Liverpool, United Kingdom, Manchester, United Kingdom

Insights Team

Dependant on experience

Permanent

Full Time

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Research Manager - Marketing

About your new role

This brand new Research Manager position will play a pivotal role in strengthening the firm’s insight-led approach to business development, sector strategy, and client growth. The role will lead the delivery of high-quality, proactive research and horizon scanning, providing actionable intelligence to lawyers, marketing & business development teams, and senior stakeholders.

This is a hands-on managerial role, combining advanced research and analysis with oversight of research activity, quality assurance, and mentoring of junior team members. The Research Manager will work with the Head of Insights to help shift the Insights function from reactive delivery to a proactive strategic partner across the firm.

Key Responsibilities

Research Leadership & Delivery

Lead the delivery of complex, high-value research projects, including client and prospect profiles, sector and market reports, competitor intelligence and multi-jurisdictional and cross-sector analysis.

Client and prospect profiles
Sector and market reports
Competitor intelligence for bids, sectors and campaigns
Multi-jurisdictional and cross-sector analysis
Own and produce quarterly horizon-scanning reports for priority sectors, identifying emerging legal, commercial, regulatory, and market trends.
Translate data and research into clear, commercially focused insights tailored to senior legal and BD audiences.
Ensure research outputs are timely, accurate, relevant, and consistently high quality.

Sector & Client Insight Development

Develop sector insight packs and benchmarking reports that support:

Client account planning
Bid strategy and pre-ITT intelligence
Campaign planning and thought leadership
Work closely with Marketing, BD, and Client Relationship Managers to align insight outputs with strategic priorities and campaigns.
Identify opportunities for value-add insight for key clients where appropriate.

Team Management & Development

Act as day-to-day research lead for the Insights team’s research activity, helping to prioritise and triage incoming requestsMentor and develop Insights Executives, providing guidance on:

Research methodology
Analysis
Report writing and storytelling
Support progression planning for junior team members, contributing to skills development and succession planning.
Introduce and embed best practice research processes and templates.

Capability & Tool Development

Evaluate and optimise the use of research tools, platforms, and data sources (e.g. CRM data, news monitoring, political and market intelligence tools).
Support the development of AI-enabled research workflows where appropriate, including participation in pilot initiatives.
Work with the retained external research agency for enhancements to the team research proposition.

Stakeholder Engagement

Build trusted relationships with partners, lawyers, market affairs team and senior new business and marketing stakeholders.
Scope research requests effectively, challenging and refining briefs where needed to maximise value.
Present insights verbally and in written formats to internal audiences.

About You

Essential
- Significant experience (typically 5+ years) in research, insight, market intelligence, or competitive intelligence roles.
- Experience working within professional services, legal, financial services, consultancy, or similarly complex B2B environments.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to synthesise large volumes of information into clear, commercial insights.
- Excellent written communication skills, with experience producing reports for senior or executive-level audiences.
- Proven ability to manage multiple research projects and deadlines concurrently.
- Experience mentoring, coaching, or managing junior colleagues.
Desirable
- Experience in legal services or similar sectors
- Experience producing sector reports, market benchmarking, or horizon scanning outputs.
- Exposure to or interest in AI-assisted research tools and methodologies.
- Presentation experience with senior stakeholders.
Personal Attributes
- Proactive and commercially minded.
- Comfortable challenging assumptions and adding strategic value.
- Highly organised with strong attention to detail.
- Confident communicator who can translate insight into action.
- Collaborative and supportive leader with a coaching mindset.
Why Join the Marketing Insights Team?
- Opportunity to shape and help grow a high-impact insight function at the heart of business development.
- Visible role working closely with partners, marketing and new business teams.
- Genuine scope to influence how insight is used across the firm.
- New role with opportunity to grow and shape a growing Insights capability.

Why work for us

Come and join our award-winning organisation and be part of a team where people truly matter.

Weightmans is a Leading national law firm, with strong international capabilities.

Weightmans has been recognised as a leading employer for the 19th consecutive year at Britain’s Top Employers awards, and ranking top 10 in the list, the firm has also secured top positions in Chambers UK.

Join Weightmans as we continue our journey to becoming one of the UK’s top 30 law firms.

Why work for us? Take a look: Work for Weightmans: voted a top employer | Weightmans

This link contains information regarding Culture, Benefits, D&I, Recruitment Agency PSL/Non PSL and Eligibility to work in the UK information.

Work for a firm where people matter – work for Weightmans

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