Graduate Research Executive (Trade, Innovation & Enterprise) 2024

Ipsos Public Affairs are the leaders in social research. We bridge the gap between government and the public, providing robust research and analysis. We cover broad issues that shape the delivery of public services in modern society and how to engage the public in the policy-making process.

The Trade, Innovation and Enterprise team within Ipsos Public Affairs is a fast-growing team of social researchers and evaluators. We work to understand and shape the interactions between businesses, government and the public. We carry out a wide range of qualitative and quantitative projects. These address some of the most important challenges facing society, including:

• How and why businesses grow and prosper 
• The challenges faced by different types of businesses, such as SMEs, or those in creative and tech industries
• How the UK works and trades with other countries, and what businesses and the UK public think about this 
• How UK organisations can meet their Net Zero commitments

Our work has influenced policies (e.g. around the NI Protocol) and strategies (e.g. the National AI Strategy), strengthened the evidence base for various business tax reliefs (e.g. Video Games Tax Relief) and supported new businesses to deal with challenges like cyber-crime.

What will I be doing?

As a Graduate Research Executive, you will be encouraged to take responsibility from the outset and will be involved straight away on live projects. You will gain exposure to a variety of policy areas and research approaches, whilst working alongside industry experts. In this role, you will:

• Work with both quantitative and qualitative data, supporting research projects from inception and design through to data delivery and reporting.
• Learn and employ key project management skills – you will see the end-to-end project life cycle, including meeting with clients, managing project timetables and risks, working through timelines and costings, designing research materials (for example questionnaire and topic guides), and liaising with our fieldwork specialists.
• Build and manage effective client relationships through strong communication with individual client teams and their stakeholders (e.g. policymakers).
• Provide quality assurance and uphold data integrity and accuracy in all stages of the project, including questionnaire scripts, fieldwork administration and reporting.
• You will be able to work within small project teams, where you will have the chance to interact with clients and keep them updated on projects, and present findings. You will also work on large multi-strand projects, where you will get to learn from experienced project managers, and other senior colleagues providing support and guidance. 
• You will be able to work closely with our associated policy teams, the Energy and Environment team, and Transport and Infrastructure team, as well as our evaluation, economic analysis, statistical analysis and qualitative methods experts in Ipsos Public Affairs. 
• Finally, you will also be able to take advantage of the excellent training and career progression opportunities at Ipsos. 

What do I need to bring with me?

• Interest in and enthusiasm for Trade, Innovation and Enterprise policies and/or B2B research
• A hunger to unpick questions into their constituent parts, to spot opportunities and be able to influence decisions
• The ability to work efficiently and effectively under pressure and to be accountable for managing your own workload
• Exceptional organisational skills as well as the ability to multi-task and work towards multiple deadlines simultaneously
• The ability to work creatively and think commercially with a curiosity and drive to learn, understand and improve, using trouble-shooting skills to think on your feet
• Strong interpersonal skills – the ability to communicate clearly and persuasively

Along with

• The unrestricted right to work in the UK

What is in it for me?

Our Generation Ipsos programme provides a comprehensive foundation in research and how it’s practically applied in a commercial environment. You’ll be trained in client management, project management and the nitty-gritty of research including methodologies, sampling, weighting and ethics. You will learn through real life, hands-on experience, webinars, seminars and specialist workshops. 

We will provide you with dedicated training designed to achieve the industry recognised Market Research Society (MRS) Advanced Certificate accreditation. Networking is a key skill so we have Early Careers events with other Graduates, Placement Students and Interns across the company.

Having a flexible working culture where we support our colleagues and celebrate our successes is important to us. We invest our time in you and you will benefit from working alongside our expert teams. 

Your manager will help you set goals to achieve your personal objectives throughout the year and help you exceed these.

And the fun stuff

• 25 days’ holiday which increases over time to 30 days, plus an extra day for your birthday
• Annual summer and All Staff events
• Team socials, including Christmas parties
• Season ticket loan
• Future talent loan - an optional and interest-free loan of up to £1000 to help with any unexpected costs, so you can focus on having a great start to your career
• A huge variety of benefits e.g. pension contributions, income protection, winter flu jabs, eye care vouchers, online and high street discounts
• Opportunity to participate in and benefit from participation in our multiple Diversity and Inclusion ‘Belong’ groups, which bring together people with shared identities and interests to ensure that their voices are heard through the company and that Ipsos can continue to carry out research that is most representative of the UK and wider world today. (Our current – highly active – groups comprise: the Gender Balance Network, the Race, Ethnicity, and Cultural Heritage group, Ipsos Pride, Parent Network, Menopause Support Group, Neurodiversity Network, Carers Network, and the International Employees Network, and we are always open to creating more groups where they represent our people and our values).

How to apply

To apply, please follow the link below. From here you will be taken to our recruitment partner, Instant Impact’s website where you can fill out our application form. Those who are successful at this stage will be progressed to a virtual interview. The final stage will be an assessment centre.

Applications close on Wednesday 7th February but we may close early if we receive a high volume of applications.

We are committed to equality, treating people fairly, promoting a positive and inclusive working environment and ensuring we have diversity of people and views. We recognise that this is important for our business success - a more diverse workforce will enable us to better reflect and understand the world we research and ultimately deliver better research and insight to our clients.