Head of Strategic Research | North America

Job description

The Savanta Group is looking for a senior research leader to take ownership of how our research is designed, governed, and defended across Savanta, Explorer, and Plinc. The successful candidate must be based either in the US or Canada, preferably on East Coast hours. The role is remote, but has occasional travel to offices in the US, UK, and other locations, and regular travel to conferences and industry events, etc. About Us: Savanta, Explorer, and Plinc are distinct but connected research and insight businesses, each with their own focus and client base. Together, they form a group with significant breadth of capability, from large-scale quantitative research to specialist qualitative and innovation-led insight. Across all three, the commitment to rigorous, credible, and commercially relevant research is constant. With over 500 people across offices in multiple countries, we combine deep research expertise, proprietary technology and high-impact consulting to give our clients a complete view of their markets, their customers, and their competitors. About the Role: The Head of Strategic Research will be the methodological authority across the group, the person who ensures that everything we produce is accurate, rigorous, and built on sound foundations, wherever it originates. This is a role for someone who combines deep research expertise with the presence and communication skills to represent the group externally: writing, speaking, and engaging with the media and industry on the research topics that matter. You will collaborate closely with the President, Explorer & Plinc to shape the group’s research agenda and raise the quality bar across all three businesses. This role will work across various divisions, including research, commercial, marketing, and product. You will be the research expert, helping to meaningfully connect different areas of the larger organization. Part of this role will be to help the group use AI, technology, and automation thoughtfully to improve both quality and efficiency. You will identify where new tools can strengthen research design, improve consistency, reduce manual effort, and create better ways of working, while ensuring that innovation is applied responsibly and never compromises methodological rigor, data integrity, or client trust. This is an opportunity to be the methodological heart of a growing, ambitious research business and to shape how Savanta Group is seen in the industry. About You: You are a senior researcher whose judgment other researchers trust. You have built deep expertise in primary research methodologies, quantitative, qualitative, or both, across a range of sectors, and you have reached the point in your career where people bring you the hard methodological questions because your answer is the one that settles it. You are comfortable being the last word on research quality, and comfortable being challenged on it. You are also happy to be visible. This role involves writing for publication, speaking at industry events, and answering questions about our methods from journalists, clients, and academics. You will have a strong track record of public-facing work, and the confidence to build a lot more of it. You can move between audiences without losing precision: explaining a sampling decision to a specialist and to a national newspaper are different jobs, and you can do both. Beyond the technical, we care about how you work. This is a role with enormous influence and relatively little direct authority, spanning three businesses that do things differently. It suits someone collegial and generous, who raises standards by bringing people with them rather than by policing them, who offers a better choice alongside any critique, and who stays pragmatic about commercial realities. You will be intellectually curious, genuinely current on developments in methods and technology, and hold high personal standards for accuracy and intellectual honesty. The ideal candidate will have: Extensive experience in conducting primary research, with real depth in a variety of methodologies. A mix of agency, consultancy, client-side, or academic/think-tank backgrounds. A strong track record as a methodological authority - internally and/or externally - the credibility to be the ‘last word’ on research quality. Experience operating at a senior level and shaping research practice beyond your own team. Evidence of public-facing work, such as writing, speaking, or media engagement on research topics. Familiarity with a variety of sectors such as FMCG, Pharma and Healthcare, Technology, Financial services, or Retail. Experience with utilizing secondary research data. We would rather hear from someone strong who doesn't tick every box than not hear from them at all. Please click here to view the full job description And in return, Savanta offers* Salary: $170,000+ USD / $190,000+ CAD Bonus scheme Generous PTO Allowance Flexible working practices Health package Retirement plan Team & Company Socials Committees for Health & Well Being, Charities & Volunteering and DE&I *Benefits package may vary based on location. Full details of local benefits and perks available on request from the People Team (HR). Why Join Us: Part of the vibrant Next 15 Communications Group, we have an entrepreneurial and inclusive company culture that actively recognizes and values its people and offers unrivalled scope for career development, including mentoring, coaching as well as extensive training programs. The company was founded on the belief that tech should be integral to its success, and this culture of tech innovation makes us best placed to put Savanta at the heart of our clients’ businesses, offering solutions before they even know the problem. We encourage authentic responses that reflect your own experience and approach. Candidates should avoid relying on Generative AI to write cover letters or application responses, as this may be considered during the review process. Savanta Group is committed to being an equal opportunities employer and continuously strives to be an employer of choice. Our people are our greatest assets - we value workplace diversity and inclusion, oppose all forms of unlawful discrimination, and welcome applications from suitably qualified candidates of all backgrounds. All candidates will be considered equally, however, unfortunately we are unable to offer visa sponsorship. For information on how Savanta uses your data, please see