Head of Research Delivery

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Head of Research Delivery – Role Definition Purpose of the Role The Head of Research Delivery is a senior, client-facing leader responsible for delivering high-quality research programs and leading research teams across projects and accounts.

The Head of Research Delivery is accountable for how research work gets delivered across the organization – ensuring efficient, predictable, and scalable execution through clear ownership, effective resourcing, and streamlined ways of working.

This role owns and actively drives how research delivery operates in practice, including the systems, workflows, and team structures that enable successful execution.

It maintains accountability for delivery performance across projects (on time, on budget, on value), improving how work flows across teams, reducing unnecessary handoffs, and ensuring projects are set up for success from the start.

The Head of Research Delivery plays a critical role in enabling scale by simplifying how we work, increasing visibility across teams, and ensuring delivery models support growth without adding complexity or requiring proportional increases in effort.

Scope of Role The Head of Research Delivery is accountable for:

  • Senior oversight on key client accounts, ensuring delivery is aligned to client expectations and escalations are effectively managed
  • Direct line management of a team of researchers (level dependent on structure), with responsibility for performance, development, and team effectiveness
  • Staffing and resource allocation across all research projects and programs
  • Capacity planning and workload visibility across teams and regions
  • Design and optimization of end-to-end delivery workflows, including ownership, handoffs, and team interfaces
  • Delivery performance across the portfolio (on time, on budget, on value), with clear accountability and visibility
  • Reduction of operational complexity, including unnecessary coordination, duplicated effort, and unclear ownership
  • Implementation and consistent application of standardized ways of working
  • Alignment of delivery processes with Sales, Operations, and Innovation to ensure smooth and predictable execution
Key Responsibilities Achiever's Paradise (Clarity, Ownership & Team Enablement) Establish clear ownership, roles, and responsibilities across projects to reduce ambiguity and duplication of effort Create visibility into team capacity and workload to support balanced, sustainable delivery Enable Research teams to operate effectively by reducing unnecessary coordination and operational friction Foster a culture of accountability around delivery discipline, ensuring teams are clear on expectations and ways of working Provide direct leadership and line management to team members, including performance management, coaching, and development Build a strong delivery-focused team culture with clear expectations and accountability Business Value – Reliable, High-Quality Delivery
  • Maintain accountability for delivery across projects, ensuring teams are supported to execute effectively and step in where needed to drive outcomes
  • Actively engage in complex or high-priority projects where needed to ensure successful delivery
  • Ensure projects are set up for success from the start, with clear scope, ownership, and resourcing
  • Oversee delivery performance across the portfolio, ensuring consistency in how work is executed
  • Partner with Research Excellence to ensure delivery enables high-quality outputs and client-ready insights
  • Identify and address systemic delivery issues that impact consistency, predictability, or client experience
  • Support alignment between delivery approach and client needs, ensuring feasibility and execution are realistic
Cost Efficiency – Simplified and Efficient Ways of Working
  • Reduce operational complexity by simplifying workflows, minimizing unnecessary handoffs, and improving coordination across teams
  • Improve efficiency of delivery through better resource allocation, planning, and workload management
  • Identify and eliminate sources of inefficiency, including duplicated effort, unclear ownership, and unnecessary delays
  • Ensure standardized ways of working are applied consistently across teams and projects
  • Partner with Innovation to embed tools and workflows that improve efficiency without adding complexity
Revenue – Predictable Delivery & Execution Discipline
  • Ensure delivery predictability by improving milestone discipline and visibility across projects
  • Partner with Sales and
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