Customer Research Lead

SA Water; Adelaide; On-site; AUD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

SA Water is seeking a Customer Research Lead to guide the delivery of customer insights that inform business planning, service improvements and decision‑making across the organisation.

You will design and execute qualitative and quantitative research projects, including the Brand Health Tracking Program, and translate findings into clear recommendations for stakeholders. This role requires strong analytics, independent work, and collaboration with teams across SA Water.

Qualifications

• Experience delivering qualitative and quantitative customer research end-to-end.
• Ability to translate research findings into actionable business insights.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery and continuous improvement of Brand Health Tracking and related customer research.
• Design, manage and deliver qualitative and quantitative projects from inception to reporting.
• Provide expert advice on methodologies and research approaches to stakeholders.
• Manage external agencies and suppliers, including briefs and quality assurance.
• Develop dashboards and self-service reporting to enable evidence-based decisions.
• Promote use of customer insights across SA Water and identify opportunities for improvement.

Skills

Qualitative research

Quantitative research

Stakeholder management

Data analysis

Survey design

Communication skills

Presentation skills

Education

Tertiary qualification in behavioural/social science, business, statistics or marketing

Tools

Qualtrics

SPSS

Displayr

Job description

As Customer Research Lead, you will lead the delivery of customer research and insights that inform business planning, decision-making and service improvements across SA Water. Working closely with stakeholders across the organisation, you'll lead key customer research activities, including the Brand Health Tracking Program. You’ll design and deliver qualitative and quantitative research projects that help us better understand customer needs, expectations and experiences, and translate these into meaningful insights and recommendations.

This is a maximum term contract opportunity through to 30 June 2027, offering the opportunity to influence customer-focused outcomes and evidence-based decision-making across the business.

About the Person

You are an experienced customer research professional with strong analytical skills and a passion for turning customer feedback into meaningful business insights. Confident working independently, you can manage research projects from end to end, build trusted stakeholder relationships and communicate findings in a clear, engaging and actionable way.

Your responsibilities for this role will include:

• Lead the delivery and continuous improvement of SA Water's Brand Health Tracking Program.
• Support and enhance the delivery of the Customer Experience Tracking Program activities and associated reporting.
• Design, manage and deliver qualitative and quantitative customer research projects from inception through to reporting and recommendations.
• Build strong relationships with stakeholders across the business to understand research needs and provide expert advice on customer research approaches and methodologies.
• Manage external research agencies and suppliers, including project briefing, methodology oversight, data collection, quality assurance and delivery.
• Design, build and manage surveys and reporting solutions through platforms such as Qualtrics.
• Analyse customer research, perception and feedback data to identify meaningful insights, trends and opportunities.
• Prepare and present clear, evidence-based insights, recommendations and opportunities that inform business planning, strategic initiatives and customer improvements.
• Lead Voice of Customer improvement initiatives that strengthen how insights are collected, reported and used across the business.
• Support the development of dashboards, self-service reporting solutions and insight products that enable evidence-based decision-making.
• Promote the use of customer insights across the organisation and identify opportunities to improve customer outcomes.
• Leverage industry research, benchmarking and external networks to identify emerging customer trends and opportunities for SA Water.
• Contribute to a collaborative, high-performing and customer-focused team culture.
  

Your success in this role will come from:

• Demonstrated experience delivering and leading qualitative and quantitative customer research projects end-to-end.
• Strong knowledge of customer research methodologies and their practical application.
• The ability to translate customer feedback and research findings into meaningful and actionable business insights and recommendations.
• Experience building effective stakeholder relationships and influencing outcomes through evidence-based advice.
• Experience managing research agencies and external suppliers.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Experience using customer research and insight platforms such as Qualtrics.
• Experience using data analysis tools such as Q, SPSS, Displayr or similar.
• Excellent analytical, organisational and problem-solving skills, with strong attention to detail.
• Relevant tertiary qualifications in behavioural/social science, business, statistical analysis, marketing or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.

A great customer experience is best achieved by having a diverse and inclusive team that reflects the community we serve. Applications are encouraged from everyone, including people living with disability, job seekers of all ages, members of the LGBTIQA+ community, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and people from culturally diverse backgrounds.

Our Industry is like no other. Dive into the wonderful world of water and explore the boundless opportunities. Learn more about the water industry at careersinwater.com.au.