Manager - Research And Insights

The Communications, Marketing & Sales department takes an integrated approach to raising awareness of and amplifying Expo Citys rich and diverse value proposition, driving engagement, participation, and visitation both locally and internationally. Research & Insights provides data-driven insights that inform strategy and operational planning across the department and wider organisation, including visitor models, and market research and analytics relating to the performance of outreach efforts. The role supports the implementation of research and insights roadmap that contributes to Expo City’s vision, mission and business priorities.

The role holder will:

• Deep-dive into perceptions of the city and its portfolio across real estate, commercial, events and education, and evaluate the impact of marketing and communications on target audiences.
• Manage the execution of primary and secondary research requests across different verticals, help streamline processes, and foster cross-functional collaboration.
• Work closely with heads and their respective teams across the organisation to understand research needs, support performance optimisation and provide data-led recommendations.
• Manage brand trackers, contribute to KPI tracking, and support performance monitoring across the city and portfolio.

Role Description

Main responsibilities for the role include:

Strategic responsibilities

• Manage the execution and delivery of Expo City’s domestic and international brand health tracker, Omnibus and ad-hoc studies.
• Align research with business needs via collaborating with key stakeholders to understand their research requirements and align research initiatives with business priorities.
• Synthesize and communicate research findings and recommendations to senior leadership and cross-functional teams, using compelling storytelling and data visualization techniques.
• Oversee and review all research presented by the research agencies.
• Manage relationships with external research agencies.
• Stay up to date with emerging AI-enabled research and automation tools where relevant.

Operational responsibilities:

• Plan, execute and manage qualitative and quantitative research projects end-to-end.
• Work with internal stakeholders to define insight needs and determine appropriate methodologies.
• Oversee the planning, execution, and delivery of research projects, ensuring adherence to timelines and quality standards.
• Track project progress periodically and report the same to management.
• Review and approve questionnaires, discussion guides and analytical outputs.
• Design research questionnaires and moderator guides (when needed).
• Develop executive-ready insight reports and presentations, with a strong focus on clarity and impact.
• Support annual research budgeting and monitor project-level spend.
• Identify opportunities to streamline insight generation through smarter tools and automation.

Knowledge, Qualifications and Skills required

Essential:

6+ years of experience in a research, insights or analytics role as well as:

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, Business, Economics, or a related field
• Strong exposure to qualitative and quantitative research methodologies
• Strong experience in statistical interpretation, insight synthesis and storytelling
• Ability to convert data into clear business narratives and strategic implications
• Strong reporting and presentation skills
• Solid technical skills (PowerPoint, Excel, SPSS or similar tools)
• Ability to manage multiple projects under tight timelines
• Fluent in Business English
• High level of integrity, flexibility and attention to detail

Desirable:

Arabic language skills