Client and Brand Insight Specialist

Vanguard; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Vanguard is seeking an experienced client and brand insight lead to independently manage research programmes that deepen audience understanding and inform strategic decisions. You will translate data and performance metrics into practical recommendations and action plans.

In this hybrid London-based role you will lead brand tracking, integrate insights across client, market and business evidence, influence stakeholders and oversee external agencies to ensure high-quality outputs.

Qualifications

• Strong experience in client insight, market research, brand measurement or related disciplines.
• Proven ability to lead qualitative, quantitative and mixed-method research projects independently.
• Strong analytical skills, including performance measurement, trend identification and interpretation.
• Ability to translate complex evidence into clear, practical and commercially relevant recommendations.
• Strong stakeholder management, agency management and project management skills.
• Experience in financial services, regulated environments and/or European markets is desirable.
• Comfortable using AI-enabled tools to improve research, analysis and productivity.

Responsibilities

• Independently design and deliver moderately complex client, brand and strategic research projects, from defining the business question through to recommendations and action.
• Lead brand tracking and related research programmes, ensuring robust methodologies, consistent reporting and clear understanding of the drivers of awareness, consideration, trust and advocacy. Manage stakeholder engagement, results presentations and action tracking.
• Define appropriate success measures, maintain dashboards and reporting frameworks, identify material changes in performance and provide clear recommendations based on findings.
• Combine brand, client, market and business evidence to identify opportunities and risks, translating complex information into concise, decision-ready recommendations.
• Build strong partnerships within and beyond Marketing, using insight and expertise to influence decision-making and challenge assumptions constructively.
• Balance competing priorities with limited supervision, anticipating risks and implementing appropriate mitigations to ensure successful delivery.
• Brief and oversee external agencies, providing constructive challenge and ensuring high-quality, timely and commercially relevant outputs.
• Drive improvements to research, measurement, reporting and knowledge-sharing processes, while supporting colleagues in the effective use of insight.

Skills

Client insight

Brand measurement

Market research

Stakeholder management

Agency management

Project management

AI tools

Job description

The Role

Independently lead client and brand insight projects that strengthen audience understanding, inform strategic decisions and improve business and marketing outcomes. Act as a subject-matter expert, turning research, data and performance metrics into clear recommendations and practical action.

In this role you will

• Lead insight workstreams
  Independently design and deliver moderately complex client, brand and strategic research projects, from defining the business question through to recommendations and action.
• Own brand measurement
  Lead brand tracking and related research programmes, ensuring robust methodologies, consistent reporting and clear understanding of the drivers of awareness, consideration, trust and advocacy. Manage stakeholder engagement, results presentations and action tracking.
• Measure and monitor performance
  Define appropriate success measures, maintain dashboards and reporting frameworks, identify material changes in performance and provide clear recommendations based on findings.
• Generate integrated insight
  Combine brand, client, market and business evidence to identify opportunities and risks, translating complex information into concise, decision-ready recommendations.
• Influence stakeholders
  Build strong partnerships within and beyond Marketing, using insight and expertise to influence decision-making and challenge assumptions constructively.
• Manage delivery and risk
  Balance competing priorities with limited supervision, anticipating risks and implementing appropriate mitigations to ensure successful delivery.
• Manage research partners
  Brief and oversee external agencies, providing constructive challenge and ensuring high-quality, timely and commercially relevant outputs.
• Improve insight capability
  Drive improvements to research, measurement, reporting and knowledge-sharing processes, while supporting colleagues in the effective use of insight.

Key Outputs

• Brand tracking dashboards and performance reports
• Strategic research programmes and insight workstreams
• Integrated analysis and executive-ready recommendations
• Agreed success measures and action plans
• Stakeholder presentations, workshops and immersion sessions
• Agency briefs, research deliverables and quality assurance reviews

Success Measures

• Insight informs business, marketing and client decisions.
• Reporting provides a clear and consistent view of performance against agreed objectives.
• Recommendations result in defined, trackable actions.
• Brand and strategic projects are delivered to a high standard, with risks managed effectively.
• Stakeholders view the role as a trusted source of expertise, insight and constructive challenge.

What it takes

• Strong experience in client insight, market research, brand measurement or related disciplines.
• Proven ability to lead qualitative, quantitative and mixed-method research projects independently.
• Strong analytical skills, including performance measurement, trend identification and interpretation.
• Ability to translate complex evidence into clear, practical and commercially relevant recommendations.
• Strong stakeholder management, agency management and project management skills.
• Experience in financial services, regulated environments and/or European markets is desirable.
• Comfortable using AI-enabled tools to improve research, analysis and productivity.

Special Factors

• Vanguard is not offering visa sponsorship for this position
• This is a hybrid position and would require you to work in the office 3 days per week (Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday)

Why Vanguard?

Vanguard is a different kind of investment company. It was founded in the United States in 1975 on a simple but revolutionary idea: that an investment company should manage its funds solely in the interests of its clients. This is a philosophy that has helped millions of people around the world to achieve their goals with low-cost, uncomplicated investments. It's what we stand for: value to investors.

Inclusion Statement

Vanguard's continued commitment to diversity and inclusion is firmly rooted in our culture. Every decision we make to best serve our clients, crew (internally employees are referred to as crew), and communities is guided by one simple statement: "Do the right thing." We believe that a critical aspect of doing the right thing requires building diverse, inclusive, and highly effective teams of individuals who are as unique as the clients they serve. We empower our crew to contribute their distinct strengths to achieving Vanguard's core purpose through our values. When all crew members feel valued and included, our ability to collaborate and innovate is amplified, and we are united in delivering on Vanguard's core purpose: to take a stand for all investors, to t