Research Executive

About the role

To scope, design, manage, and deliver primary research (qualitative & quantitative) generating qualified/validated insight to inform and drive better business decision making and improve customer and Partner experience by championing and providing the most complete 360 degree view of our customers.

In addition to your contractual pay, any time worked between 22:00 - 06:00 will attract Night Premium at a rate of £- per hour. This will also apply to existing Partners who have enrolled onto Enhanced Hours Premium arrangements.

• Working pattern: This is a hybrid working role, therefore your time will primarily be split between working from home and the London Office. There will be occasional travel to our other offices, shops and agency partner locations.

• The Research & Insight team work from the office once a week to connect and on a more ad-hoc basis outside of that to attend key meetings, but again the frequency is dependent on the business needs. 

• Contract Type: This is a fixed term contract till July 2026.

• Salary: Up to £55,000

Key Responsibilities:

As a Researcher, you will be involved in delivering research which champions the voice of the customer and Partners within the John Lewis Partnership. You will have a focus on getting to the heart of what motivates our customers and Partners and communicating that in a coherent and compelling story. You will be involved in generating data and insights through the delivery of primary research projects using a variety of quantitative and qualitative techniques. 

The successful candidate will be able to design and script surveys; define samples; feed into recruitment screeners and discussion guides and be proficient in analysing and reporting on the results. You will conduct research using multiple data sources to provide insight and recommendations related to a business problem, mission or the Partner proposition.

Likely to have several years of delivering/managing/commissioning primary research projects under your belt, you will have the opportunity to develop and stretch personally and professionally to achieve your potential.

Essential skills/experience you’ll need 

•  Experience (3 - 5 years) in a relevant Insight or Research role, delivering a variety of research based projects either conducted in-house (client-side); within or via a 3rd party research agency

• Experience of survey design and (ideally) scripting using a survey building platform such as Alida (Vision Critical); Qualtrics; SurveyMonkey or similar

• Hands-on experience proven in designing and delivering research projects, demonstrating a range of methodologies e.g. qualitative approaches (discussion guide design, interview/group moderation and analysis) and quantitative research methods (questionnaire design and data analysis)

• Strong analysis skills and a good understanding of basic statistical analysis such as significance testing

• Proficient at distilling insights and implications from data and research and synthesising complex and ambiguous information in order to drive actionable insight

• A confident and experienced storyteller - written and verbal

• Excellent communication and presentation skills

• Exceptional problem solving, numerical skills and commercial acumen

• Ability to work within mixed, agile teams and skilled at navigating ambiguity

• Experience in critically evaluating facts, statements and looking at all angles

• Ability to rapidly learn and self-develop

• Excellent attention to detail

Desirable skills/experience you may have

• Experience in research within the retail industry

• Degree in relevant discipline

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The Partnership

We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.  

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.   

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect. 

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective. 

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.  

Important points to note:  

It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.  

We occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications, and therefore, we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application please contact us as soon as possible.

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.