Research Community Lead in London

Job description

We’re building a community of engaged, thoughtful people from around the world to support qualitative and mixed-methods research projects for global clients. This community helps us get closer to real people faster, more flexibly, and more sustainably, so we can generate rich insight that drives meaningful innovation. This role comes at a pivotal moment. You’ll architect the systems, processes, and relationships behind our growing participant panel. From recruitment and incentives to backend ops and quality control, you’ll define how we manage our community of real people at scale.

You won’t be joining an existing insights team. You’ll be pioneering a new research arm within an established consultancy. Working closely with project managers, developers, and leadership to create something operationally tight, scalable, and deeply human.

• Architect from the ground up: Design and implement community systems; recruitment, onboarding, segmentation, engagement, incentivisation, and quality control
• Own the ops: Lead day-to-day community operations and ensure we deliver high-quality participants for qualitative and co-creation projects
• Champion the respondent: Be the internal voice of the participant. Educating teams on what’s realistic, ethical, and effective in recruitment
• Build internal trust: Collaborate with project managers to meet evolving research needs and make internal teams feel supported and confident in delivery
• Collaborate with in-house developers: Partner with developers to influence platform features and build tools that make your systems smarter and more scalable
• Shape the future: Lay the groundwork for the future by defining best practices, and scaling operations across markets
• Improve incentive systems: Refine how we reward participation to ensure processes are motivating, efficient, and fair
• Stay compliant: Ensure all data handling and recruitment workflows meet GDPR, privacy regulations, and MRS standards
• Quality & reporting: Monitor community health metrics, track engagement, and report regularly on key performance indicators.

Experience

• 5+ years in community management, or research operations
• Proven track record of building and managing research communities
• Solid understanding of effective incentivisation models and participant engagement
• Experience managing data privacy and GDPR compliance
• Familiarity with quality assurance and fraud prevention in communities
• (Bonus) Experience managing or mentoring a junior team member
• (Bonus) Survey scripting skills (e.g., Qualtrics, Alchemer)

Skills

• Strong analytical skills—comfortable working with spreadsheets, lists, tags, and segmentation rules for a large part of the day
• Process-driven and methodical, with a knack for system design
• Creative problem-solver—able to build under constraints and iterate fast
• Strong communicator—clear on email, collaborative with teammates, and comfortable speaking on camera
• Able to interface with developers and translate operational needs into tech requirements

Mindset & Attitude

• Pioneer spirit: Excited to build something from scratch, take ownership, and shape what’s next
• Service mindset: Sees internal teams as clients—responsive, proactive, and people-first
• Ambitious & impact-driven: Wants to do excellent work and see it make a difference
• Hands-on & humble: Happy to roll up your sleeves and solve problems directly
• Creative rule-breaker: Practical, resourceful, and unafraid to challenge the status quo
• Ops-first mindset: Genuinely loves the operational craft and understands the value behind-the-scenes work brings to great research
• Not secretly a consultant: This is a role for someone who thrives in operations—not looking to pivot into strategy or research

• Build your legacy: Shape the systems, tools, and team that will define a new research capability
• High visibility, low ego: Your work is behind-the-scenes but mission-critical. You’ll have the autonomy to lead, with the support of a collaborative team
• See your impact: In a small, flexible team, your decisions show results fast
• Platform for growth: Clear path to grow into a leadership role as the platform scales
• Compelling for builders: Ideal for someone coming from a rigid organization who wants the freedom to innovate, fix, and own
• Supportive hybrid culture: You’ll work closely with the team in person (London-based) while enjoying flexibility and autonomy day to day

Life at Propellerfish

• Discretionary annual bonus
• Hybrid working, 3 days of your choice in our Farringdon office
• Work from anywhere policy
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays
• Bupa health insurance
• ✍ 5% pension contribution

Extra information

Status

Open

Education Level

Secondary School

Location

London

Type of Contract

Part-time jobs

Published at

11-08-2025

Profession type

Project Management

Full UK/EU driving license preferred

No

Car Preferred

No

Must be eligible to work in the EU

No

Cover Letter Required

No

Languages

English