Research projects to generate data and insight.
This occupation is found in private, public and third sector organisations. These include media, finance, local government, central government and health. Market, Social and Opinion Research enables organisations to understand customers, develop new products, identify business growth opportunities, understand society, develop new policies and address significant social concerns such as smoking, addiction, poverty and inequality.
The broad purpose of the occupation is to work on research projects to generate data and insight. The Market Research Executive collects, analyses and interprets information collected from participants using digital and non-digital methods. They use qualitative techniques such as focus groups, in-depth interviews, and ethnography; quantitative techniques such as face to face/telephone/online surveys, statistical analysis; and analysis of numerical data; and secondary data analysis such as summarising, collating and synthesising existing research. The Market Research Executive role is key within the research function. They support the team from the beginning to end of the research project, across a range of research duties. This includes working closely with the research team to ensure project delivery in line with agreed resources and budgets. As part of this role it is essential to build and maintain relationships with internal and external clients and suppliers as appropriate.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with internal teams such as research, sales, marketing, IT, product development, finance, HR, legal and Operations. (Operations is the part of the research function that undertakes data collection, coding, data processing and data delivery to the research teams for analysis and reporting.) They also interact with external stakeholders, including members of the public, clients, service providers, agencies, the media, local and central government and research participants. They are expected to work independently on certain duties and as part of the wider office based research team on other duties including day to day responsibility for leading elements of a research project. The Market Research Executive is accountable to a line manager within the research team, with no staff management or budgetary responsibilities. The Market Research Executive role is predominantly office based, however there may be some off-site duties at various locations such as attendance at research group discussions, research interviews, client/agency meetings.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for under supervision, the investigation, design and set up of research projects, organisation, preparation and collection of data and summarising, evaluating and analysing of data and reporting of research findings undertaken with awareness and understanding of human resource, costs and budgetary restraints/opportunities. These activities will require capturing, comparing, checking and analysing primary research data; undertaking desk research/secondary research; checking, monitoring and screening participants; structuring and segmenting data for analysis and validating data for quality and accuracy. There will also be day to day responsibility for leading elements of research project delivery and specific research tasks in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders as appropriate. The areas of responsibility, resources they manage and reporting will vary across employers depending on factors such as size or type of organisation.
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Duty 1 Duty Investigate research project goals and understand customers and citizens needs to support the creation of research project design. Cost proposals which recommend suitable research methodologies and analysis which achieve business objectives. |
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Duty 2 Support research teams in research life cycle including building and maintaining relationships with different research service providers, internal and external, such as fieldworkers/data processors, data analysts, translation and client/research agency. |
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Duty 3 Organise and prepare research materials and data collection documents such as key documents, notes, stimulus materials, questionnaires, discussion topic guides, interviewer briefing notes, incentives, once research proposals have been accepted. |
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Duty 4 Collate, summarise and evaluate previous research reports, to assess commonalities and new areas of interest with adherence to appropriate legal and ethical requirements including the market research society code of conduct, which underpins self-regulation in market research. |
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Duty 5 Capture, check and prepare primary research data using digital and non-digital methods such as intercept interviews, data tables, voxpops, observational/ethnographic techniques and pilot surveys. |
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Duty 6 Undertake desk research into secondary sources of data relevant to research objectives such as publications, online archives, cultural resources. |
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Duty 7 Check, monitor and screen processes used to recruit and/or maintain databases of participants for use in future research projects. |
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Duty 8 Structure, segment and analyse participant data from research projects into appropriate formats such as tables, verbatims and sentiment analysis in readiness for reporting to clients. |
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Duty 9 Validate data collected previously using accepted research data quality methods to ensure accuracy, representativeness and suitability using statistical and/or social science validation checks. |
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Duty 10 Prepare research reports and consider the best way to present research outputs (graphs, charts) eg; Powerpoint presentations and Word reports for reporting to the client (internal or external as appropriate), that detail the findings of the research activity undertaken and give recommendations for future client actions. |
K1: The role research plays in the business process, such as the target market, consumers (behaviour or attitudes), competitors or the industry as a whole.
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K2: How research is used to address business, customer and policy questions, such as information related to products, services or advertising etc.
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K3: The principles of Quantitative research and the underlying theories such as sampling, representativeness, statistical theory, data collection and analysis.
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K4: The principles of Qualitative research and underlying theories of the social sciences e.g. representativeness, sampling theory analysis methods.
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K5: The research methodologies including face to face (f2f), telephone, online, and postal.
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K6: Approaches to primary research and the different sources of primary research data.
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K7: Approaches to secondary research and how information is sourced and utilised from previously conducted studies.
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K8: The principles of research project management such as time management, scheduling, resourcing, costs and budgeting.
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K9: Relevant regulatory and legislative requirements such as data protection, GDPR, confidentiality, informed consent and safeguarding, ethics and The Market Research Society Code of Conduct.
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K10: Technologies such as digital sources, systems and software, that can help deliver market
research, delivery and evaluation.
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K11: Technology and software used to provide appropriate representation of data and manipulate them into appropriate formats (tables, graphs and portfolios) for publication.
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S1: Liaise with and manage, clients, stakeholders, internal teams and external suppliers to deliver required outcomes.
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S2: Undertake data collection, data analysis, data presentation and data storage including analysis and validation of the outputs from primary or secondary research data sources.
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S3: Interpret, prepare and communicate research findings such as presentations, reports, and workshops.
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S4: Make evidence-based recommendations from research results.
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S5: Use communications skills and techniques such as negotiation, collaboration, problem solving, and decision making.
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S6: Interpret research objectives and translate into research design and implementation.
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S7: Use digital and IT software packages relevant to the role.
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S8: Use research/survey software to gather audience insight and/or evaluation such as SPSS (Statistical Product and Service Solutions).
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S9: Select and use appropriate research design techniques.
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S10: Evaluate data and research findings to derive insights to support improvements to future research projects.
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B1: Works without bias.
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B2: Seeks learning opportunities and continuous professional development.
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B3: Works collaboratively.
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B4: Works ethically recognising participants needs and data privacy.
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B5: Works flexibly and adapts to circumstances.
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B6: Takes responsibility, shows initiative and is organised.
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This standard aligns with the following professional recognition:
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| Version | Change detail | Earliest start date | Latest start date |
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| 1.0 | Approved for delivery | 27/05/2021 | Not set |
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