Customer Research & Insight Manager - FTR

Network Rail; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Network Rail is seeking a Customer Research & Insight Manager within the Fares, Ticketing & Retail programme. You will lead customer research, generate insights, and translate findings into strategies to improve passenger experiences.

The role requires collaboration with teams and industry partners to drive evidence-based decisions. The role focuses on developing reporting, performing analyses, and embedding customer-centred thinking across projects, with hybrid working and offices in London or

Qualifications

• Solid understanding of sampling, survey design and qualitative research methods.
• Practical experience with data visualisation tools such as Tableau, Power BI or Looker.
• Strong analytical and communication skills across both qualitative and quantitative research to unearth robust insights and share findings with the programme in an engaging and informative manner and make recommendations to drive design and decision-making.
• Ability to translate insight into actionable commercial recommendations and measure outcomes.
• Strong experience and confidence in facilitating workshops and other collaborative sessions, including preparation beforehand, creation of digital workspaces and visual outputs, and digestion of information afterwards.
• Strong engagement and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to generate enthusiasm, interest and engagement with research and insight.
• Demonstrable experience of managing research projects and suppliers or agencies
• Knowledge of, and proven experience of applying project management principles.
• Confidence using digital facilitation and presentation tools (e.g. Miro).
• Knowledge of data protection regulations and best practice in handling customer data.

Responsibilities

• Lead and conduct research to understand customer needs, behaviours and experiences within the Fares, Ticketing & Retail programme.
• Develop regular insight reporting and performance analysis to turn findings into actionable guidance for strategy and delivery decisions.
• Champion customer-centred thinking across the programme and embed best practice in insights and tools.
• Identify customer risks and opportunities and provide evidence-led recommendations to influence decisions.
• Collaborate with colleagues and industry partners to drive meaningful change.

Skills

Sampling

Survey design

Qualitative research

Data visualisation

Tableau

Power BI

Looker

Analytical thinking

Communication

Workshop facilitation

Stakeholder management

Project management

Digital facilitation

Data protection

Tools

Tableau

Power BI

Looker

Job description

Fares, Ticketing & Retail team

Transforming How Passengers Buy And Use Rail

Britain's railways must deliver for passengers now and in the future. That's why the government and the rail industry are delivering a programme of reforms to make rail easier to buy and use:

• Easier to understand, better value fares - Straightforward ticket choices and fair, consistent prices, including more lower fares.
• Confidence you have the right ticket - Simple to understand the ticket you need and better protection for honest passengers through industry-wide action to tackle fare dodging and fraud
• Easier ways to buy tickets - A high quality GBR website and app selling and serving passengers' rail journeys, alongside independent retailers.
• Rail integrated with other public transport in major urban areas - Tap-in tap-out expanded to Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and more of the South East, with new mobile payment trials testing future innovation.
• Better, more accessible retail experience - More support for passengers including those who rely on paper tickets or cash, or who need extra assistance.

Who We Are

Fares, Ticketing & Retail team

Transforming How Passengers Buy And Use Rail

Britain's railways must deliver for passengers now and in the future. That's why the government and the rail industry are delivering a programme of reforms to make rail easier to buy and use:

• Easier to understand, better value fares - Straightforward ticket choices and fair, consistent prices, including more lower fares.
• Confidence you have the right ticket - Simple to understand the ticket you need and better protection for honest passengers through industry-wide action to tackle fare dodging and fraud
• Easier ways to buy tickets - A high quality GBR website and app selling and serving passengers' rail journeys, alongside independent retailers.
• Rail integrated with other public transport in major urban areas - Tap-in tap-out expanded to Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and more of the South East, with new mobile payment trials testing future innovation.
• Better, more accessible retail experience - More support for passengers including those who rely on paper tickets or cash, or who need extra assistance.

We're not waiting. As we become Great British Railways, a programme of reform is already making rail easier to buy and use, helping rebuild trust in rail and encouraging more people to travel by train.

About The Role

We're looking for a Customer Research & Insight Manager to play a key role within our Fares, Ticketing and Retail (FTR) programme. Acting as the voice of the customer, you'll lead and conduct research that deepens our understanding of customer needs, behaviours and experiences, and develop regular insight reporting and performance analysis, turning findings into clear, actionable insights that help drive strategy, project design and delivery decisions, and improve customer outcomes. Collaborating with colleagues and industry partners, you'll champion customer-centred thinking across the programme, helping to embed industry-wide insight, tools and best practice, identifying customer risks and opportunities, and providing robust, evidence-led recommendations that influence decisions and drive meaningful change.

Essential

Your experience and skills

• Solid understanding of sampling, survey design and qualitative research methods.
• Practical experience with data visualisation tools such as Tableau, Power BI or Looker.
• Strong analytical and communication skills across both qualitative and quantitative research to unearth robust insights and share findings with the programme in an engaging and informative manner and make recommendations to drive design and decision-making.
• Ability to translate insight into actionable commercial recommendations and measure outcomes.
• Strong experience and confidence in facilitating workshops and other collaborative sessions, including preparation beforehand, creation of digital workspaces and visual outputs, and digestion of information afterwards.
• Strong engagement and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to generate enthusiasm, interest and engagement with research and insight.
• Demonstrable experience of managing research projects and suppliers or agencies
• Knowledge of, and proven experience of applying project management principles.
• Confidence using digital facilitation and presentation tools (e.g. Miro).
• Knowledge of data protection regulations and best practice in handling customer data.

Desirable

• Proven commercial acumen, with an understanding of how insights deliver & can drive key strategic and commercial decisions, and experience with commercial modelling and developing business cases is desirable.
• Experience of using data to forecast Customer Experience (CX) improvement against key performance metrics and targets is desirable.

This role is available on permanent contract or secondment for 12 months.

We're an inclusive employer of choice and welcome applications from everyone. For this specific role, there is an expectation to be able to come to our London or Derby Offices for a minimum of three days per week. We encourage people to work flexibly and we're open to hybrid working! We'll also try our best to adapt the recruitment process and offer a reasonable alternative to help support people with disabilities.

If you're working within the rail industry and considering applying via a Secondment, we encourage you to have a conversation with your line manager early in the process to support a potential secondment into Network Rail and where successful to support your release.