DC Thomson
Associate Insight Director (Mat Leave)
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Job Title: Associate Insight Director
Location: London, UK (Hybrid; 2 days in the office per week)
Born from the Stylist brand, Think Stylist is a cultural insight consultancy hiring for an Associate Insight Director to join our team in our London office on Fleet Street.
Think Stylist, part of the DC Thomson media and publishing company, decodes the lives, mindsets and behaviours of modern women, helping brands keep pace with a fast-evolving audience. By blending editorial instinct with real-time data and analysis, we turn cultural understanding into relevance, innovation and growth. We power insight across Stylist and also partner with external brands and organisations that want to truly understand UK women today.
The Associate Insight Director is a critical role within a small, high-performing team, responsible for leading the delivery of high-quality insight that underpins Think Stylist's commercial success and wider business impact.
You'll own the delivery of insight projects end-to-end, while also ensuring our platforms, communities, and data sources are operating effectively to support both client work and internal business needs.
Working closely with the Head of Agency, you'll play a key role in driving revenue, enabling Think Stylist to operate as a high-quality insight engine, and ensuring insight is embedded across the wider organisation.
The Associate Insight Director leads project delivery, insight generation, and operational oversight across Think Stylist's research ecosystem. You will be responsible for delivering best-in-class insight projects, overseeing our research platforms and suppliers, and ensuring the team can effectively respond to both commercial opportunities and internal stakeholder needs. The successful candidate will also guide junior team members and help embed efficient, scalable ways of working, including the use of AI tools.
Key Responsibilities
Project Leadership & Delivery (Core Responsibility)
- Own end-to-end delivery of insight projects:
- Lead project design, methodology and approach
- Own timelines, budgets, and delivery against client expectations
- Manage quantitative and qualitative research (survey design, discussion guides, etc.)
- Oversee analysis and ensure insight quality and rigour
- Translate findings into clear, strategic recommendations
- Deliver compelling reports and presentations to clients and stakeholders
Insight Development & Storytelling
- Drive high-quality, culturally relevant insight:
- Identify and articulate key trends, themes and cultural signals
- Connect data into clear, actionable narratives
- Ensure outputs reflect Think Stylist's voice and expertise
- Leverage AI tools to support analysis, synthesis, and trend identification
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Platforms, Communities & Supplier Management
- Oversee the ecosystem that powers our insight:
- Own the effective use and optimisation of research platforms (e.g. FlexMR, Indeemo)
- Oversee the health, quality and output of research communities (panel + Thinkfluencers)
- Manage relationships with external suppliers and partners (e.g. platforms, fieldwork providers)
- Ensure processes are efficient, scalable, and deliver high-quality data
- Identify opportunities to improve tools, platforms, and ways of working
Internal Insight & Business Support
- Ensure Think Stylist effectively supports the wider business:
- Own or oversee key internal insight programmes (e.g. brand tracker & thought leadership)
- Respond to ad hoc data and insight requests from across the organisation
- Translate insight into clear, actionable outputs for internal stakeholders
- Help embed a data-informed mindset across teams
- Ensure insight is accessible, relevant, and used to drive decision-making
Client & Commercial Contribution
- Support growth through insight-led impact:
- Support the Head of Agency on client projects, proposals and pitches
- Contribute to commercial materials and storytelling
- Identify opportunities to grow existing accounts or generate new ones
- Build strong client relationships and act as a trusted insight partner
- Ensure all outputs clearly link to commercial value
Team & Operational Leadership
- Support team effectiveness and capability:
- Guide junior team members (e.g. Research Assistant)
- Ensure smooth project workflows and delivery standards
- Help prioritise workload across projects and internal demands
- Contribute to continuous improvement of processes and operations
AI & Insight Innovation
- Support the evolution of modern insight practices:
- Integrate AI tools into research workflows to improve efficiency and depth
- Explore new approaches to combining qualitative and quantitative insight
- Help build scalable, future-facing research capabilities
Requirements
Skills
Essential
- Designs and manages complex qualitative and quantitative research, ensuring methodological rigour and relevance to business outcomes.
- Interprets complex data sets, identifies patterns and translates findings into actionable insight.
- Synthesises data into clear narratives that influence stakeholders and support strategic decisions.
- Builds and maintains effective relationships, influencing clients and internal stakeholders.
- Understands commercial drivers and applies insight to support revenue growth and business performance.
- Manages external partners to ensure delivery against agreed standards of quality, cost and timelines.
- Applies new tools, technologies and approaches, including AI, to improve insight generation and delivery.
- Influences organisation, clients and peers
- Works under broad direction with accountability for outcomes
- Applies judgement in complex situations
- Balances competing priorities across multiple workstreams
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Experience
- Comfortable running market research projects end-to-end with minimum to no supervision
- Track record of achieving repeat business with past as well as new clients
- Confident building trust with clients
- Background in Agency, consultancy or client-side insight environments
- Mixed methods research (qualitative and quantitative)
- Cultural, media or audience insight
- Use of research platforms, communities and AI-enabled tools
- Managing multiple concurrent projects in a fast-paced commercial context
Behaviours We Value
Being More Curious
- Actively seeks out new cultural, consumer and market signals
- Challenges existing assumptions and uses evidence to refine thinking
Experiment with Purpose
- Tests new methodologies, tools and AI applications with clear hypotheses
- Balances innovation with rigour and commercial relevance
Owning the Outcomes
- Takes full accountability for project delivery, quality and impact
- Prioritises work based on value and follows through to measurable results
Being More Collaborative
- Works across teams, brands and functions to share insight and best practice
- Builds strong relationships internally and externally to maximise impact
To apply for this role, please follow our online application process and submit a CV and cover letter.
Closing date for applications: 22nd July 2026 at 12:00 noon
This role is being offered as maternity cover, with an expected duration of approximately 12 months. We recognise that circumstances can evolve, so while there is some flexibility around the end date, we are committed to keeping you well informed and providing appropriate notice.
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