentious topics, and guide junior colleagues on the most appropriate methodology. Manage client expectations proactively and identify and implement long-term solutions to conflict internally (across departments, including CENX teams) and externally (clients and vendors).
• Research Design, Methodology & Quality Design questionnaires for clients of any complexity, including bespoke solutions to unique scenarios; brief and delegate first drafts to junior colleagues, and give and receive constructive feedback openly. Coordinate and guide projects of any complexity, leading on both the research and commercial front, and breaking work down so simpler tasks develop the wider team. Script surveys on CI/G4 during periods of capacity — including drawing on Scripting support where required — and delegate to junior colleagues for skills development. Apply and communicate the principles of sample design, weighting, and significance testing with confidence, coaching colleagues through both basic and advanced statistical analysis. Ensure the team continually raises the bar on quality control for questionnaires and reports, sharing best practice and suggesting improvements. Bring an excellent understanding of ops functions to bear, supporting colleagues and driving process changes where efficiency gains are identified. Keep research knowledge current as methodologies and technology evolve, and confidently guide colleagues on online research terminology and use cases.
• Commercial Leadership & New Business Write proposals from scratch for clients regardless of complexity, answer tenders and RFIs, review and guide junior colleagues' proposals, and act as sign-off for large-scale proposals. Act as the specialist and go-to person for specific sectors or subject areas, bringing depth of industry knowledge to pitches and delivery. Lead on pricing and methodology for new business enquiries, balancing client need, deliverability, and commercial return.
• Storytelling & Client Presentations Lead client presentations and meetings independently, adapting the story for the audience in the room — from analysts to C-suite. Interpret insight and provide clear recommendations that address the client's underlying business need, not just the brief as written. Use Crunch confidently — including analysis and dashboards — to walk clients through results, and articulate its capabilities across different use cases. Coach junior colleagues on presentation and client-handling skills, giving them visible roles in client-facing work wherever possible.
• AI-Enabled Ways of Working Actively look for ways AI and automation can improve research design, data processing, analysis, and reporting — from scripting checks to first-pass dashboard build. Champion new tools and techniques across the team's workflow, setting the example rather than waiting to be told, and stay current on AI developments relevant to market research. Use AI thoughtfully and responsibly, always sense-checking outputs and applying professional judgement before anything reaches a client.
• Team Leadership & People Development Manage individual and team workloads flexibly so that all work is picked up and efficiently distributed day to day, including client and new business enquiries. Mentor junior colleagues on research, technical, commercial, people, and HR matters, with regular catch-ups with direct reports to keep development on track — and the confidence to handle difficult conversations. Lead the recruitment process and attend second-stage interviews across roles to assess candidate quality and team fit. Lead on team and company initiatives — acting as a specialist or champion and delegating to build engagement and motivation across teams and departments. Uphold and enforce the company's and The Research Society's professional and ethical standards in all interactions, leading a solutions-focused culture. Contribute to an environment of openness to continuous learning and feedback, proactively sharing learning and leading training for junior colleagues.

What We're Looking For

Qualifications

• Minimum 10-12 years' quantitative market research experience, including substantial client leadership and line management of research teams.
• A track record of owning and growing high-value accounts and winning repeat business — you think commercially by instinct.
• Proven ability to lead multiple complex projects and project teams simultaneously, to deadline and to budget.
• Excellent attention to detail, with the judgement to rationalise decisions in light of their impact on the client, the business, and senior stakeholders.
• Authoritative presenter and communicator, able to adapt style across audiences and situations, from working teams to C-suite.
• Excellent understanding of questionnaire design, sample design, weighting, and significance testing, with the ability to coach others.
• Confident scripting experience (CI/G4 or equivalent) and a sound working knowledge of ops functions.
• Genuine curiosity about AI tools and how they improve research and reporting workflows, with the credibility to champion them across a team.
• Confident across Microsoft Office 365 and its Google equivalents, plus data visualisation tools; Crunch experience strongly preferred.
• Fluency in English required and Arabic preferred.
• Familiarity with regional (MENA) cultural nuances and a client-first mindset.

Preferred Skills

• Advanced statistical analysis capability beyond standard significance testing and weighting.
• Recognised sector or subject‑matter specialism that clients seek out by name.
• Experience owning proposal sign‑off and pricing for large‑scale or tendered work.
• Experience using AI or automation tools in a research or analytics context (data processing, dashboard build, first‑draft reporting).
• Experience leading recruitment and building teams, not just managing them.

What Good Looks Like at This Level

• Leads by example on professionalism, ethics, and communication with all high‑level internal and external stakeholders.
• Takes accountability for projects and project teams at scale, including for the actions of more junior colleagues.
• Owns client enquiries end‑to‑end — methodology, costing, and proposal writing from scratch — including complex, sensitive, or contentious projects.
• Is the recognised specialist or go‑to person for particular sectors, subjects, or methodologies.
• Signs off large‑scale proposals and reviews others' work with a consistent quality bar.
• Buidls relationships strong enough that YouGov becomes the client's default choice, and actively cross‑sells across the YouGov suite.
• Identifies and drives process improvements rather than waiting for them to be flagged.
• Mentors and develops the team deliberately — regular catch‑ups, honest feedback, and difficult conversations handled well.
• Leads recruitment and resolves conflict with long‑term solutions, internally and externally.

Why Join Us?

You'll work with a fast‑paced, innovative team that genuinely embraces new ways of working — including AI — to deliver sharper insight, faster.

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

Who we are

Our innovative solutions help the world’s most recognised brands, media owners and agencies to plan, activate and track their marketing activities better. With operations in the UK, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, India and Asia Pacific, we have one of the world's largest research networks.

What we do

At the core of our platform is an ever‑growing source of connected consumer data that has developed daily over our 20 years of operation. We call it living data. All of our products and services draw upon this detailed understanding of our 27+ million registered panel members to deliver accurate, actionable consumer insights. As innovators and pioneers of online market research, we have a strong reputation as a trusted source of accurate data and insights. Testament to this, YouGov data is regularly referenced by the global press, and we are the most quoted market research source in the world.* Leading in online market research, we have a strong record for data accuracy and innovation.

Our purpose

Our purpose is to give our global community a voice by collecting, measuring and analysing their opinions and behaviours and reporting the findings accurately and free from bias.