Consumer Research & Insight Lead

South Staffs Water; Walsall; Hybride; GBP 65 000 - 90 000; Plein temps

Avantages offerts par ce poste

Enhanced family leave

Pension scheme

Employee wellbeing programme

Cycle to work scheme

Professional development

Résumé du poste

South Staffordshire Water seeks an experienced Strategic Consumer Research & Insight Lead in a hybrid role (Walsall/Cambridge). The role drives a comprehensive consumer research programme shaping PR29, long-term plans and investment decisions.

Reporting to Strategy & Regulation, you will lead qualitative and quantitative research, manage agencies, and deliver insights that influence customer outcomes and environmental strategies.

Qualifications

• Experience leading customer insight, consumer research or market research programmes.
• Develop and deliver research strategies that support business objectives and regulatory requirements.
• Strong analytical skills to turn complex insight into clear recommendations.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills with stakeholders at all levels.
• Experience managing multiple projects and deadlines.
• Resilience and adaptability in a fast-paced environment.
• Creative approach to identifying opportunities and improving customer outcomes.
• Knowledge of data governance, GDPR and research compliance.

Responsabilités

• Develop and deliver a robust consumer research strategy informing short and long-term plans.
• Design and oversee qualitative and quantitative research with external agencies.
• Analyse consumer insight and produce recommendations for senior leaders.
• Lead consumer segmentation to enhance understanding and engagement.
• Innovate research and stakeholder engagement approaches, including online communities and panels.
• Strengthen understanding of future customer needs including Generation Z.
• Present findings through reports, presentations and visualisations for decision-making.
• Build relationships with regulators, consumer reps and other water companies.
• Manage research agency partnerships and supplier frameworks within budget and timelines.
• Support business teams to keep customer priorities central to decisions.

Connaissances

Qualitative methods

Quantitative methods

Stakeholder engagement

Data analysis

Research strategy

Regulatory knowledge

Presentation skills

Qualtrics

Tableau

SPSS

Outils

Qualtrics

Tableau

SPSS

Description du poste

Strategic Consumer Research & Insight Lead

Salary

Competitve | Company Benefits | Travel Allowance

Location

Walsall, West Midlands or Cambridge, Cambridgeshire | Hybrid

Contract

Full Time | 24-Month Fixed Term Contract | 37.5 hours per week

About Us

South Staffordshire Water, which operates across two regions as Cambridge Water and South Staffs Water is a privately-owned regulated water only company.

South Staffs Water supplies a population of nearly I.3 million. The area of supply stretches from the edge of Ashbourne in the north, to Halesowen in the south, and from Burton on Trent in the east, to Kinver in the west.

The Role

We're looking for an experienced and passionate Strategic Consumer Research & Insight Lead to ensure the voice of our consumers is at the heart of our next business planning cycle, including PR29 (2029 Price Review), our 25-Year Water Resources Management Plans, and our Long-Term Delivery Strategy.

Reporting to the Strategy & Regulation Director, you'll lead the development and delivery of a comprehensive consumer research and insight programme that directly influences major business decisions, customer investment priorities and environmental outcomes to help shape services that will benefit communities for generations to come.

If you thrive on translating insight into action, enjoy tackling complex challenges, and want your work to make a genuine difference to communities and the environment, we'd love to hear from you.

This role is a 24-Month Fixed-Term Contract with the potential to be made permanent.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver a robust consumer research strategy that informs both our short and long-term business plans.
• Ensure compliance with Ofwat's Consumer Involvement requirements and regulatory expectations.
• Design and oversee complex qualitative and quantitative research programmes, working closely with external research agencies and industry partners.
• Analyse and interpret consumer insight to produce clear, compelling recommendations for senior leaders and executive teams.
• Lead consumer segmentation projects to improve understanding, communication and engagement across customer groups.
• Develop innovative approaches to research and stakeholder engagement, building on initiatives such as online communities, advisory panels and citizen engagement programmes.
• Strengthen understanding of future customer needs, including those of Generation Z and emerging consumer groups.
• Present findings through engaging reports, presentations and visualisations that support strategic decision-making.
• Build strong relationships with key internal and external stakeholders, including regulators, consumer representatives and other water companies.
• Lead the management of research agency partnerships and supplier frameworks, ensuring projects are delivered to high standards, on time and within budget.
• Support and challenge business teams to ensure customer priorities remain central to investment and policy decisions.

What Success Looks Like

• Deliver a high-quality consumer research programme that informs our PR29 and long-term business plans.
• Ensure customer and stakeholder priorities are clearly evidenced in key business decisions.
• Build trusted relationships with senior leaders, regulators and research partners.
• Introduce innovative approaches that strengthen customer engagement and insight.
• Create clear, compelling evidence that helps shape investment and service improvements.
• Champion the customer voice across the organisation and help drive a customer‑centric culture.

Essential

About You

We're looking for an experienced consumer insight professional who can combine strategic thinking with excellent stakeholder engagement.

You'll Bring

• Experience leading customer insight, consumer research or market research programmes, with strong knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research methods.
• The ability to develop and deliver research strategies that support business objectives and regulatory requirements.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to turn complex and varied insight into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to engage colleagues and stakeholders at all levels.
• Experience managing multiple projects and priorities, delivering high-quality outputs to key deadlines.
• Resilience and adaptability, with the ability to thrive in a fast‑paced and evolving environment.
• A creative approach to identifying new opportunities, uncovering insights and improving customer outcomes.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
• A collaborative, positive and customer‑focused mindset, with the ability to build strong relationships across teams and external partners.
• Knowledge of data governance, GDPR, and research compliance standards

Desirable

• Experience working within the water sector, utilities or another regulated industry.
• Knowledge of Ofwat, Consumer Council for Water (CCW) and the wider regulatory landscape.
• Experience supporting business planning, regulatory submissions or strategic investment programmes.
• Experience developing customer segmentation models and embedding insight‑led approaches across an organisation.
• Familiarity with behavioural insight techniques and innovative customer engagement methodologies.
• Understanding of long‑term planning, sustainability and environmental policy considerations.
• Experience managing customer panels, citizen juries, advisory groups or similar stakeholder forums.

What You'll Get From Us

• Family-Friendly Leave: Enhanced Maternity, Adoption, Paternity & Shared Parental Leave, Fertility Support, and up to 5 paid Carer’s Days
• Financial & Life Assurance: Company Pension Scheme with salary sacrifice options
• Health & Wellbeing: Employee Assistance Programme and 24/7 Virtual GP access for you and your dependents
• Lifestyle & Perks: Cycle to Work Scheme and My Premier Benefits discounts, cashback, and vouchers
• Professional Development: Hands‑on training and ongoing career development opportunities
• Inclusion & Belonging: Active People Networks – Disability & Neurodiversity, Unity+, Women’s Network, Parent & Carer Networking Group and more
• Performance & Recognition: Annual salary review, Reward & Recognition Scheme, and Long Service Awards.

At South Staffordshire Group, inclusion matters. We have a wide range of employee networks which are employee‑led communities that bring our people together, support different perspectives and create a strong sense of belonging. Our people are encouraged to get involved as members or allies.

We are committed to building a team that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve.

We warmly welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, including all genders, ethnicity, sexual orientations, and physical and neurodiverse abilities.

We are happy to discuss reasonable adjustments and encourage you to let us know how we can best support you throughout the recruitment process.