Research Manager

MiZa; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 360,000 - 540,000; Full time

Job summary

MiZa in Abu Dhabi seeks a Research Manager to drive strategic insight and data-led storytelling across growth, urban planning, and innovation initiatives.

You will produce robust analyses, visual dashboards, and board-ready materials to shape investment decisions and placemaking strategies across MiZa’s neighbourhood ecosystem.

The role requires 6+ years of applied research/analytics, strong Power BI/Tableau skills, and excellence in English communication for executive audiences.

Qualifications

• Degree-level education or other suitable qualification in a relevant topic.
• Minimum of 6 years’ experience in applied research, strategy, or analytics within business growth, innovation, customer experience and/or urban innovation contexts.
• Strong analytical skills with proficiency in data management, visualization, and interpretation: hands-on skills in data visualization tools (data modeling, DAX, visual design, PowerBI).
• Experience producing dashboards, presentations, and reports for government, investment, or corporate audiences.
• Excellent English writing and presentation skills, capable of distilling technical findings into concise executive summaries.
• Experience in consulting, think tanks or government in innovation or economic development contexts.
• Experience in user journey, customer experience and community-building.
• Knowledge of spatial & people movement analytics, urban design, or economic development frameworks (e.g., innovation ecosystems, creative industry hubs).
• Familiarity with Abu Dhabi, UAE and GCC innovation and diversification agenda and latest initiatives.
• Advanced skills in Excel, SPSS, or GIS software.
• Strategic and analytical thinking
• Data-driven storytelling and design sensibility
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication
• Intellectual curiosity and cross-sector insight synthesis
• Project management and collaborative working
• Attention to visual and narrative detail

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-disciplinary research including trends in business support programmes and urban placemaking.
• Analyse global and regional trends in entrepreneurship and innovation neighourhood development.
• Conduct benchmarking and policy analysis to identify global best practices.
• Synthesize data into evidence-based recommendations and new thinking for MiZa.
• Translate research outputs into dashboards, maps, infographics using Power BI, Tableau, and PowerPoint.
• Design and build automated dashboards tracking metrics on business performance, innovation outputs, and urban development.
• Develop board-ready presentations and reports for senior decision-makers.
• Prepare CAPEX/investment decks and government-level presentations for potential partners.
• Collaborate with economists, strategists, architects, and consultants to ensure depth and alignment.
• Contribute to placemaking and urban planning by integrating socio-economic data with spatial insights.
• Liaise with data providers, government agencies, and think tanks for data sources.
• Set organisational standards for research and data visualization best practices.

Skills

Data visualization

Executive storytelling

Stakeholder engagement

Strategic thinking

Project management

English writing

Education

Degree-level education

Tools

Power BI

Tableau

Microsoft PowerPoint

Excel

GIS software

Job description

Rooted in Mina Zayed’s legacy as Abu Dhabi’s historic port and shaped by Sheikh Zayed’s enduring vision for progress, MiZa is an innovation-driven neighborhood where bold ideas are shaped into transformative solutions.

The Research Manager plays a pivotal role in driving strategic insight and data-led storytelling across business growth, urban planning, and innovation initiatives. This position combines rigorous research capability and analytical depth with creative presentation capability — an ability to deliver rigorous research across varied concepts and issues and then turn those findings and complex datasets into compelling, board-level narratives and decision-support tools.

The successful candidate will support senior leadership, department heads and external stakeholders by producing robust research analyses, visual dashboards, and presentation materials that shape investment (financial and time) decisions and innovation strategies around all touch points with our neighbourhood, from programming to placemaking.

Roles, Responsibilities, Duties

Research & Insight Generation

• Lead cross-disciplinary research which will include latest thinking on business support programmes, trends in target industries, the latest national programmes and initiatives, and urban planning and placemaking best practice.
• Analyse global and regional trends in entrepreneurship, relevant technology, and innovation neighbourhood development in the context of Emirates, national and regional competitiveness.
• Conduct benchmarking, case studies, and policy analysis to identify global best practices in innovation districts, creative economies, and growth hubs: Including how success should be measured and recorded.
• Synthesize quantitative and qualitative data into concise, evidence-based recommendations, and very importantly, new thinking and ideas for how MiZa can set a new standard in these areas.

Data Visualization & Storytelling

• Translate research outputs into high-impact visual formats — including dashboards, maps, and infographics — using tools such as Power BI, Tableau, and Microsoft PowerPoint.
• Design and build automated, interactive dashboards that track key metrics related to business performance, innovation outputs, and urban development indicators.
• Develop board-ready presentations and reports that communicate complex insights in an engaging, visually coherent, and actionable format.
• Support the preparation of CAPEX/investment decks, government-level presentations for potential partners, and strategy briefings for senior decision-makers.
• Source and work closely with economists, strategists, architects, and innovation consultants to ensure research outputs are in depth enough and align with project goals.
• Contribute across placemaking & urban planning, experiential decisions and programming (business growth and cultural) by integrating socio-economic data with spatial and business insights.
• Liaise with data providers, government agencies, and think tanks to obtain and validate data sources.
• Set organisational standards for research and analysis in best practices for data visualization and storytelling. Steer the work of fellows, residents and others on their projects for MiZa.

Qualification:

• Degree-level education or other suitable qualification in a relevant topic

Experience:

• Minimum of 6 years’ experience in applied research, strategy, or analytics within business growth, innovation, customer experience and/or urban innovation contexts.
• Strong background in driving research, sourcing key information and bringing together in compelling written reports, ideally driving new thinking and outcomes – not just retelling what exists already.
• Strong analytical skills with proficiency in data management, visualization, and interpretation: To include hands on skills in tools for visualising data (data modeling, DAX, visual design, PowerBI).
• Experience producing dashboards, presentations, and reports for government, investment, or corporate audiences. Deep expertise with Microsoft PowerPoint (executive-level storytelling and design) is essential.
• Excellent English writing and presentation skills, capable of distilling technical findings into concise executive summaries.
• Experience working in consulting, think tanks or government in a context of innovation or economic development.
• Experience in user journey, focussed on customer experience and community - building human loyalty and connection.
• Knowledge of spatial & people movement analytics, urban design, or economic development frameworks (e.g., innovation ecosystems, creative industry hubs).
• Familiarity with Abu Dhabi, UAE and GCC innovation and diversification agenda and all the latest initiatives.
• Advanced skills in other analytical tools (e.g., Excel, SPSS, or GIS software).
• Strategic and analytical thinking
• Data-driven storytelling and design sensibility
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication
• Intellectual curiosity and cross-sector insight synthesis
• Project management and collaborative working
• Attention to visual and narrative detail