Shopper Insight Manager

Institute of Grocery Distribution; Watford; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Market leading pension

Bonus scheme

Generous medical insurance

Great work-life balance

Job summary

IGD is seeking a Shopper Insight Manager to lead its shopper research programme, delivering insight and foresight for clients in food, grocery and shopper behaviour. The role includes line management and developing IGD’s internal insight capability.

You will shape the content plan, drive strategic focus areas, and deliver high-impact outputs for senior clients, while building a strong external network and leading impactful engagement events. Hybrid working with London-area access.

Qualifications

• 8–10 years’ experience in insight, research, strategy or related field.
• Strong exposure to grocery, retail, FMCG or consumer goods.
• Credibility presenting to senior and executive audiences.
• Advanced methodological capability across qualitative, quantitative and digital tools.
• Ability to interpret complex data sources into a clear story.
• Exceptional storytelling and client-facing communication.
• Excellent written English and high-quality reports and client outputs.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and evolution of IGD's shopper research programme.
• Shape content plans, priorities, resources and budgeting.
• Deliver high-quality reports, articles, and client-ready outputs.
• Drive client engagement through presentations, forums and events.
• Mentor and develop a shopper analyst; manage workloads and objectives.
• Collaborate with marketing, communications and commercial teams.

Skills

Insight expertise

Commercial credibility

Client influence

Storytelling skills

Written English

Senior stakeholder engagement

Tools

Q or similar analysis software

Excel

Word

PowerPoint

Job description

At IGD, we’re proud to be a Great Place to Work, where our people are empowered to grow, inspired to lead and ready to make a difference. At the heart of that experience is how we attract, welcome and support new colleagues to join us.

That’s where you come in.

We’re looking for a Shopper Insight Manager who will bring expertise and thought leadership to IGD’s insight programme, providing insight and foresight that helps our clients understand the forces shaping food, grocery and shopper behaviour.

This is a leadership role designed for someone with a strong reputation for their expertise, knowledge and ability to shape thinking. You’ll play a pivotal role in developing high-impact insight, strengthening client engagement and building IGD’s voice in the market. The role includes line management responsibility and plays an important role in developing future insight capability within IGD.

What you’ll do

Content and thought leadership

You will lead the development and continual evolution of IGD's shopper research programme, ensuring it remains commercially relevant, strategically focused and genuinely useful for clients. You’ll be expected to:

• Shape IGD's shopper insight agenda, innovating in research methods, and bringing thought leadership that influences industry thinking
• Direct, lead and shape the content plan and research programme, including input into priorities, resource allocation and budgeting
• Ensure the team delivers consistently high-quality outputs that meet agreed standards for insight, foresight, storytelling and commercial impact.
• Drive strategic focus areas for IGD’s insight programme, identifying where we can add most value for clients and the wider industry
• Deliver thought-leading reports, articles, presentations and client-ready outputs of the highest standard
• Continuously review content analytics, client feedback and market developments to identify new ideas aligned to strategy and client needs
• Work with marketing, communications and commercial teams to drive awareness of IGD’s insight through all relevant media channels

Customer engagement and influence

A core part of this role is to strengthen IGD’s relationship with clients and the wider industry. You’ll be expected to:

• Proactively engage with clients to understand their challenges, priorities and knowledge gaps, using this to shape the insight programme
• Deliver thought-leading presentations at high-profile IGD and industry events
• Lead strategic client engagement, including deep dives, webinars, advisory sessions and senior stakeholder conversations
• Lead and deliver a programme of client engagement events, forums or advisory boards
• Develop a strong senior-level external network
• Build a client-first mentality across the team by sharing client feedback, market intelligence and examples of what strong engagement looks like

Research and methodology

You will bring an expert perspective to research design, analysis and interpretation, helping IGD produce robust, credible and future-facing insight. You’ll be expected to:

• Provide expert interpretation of research data and insight, integrating multiple sources to create a clear, evidence-based perspective
• Lead and design full research programmes, ensuring the right methodology is used for the right business question
• Advocate for new methodologies and approaches that improve efficiency, strengthen foresight or help close the say-do gap
• Work closely with data and analytics colleagues to innovate reporting, visualisation, tools and processes

People leadership

• Manage, coach and develop a shopper analyst, helping them unlock their potential and progress their career
• Balance team workload, priorities and resources to deliver against objectives
• Set clear objectives and development plans, ensuring strong performance and continued growth

What we’re looking for

We’re looking for someone who combines insight expertise, commercial credibility and strong client influence. You’ll need:

• At least 8-10 years’ experience in insight, research, strategy or a related field, ideally with strong exposure to grocery, retail, FMCG or consumer goods
• Deep knowledge of the industry, with excellent commercial awareness and strategic influence
• Credibility presenting to senior and executive-level audiences
• Advanced methodological capability across qualitative, quantitative research, digital and AI-based tools
• The ability to interpret complex data sets and integrate multiple evidence sources into a clear, compelling story
• Exceptional storytelling skills, with the confidence to shape opinion and provide a clear point of view
• Excellent written English and the ability to produce high-quality reports, articles, presentations and client outputs
• Advanced PowerPoint, Excel and Word skills
• Experience using Q or similar analysis software would be desirable
• Outstanding networking and relationship-building skills, including with senior stakeholders
• Proven ability to coach, develop and inspire othersLine management experience would be desirable

The rewards

We offer a range of benefits, including a market leading pension, a bonus scheme, the ability to buy and sell annual leave plus a generous medical insurance package. You will have a great work-life balance, where you are empowered & trusted to manage your time.

The location

We are operating a hybrid approach to working with a mix of home and office-based working. We are based in a very accessible location within the M25, just 20 miles from Central London.

Our behaviours

We’re hungry for better

We solve it together

We make it happen

We say what needs to be said

More about our people

We’re looking for inspiring professionals; talented people who seek personal and career growth and are ambitious to develop their potential and unlock opportunities for society, for our clients and themselves.

We seek and attract the very best people and create an environment that supports and includes them. We aim to encourage a culture where people can be themselves and be valued for their contribution. We welcome applications from diverse candidates. Please discuss any adjustments that you may require throughout the selection and assessment process.

More about IGD

We are a strategic insight foresight and learning organisation. Here to unite the industry and benefit society. We invest all our profit into Social Impact.

We foster collaboration through a broad range of forums, bringing together businesses, policymakers, and thought leaders. By providing evidence-based insights, credible research, and strategic foresight, we help organisations make informed decisions that benefit their operations and contribute to the collective good of society.