Head of KOL Research

Maternity Cover – 1-year fixed term contract

In this senior role as Head of KOL Research Projects, you will be responsible for ensuring that the Research Team operates with the best working processes, delivers outstanding client service, and continues to grow as an integral part of System Analytic. You will work with project/account directors, qualitative researchers and our digital and medical teams to ensure everything runs smoothly, that opportunities are maximised and that our services are developed and delivered with excellence

System Analytic helps pharmaceutical teams to identify, manage, and engage their opinion leaders and experts through a variety of market research services and digital tools. That's all we do, and we excel at it

System Analytic is part of the WPP Health Practice which is made up of four specialist agencies – Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide, ghg | grey health group, Sudler London and System Analytic. Each of the agencies operate independently under their own unique brands but are united by a shared vision and purpose to deliver the full depth and breadth of their specialized services to clients. With the aim of providing innovative, pragmatic strategic counsel for clients’ increasingly complex needs, WPP Health Practice is there to create a new health consulting capability.

We are currently looking for an experienced market researcher with excellent people management skills, outstanding commercial acumen with a passion for unrivalled client satisfaction and innovative project deliverables to provide leadership across our KOL Insights business, including team management, growth management, project excellence and financial management of projects with an initial contract to cover the current incumbent’s maternity leave.

What will you do?

• Project excellence – delivery & management – Close supervision of how our KOL research projects are being run and delivered, making timely interventions to avoid slippage and supporting the team with decision making. Implement best practices, best approaches for implementing different methodologies, review all team outputs for flow, story, and presentation beauty. Oversee interactions and relationships with the qualitative researchers and medical teams. Constantly review working practices to ascertain if they are successful and, if not, devise an alternative.

• Team management - Oversee, guide and support the KOL Research Team across all areas; account management, research services, deliverables creation and presentation to clients. Manage recruitment, mentor, motivate, and nurture team members at all levels to perform at their best, conduct staff reviews and implement staff development plans. Monitor and manage resourcing within the team. Have an appreciation of people, their requirements/needs, balancing firmness with flexibility.

• Financial management – Ensure financial targets and other agreed targets are met for the KOL Research Team. Support monthly reporting and forecasting using WPP analytics and reporting tools. Work with the senior team to implement measures and strategies for cost management and control. Support project budgeting and project profitability analysis.

• Growth management – Create and implement new insights services, tools and product offerings for our clients to support revenue growth. Ensure that our already successful client accounts continue to be managed effectively and growth opportunities are maximised where possible.

…But most importantly you will be ready to get stuck in with supporting the execution and delivery of great solutions from day one!

What you will bring to the table

• Experience of developing, leading and proactively managing a busy and diverse team, preferably in a research / market research or a medical communications agency environment
• An intrinsic desire to constantly improve on the status quo and evolve the way things are done - how can I improve the processes of what we do, how can I reduce costs, how can I increase profitability, how can I improve this deliverable, how can I make things better for my team?
• Ability to make good and trustworthy decisions about everything from how projects are delivered to how staff and clients are managed
• Confidence and experience to oversee the team revenue reporting and forecasting processes. Understanding and tweaking the levers which drive our profitability and revenue recognition.
• The ability to guide and advise on project management so the team can prioritise and plan according to deadlines and resources.
• Ability to put the client at the centre of all you and your team do and the decisions you make. You strive to ensure client engagement, service and satisfaction is our key focus and priority. You will guide your team in building and growing great relationships with our clients.
• A passion to support a team to the best of its abilities, to support and drive innovation in services and processes, to ensure that all Insight services are developed and designed in line with the System Analytic Way

The successful candidate will give us an everyday confidence that the team is being proactively managed, fires are being reliably fought, people are happy, and clients continue to love what we produce for them.

But what’s equally important is your fit with our way of thinking and our exceptionally co-operative culture – as a company, we are obsessed with innovation and continuous improvement and as individuals we enjoy the environment it creates.

All this means that unlike other companies in our space we don’t just create great services & products, we are the world’s best in what we do, and we are looking for people with a similar frame of mind.

As part of WPP, the world’s largest communications and marketing agency network, we offer a great package of benefits, such as health insurance, subsidised gym membership and a generous holiday entitlement.

Think you’re the right person for the job?

If you’re passionate about managing and delivering innovative research projects for global clients, we’d love to hear from you. Send your CV including a cover letter telling us all about yourself!