Research Manager, Quant Led Mixed Methods - Sports and Leisure Surrey / hybrid working GBP 40-45,000 + Bens - (posted Nov 4 2026)

Company: Spalding Goobey
Advertisers Ref: 984051
MrWeb Ref: 163368

Job Spec: Are you a strong mixed-methods or quant researcher who loves golf? This is a rare chance to bring the two together.

Our client is an established specialist research consultancy working with organisations across sport and leisure, from some of the biggest names in the industry to national bodies and smaller groups. A large share of their work is in golf, and they're looking for a Research Manager who can talk the game as comfortably as they can talk data.


The role

You'll run your own projects from start to finish, around 80% bespoke and the rest multi-client studies on topical industry issues. You'll be the main client contact, design the questionnaires, manage fieldwork, analyse and interpret the data, write the reports and present the findings.

The work is mixed methods with quant at its core, and the clients want insight that goes well beyond demographic cuts to explain why people behave the way they do. Some qual comes up from time to time, mainly stakeholder interviews, so experience there would be a bonus but isn't essential. You'll also support proposals and spot follow-on opportunities with existing clients. There's no cold selling involved.


Golf

A large proportion of the clients are in golf, so a genuine love of the game would be ideal, whether you play or follow it closely. You'll help represent the business at golf days and be comfortable chatting about golf with clients. You don't need experience of working in the golf industry. A good researcher who loves golf will pick that up quickly.


About you

• Solid market research experience, at Research Manager level or top-end SRE with the confidence to run projects independently
• Strong quant skills in questionnaire design, analysis, interpretation and report writing
• Ideally some exposure to qual (discussion guide design, interview moderation)
• Friendly, positive and happy to share ideas in a small, close-knit team.

The package and the culture

This is a small, friendly and refreshingly non-hierarchical team, a good fit for experienced researchers who want a calmer pace outside London. The team is in the Surrey office two days a week. Ideally, you'd be within commuting distance, but there's flexibility for the right person. The business is also genuinely supportive of flexible working patterns.

If you're a mixed-methods or quant researcher who is open to qual and would love to spend more of your working life around golf, we'd love to hear from you.

Who to contact: Email your CV (in confidence) to sga@spalding-goobey.co.uk, quoting the reference above, or contact Andrew Goobey, Andrew Mercer, Caroline Rock or Rebecca Meaton on 020 7287 7237

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