Senior Consultant - Associate Director: AI-powered Insight

Verve Direct Limited; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Verve Direct Limited is seeking a senior consultant/ research leader to drive AI-enabled insight delivery and client growth within the Build & Growth Studio. You’ll own complex delivery, shape briefs, and guide clients through AI-enabled approaches across high-value accounts.

You’ll sit at the intersection of client strategy, insight delivery and AI-enabled build, helping shape scalable solutions while growing capability across the team. UK-based with weekly hub presence in Manchester or London.

Qualifications

• 5–8 years’ experience in direct commercial insight or adjacent fields.
• Proven experience leading complex client delivery and growing client relationships.
• Strong commercial judgement across scoping, resourcing, margin and profitability.
• Confidence operating as a senior client advisor.
• Exposure to AI-powered build environments, automation or technical workflows.
• Evidence of learning fast in new technical or delivery domains.
• Leadership style that builds confidence, capability and momentum in others.
• Strong organisational skills managing multiple projects, deadlines, and stakeholders.
• A clear, confident communicator able to explain complex ideas simply and align teams.
• Growth mindset in fast-moving, ambiguous environments where the model is still evolving.
• UK-based candidate; able to work from Manchester or London Hub at least once per week.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end delivery of AI-powered Build & Growth Studio work across multiple high-value client accounts.
• Act as a trusted senior advisor, shaping briefs, guiding clients through AI-enabled approaches, and challenging thinking where needed.
• Own scoping, resourcing, timelines and budgets, ensuring delivery is commercially sound and profitable.
• Translate client and business objectives into clear, executable build plans.
• Identify opportunities to grow client relationships and support new business through pitches and proposals.
• Familiarity and experience with AI concepts and techniques (LLMs, ML, RAG).
• Experience or desire to grow capability in using AI to support insight workflow optimisation or automation.
• Demonstrate curiosity and lateral thinking to solve problems; champion smarter, faster, scalable delivery.
• Partner with technical and delivery teams to test, refine and systemise workflows and tools.
• Drive automation and repeatable delivery approaches to improve efficiency and margin.
• Stay close to AI developments and apply pragmatically to Build Studio delivery.
• Be comfortable operating in ambiguity and building structure as you go.
• Lead, coach and develop Senior Consultants, Consultants and Associates, building confidence across client leadership.

Skills

Client leadership

Commercial judgment

Communication

AI interest

Leadership

Team coaching

Job description

About Verve

At Verve, we’re expanding what’s possible in modern research. We combine the best of Human, Cultural, and Artificial Intelligence to help some of the world’s most iconic brands -like Samsung, Unilever, Mars Petcare, and Shell – make faster, smarter decisions.

The Role

We’re looking to build relationships with experienced Senior Consultants / Research Managers / Associate Directors who could grow into / play a leadership role within our Build & Growth Studio – the team responsible for building tailored AI insight solutions for our clients, and managing stakeholder relationships to ensure what we deliver drives real business impact.

This role is designed for someone with a strong grounding in commercial insight delivery and client growth leadership - someone already trusted by clients, confident owning complex delivery, and commercially sharp in how work is scoped, delivered and grown.

Alongside this core skillset, we’re looking for someone who can stretch into technical leadership within an AI-powered delivery environment. Ideally, you’ll bring experience or exposure to areas such as AI build architecture, automation, or workflow optimisation. However, we’re equally open to candidates who are still building hands‑on AI experience but demonstrate clear aptitude, curiosity and ability to bridge that gap quickly.

You’ll sit at the intersection of client strategy, insight delivery and AI‑enabled build, helping shape how we deliver smarter, more scalable solutions - while growing confidence and capability across the team.

Key Responsibilities

Client Delivery & Commercial Leadership

• Lead end-to-end delivery of AI-powered Build & Growth Studio work across multiple high-value client accounts.
• Act as a trusted senior advisor, shaping briefs, guiding clients through AI-enabled approaches, and challenging thinking where needed.
• Own scoping, resourcing, timelines and budgets, ensuring delivery is commercially sound and profitable.
• Translate client and business objectives into clear, executable build plans.
• Identify opportunities to grow client relationships and support new business through pitches and proposals.

Technical Delivery & Innovation

• Familiarity and experience with AI concepts and techniques, such as large language models, machine learning, or Retrieval-Augmented Generation models.

• • Experience or desire to grow capability in using AI to support insight workflow optimisation or automation, looking to develop technical understanding over time
  • Bonus points for: Technical literacy, such as coding or working with APIs
  • Note: We will provide training and guidance in the specific processes and tech underpinning Verve Vero solutions

• Demonstrate curiosity and lateral thinking proactively solving problems as we redefine how insight is built and delivered
• Champion delivery that is smarter, faster and more scalable across the Build Studio.
• Partner with technical and delivery teams to test, refine and systemise workflows and tools.
• Drive automation and repeatable delivery approaches to improve efficiency, consistency and margin.
• Stay close to AI developments, applying them pragmatically to Build Studio delivery.
• Be comfortable operating in ambiguity, building structure as you go

Team Leadership & Collaboration

• Lead, coach and develop Senior Consultants, Consultants and Associates, building confidence across client leadership and emerging technical capability.
• Set clear expectations that balance quality, efficiency and commercial discipline.
• Partner closely with Consultancy and Enablement to deliver joined-up client programmes.
• Shape Build Studio standards and best practice, acting as a visible role model for curiosity, adaptability and ownership.

What We’re Looking For:

• 5–8 years’ experience. Direct commercial insight background is valuable but not essential - we also welcome candidates from adjacent fields (e.g. consultancy, creative or tech-driven agencies, marketing, product, UX, or innovation) who bring strong transferable skills

• Proven experience leading complex client delivery and growing client relationships
• Strong commercial judgement across scoping, resourcing, margin and profitability
• Confidence operating as a senior client advisor
• Exposure to, or strong interest in, AI-powered build environments, automation or technical workflows
• Evidence of learning fast in new technical or delivery domains
• A leadership style that builds confidence, capability and momentum in others

• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines, and stakeholders

• A clear, confident communicator - able to explain complex technical ideas simply and align teams around them

• A growth mindset – you’re comfortable working in fast-moving, ambiguous environments where the model is still evolving

• UK-based candidate. Able to work from our Manchester or London Hub at least once per week

Join Us

If you’re excited by the potential of AI to change the research landscape and want to be part of a team that’s shaping the future, we’d love to hear from you.

At Verve you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to meaningful projects, expand your insight, management and AI skill set, and grow in a supportive environment that thrives on innovation and impact.

By applying to Verve, you acknowledge our use of AI-assisted tools to help screen applications against job-related criteria. All outcomes are reviewed by humans and are not determinative. You can request human review, express your views, or contest any assessment at any time via [e-mail]. Full details of the Privacy Notice can be found here: Privacy Notice