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Service Management Group (SMG)SS

Senior Research Manager (Qualitative)

Service Management Group (SMG) is an experience management (XM) provider that combines platform technology and professional services to help brands improve customer, employee, and brand experiences.

Service Management Group (SMG)

Employee count: 501-1000

United Kingdom only

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Senior Research Manager (Qualitative)
This is a role open to candidates located in the UK.

What we’re looking for
SMG is looking for a Senior Research Manager (Qualitative) to lead strategic insight projects from initial brief through final presentation. This role works closely with clients, sales, and research teams to design thoughtful studies, turn findings into clear recommendations, and help organizations make better decisions that strengthen customer and employee experiences.

What you’ll do
  • Own the full research process across multiple projects simultaneously from client brief interpretation through final presentation, ensuring projects are delivered on time and aligned to client objectives.
  • Design screeners, questionnaires, discussion guides, and research approaches that produce actionable insights across a range of project types and complexity.
  • Lead data analysis and synthesize findings across methodologies to create clear, compelling insight stories for clients and internal stakeholders.
  • Present research findings to clients with clarity and confidence, connecting insights to business implications and recommended actions.
  • Manage Elite/Advanced client accounts with support from an Associate Research Director, Director, or Senior Director while maintaining strong client relationships.
  • Collaborate across teams to support proposals, pitch materials, and Quarterly Business Reviews that help deliver a best-in-class client experience.
  • Review and elevate work produced by other research team members, providing coaching and feedback to support quality and team development.
  • Identify opportunities to improve research workflows, best practices, and internal processes to increase quality, efficiency, and scalability.
What success looks like
  • 30 days: Build a strong understanding of SMG’s research workflows, active clients, and current projects, and begin contributing to delivery with growing independence.
  • 60 days: Lead key portions of strategic insight projects, develop client-ready materials, and contribute to presentations, proposals, or Quarterly Business Reviews.
  • 90 days: Independently manage multiple client projects end to end, deliver clear recommendations tied to business decisions, and identify practical opportunities to improve team processes.
Why you’ll love SMG
  • We work with some of the world’s biggest and most valued brands.
  • We’re fully remote, and we’re staying that way.
  • We offer competitive compensation and benefits, which include but aren’t limited to:
  • Unlimited PTO
  • Extended parental leave
  • Company-issued equipment and tools
  • A culture built on connection, collaboration, and continuous improvement
What you’ll bring
Required:
  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience
  • Minimum 6 years of experience in a client-facing research delivery role specifically working in qualitative research
  • Experience working with online qualitative research – both in data collection and analysis
  • Experience managing multiple projects & clients efficiently and simultaneously, while delivering end-to-end strategic insight projects
  • Advanced knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, research design, analysis, reporting, and presentation
  • Proficiency with online platform and analysis tools, Excel, PowerPoint, and storytelling through insight
  • High levels of understanding of the role of technology and AI across the research process
Preferred:
  • Experience supporting proposal development, pitch materials, or Quarterly Business Reviews
  • Experience reviewing work and coaching less experienced research team members
  • Experience with research communities and/ or panels
Who we are
SMG is an experience management (XM) partner to many of the world’s leading restaurant, retail, and consumer services brands. With 30+ years of history under our belt, we pair an AI-native enterprise software platform with unmatched professional services to help organizations generate new revenue, grow existing revenue, reduce detractors, and drive operational efficiencies. Like what you see? Learn more about the company, our purpose and values, and our customer, employee, and brand experience management solutions at www.smg.com.

Our commitment to inclusion: SMG is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

Location & eligibility: This is a remote role open to candidates located in the UK, subject to work authorization and employment eligibility requirements applicable to the role.

About the job

Apply before

Posted on

Job type

Full Time

Experience level

Education

Bachelor degree

Experience

6 years minimum

Experience accepted in place of education

Location requirements

Hiring timezones

United Kingdom +/- 0 hours

About Service Management Group (SMG)

Learn more about Service Management Group (SMG) and their company culture.

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The journey of Service Management Group (SMG) began in 1991, born from a simple yet powerful idea within a Kansas City ad agency called Barkley. Founded by Andy and Bill Fromm, the company was established on the principles of 'The Service Profit Chain', a revolutionary concept co-developed by one of SMG's co-founders, Leonard Schlesinger, which links employee satisfaction directly to customer loyalty and, ultimately, financial success. This foundational philosophy set the stage for SMG's evolution into a leader in the experience management space. Initially focused on employee experience, the company quickly expanded its horizons, launching a customer experience solution in 1995. By 1999, SMG had spun off from its parent agency to stand as an independent entity, ready to carve its own path.

Throughout the early 2000s, SMG continued to innovate, introducing competitive benchmarking and launching a dedicated brand experience solution. The company embraced the digital age, launching its top-rated smg360® mobile reporting app in 2012 and expanding into digital feedback and call center solutions by 2016. A significant milestone occurred in 2021 when SMG received a strategic investment from Brentwood Associates, a move that accelerated its growth and innovation trajectory and saw Davin Cushman appointed as the new CEO. This new chapter has been marked by further strategic growth, including the acquisition of Bulbshare in 2024 and the launch of its AI-native platform, Ignite®. After more than three decades, SMG's narrative is one of constant evolution, moving from an ad agency unit to a global, remote-first company that partners with over 500 brands. Its unique 'software with a service' (SwaS) model, combining powerful technology with hands-on professional services, continues to empower the world's leading brands to turn invaluable insights from customers and employees into tangible action and measurable success.

Employee benefits

Learn about the employee benefits and perks provided at Service Management Group (SMG).

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Life Insurance

Provides life insurance for employees.

Health Insurance

Comprehensive health insurance coverage.

Paid Parental Leave

Provides 14 weeks of paid parental leave.

Unlimited PTO

Offers unlimited paid time off for employees.

View Service Management Group (SMG)'s employee benefits
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Service Management Group (SMG)

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