Sensory Qualitative Senior Research Executive

**About MMR...**

MMR is an independent, global consumer and sensory research agency specialising in food, drink, personal and household care research. We are industry leaders, guiding best in class innovation for our clients - partnering with over 50% of the top 100 global food and drink brands.

Our team of over 600 highly engaged, multi-disciplined employees are primarily dynamic research professionals, sensory experts and data scientists. We boast a true global reach with offices in Wallingford (near Oxford), London, New York, Shanghai, Singapore, Mumbai, Sao Paulo, Cali (Colombia), Bangkok, Durban and Amsterdam.

**What makes MMR special?**

We are a "people first" company that prides itself on collaboration, honesty and mutual trust. Don't take our word for it though, check us out on Glassdoor. You'll see we're currently rated at 4.7 out of 5 as an employer destination and a massive 99% of our employees would recommend working for us to a friend. Add to that 99% of our people approve of our CEO and you a general feel of what it means to be part of the MMR family.

No two projects are ever the same, often involving exciting innovations, varied methods and international markets. It's a great opportunity to challenge and add value to client decision making, all while working with our passionate, friendly teams across the globe.

**About the opportunity....**

Senior Research Executives are responsible for liaising with nominated client companies to profitably develop MMR business. They have prime responsibility for handling client projects through all stages from initial briefing to report writing and/or debrief presentation, ensuring that the research design, analysis and interpretation of results, fulfils clients’ needs.

**This role is sensory based but with a qualitative focus**:

- Working across teams, with all members of staff as required, for a variety of clients
- Providing a sensory perspective to qualitative projects - help with the writing of sensory qualitative proposals
- Selecting product stimuli alongside client teams or provide recommendation on selection to ensure relevancy for achieving the project objectives
- Moderating focus groups, conducting depth interviews and facilitating workshops as relevant
- Liaising with international agencies and attending international fieldwork as relevant (there will be plenty of opportunities to travel)
- Producing qualitative sensory focused outputs and assisting in initiatives to improve the visual aspects of MMR output generally
- Writing screeners, discussion guides and supporting field materials
- Taking part in Sensory qual debriefs and client facing sensory activities (training, consultancy, etc.)

**On the job training will be provided but there will also be the opportunity to attend external training courses.**

**Requirements**:
**Qualitative work requires (at times) long hours, anti-social hours and international travel (generally a week at a time). There is flexibility because of this but it is an inevitable part of the job.**
- _Working with Others - _Helps to promote a co-operative spirit between departments. Works to promote sensory knowledge in the company and MMR’s expertise to clients.
- _Client Service - _Develops close, lasting working relationships with clients.
- _Innovation/Creativity - _Thinks laterally to solve demanding logístical and other issues. Helps to drive forward and implement new initiatives and processes.
- _Learning and Improving -_ Moves on to more advanced levels of understanding of methods & techniques, continuing to seek out and use new skills and knowledge. Develops softer skills.
- _Sensory moderation_ - Is able to elicit detailed sensory vocabulary from trained panellists and can transfer these moderation skills to working with clients / untrained consumers
- _Sensory acuity _- Is able to articulate product sensory characteristics themselves and to provide clear argumentation / recommendation on product differences to support a product selection relevant to the project objectives
- _Project Design _- Assists in scoping projects and writing proposals. Can conceptualise the design of logistics and discussion flow for more complex studies.
- _Project Management _- Ensures a project is managed effectively within budget and to agreed timescales.
- _Client Focus and Client Management_ - Focusses on client needs, developing close,lasting relationships with customers and delivering excellent service.
- _Analysis and Interpretation_ - Interpreting complex, consumer, sensory and conceptual data and producing commercially focused summaries to meet client needs.
- _Good storyteller_ - Presents data and insights in an engaging and clear story to effectively communicate key findings and recommendations to clients rather than reports that are data-heavy and segmented by parts
- **_Preferably fluent in Mandarin _**_(both oral and written)_ - Mandarin is first or second language, can read and write in Mandarin, fluent