Purpose of Role
An excellent opportunity has arisen for a Head of Market Analysis and Research, which is a strategically important post designed to inform, drive and shape the university’s global programme portfolio development and recruitment strategy.
The Head of Market Analysis and Research at Heriot-Watt University is a strategically important post designed to inform, drive and shape the university’s global programme portfolio development and recruitment strategy.
Reporting directly to the Global Marketing Director and working with a wide range of senior stakeholders across the University, you will provide a range of management information and business intelligence frameworks and tools to equip faculty and marketing and recruitment staff across our global campus footprint with the insight and foresight they need to deliver portfolio sustainability and growth. You will be responsible for developing and delivering our annual insight plan linked to strategic performance indicators and will take the lead in areas including competitor analysis, environmental scanning, campaign analysis and persona development.
Passionate about data and its power to drive effective decision making and strategy, you will have exceptional analysis, market research and persuading and influencing skills and will work across a matrix of teams collaboratively and with a shared sense of common goals and purpose to drive forward effective strategy for the institution.
The successful candidate will have exceptional knowledge of university sector challenges and opportunities as well as advanced analysis skills utilised in a higher education context. Experienced in the use of both qualitative and quantitative market research methodologies as well as statistical analysis skills, you will be comfortable working independently and with wider virtual teams to deliver individual tasks and wider projects.
You will be strategic in your approach; being able to influence senior decision makers through the ability to unlock the stories behind the data and establish how it should inform strategic decision making. Resilient yet structured in your work, you can work under pressure and to tight deadlines whilst ensuring priorities are aligned to strategic imperatives. Working closely with other senior colleagues, you will also provide input to our pricing strategies and broader insight as needed for specific marketing and recruitment related activities.
Reporting to: Global Marketing Director
Reporting to post holder: Insights and Analytics Manager and Marketing Insights Manager with a dotted line Marketing/Market Insight Officer based in Dubai.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
Reporting to the Global Marketing Director, the post holder will have a number of key duties and responsibilities:
1. Develop and implementation of a framework for programme/course portfolio review, development and annual health check. This will include holistic oversight of the programme portfolio lifecycle including ensuring that both new and closing programmes are robustly managed through relevant formal and information routes in partnership with Registry and Academic Services colleagues.
2. Framework for annual pricing, entry requirements and equivalencies review to be delivered in partnership with student recruitment teams.
3. Competitor and campaign analysis, horizon scanning and persona development.
4. Developing and delivering research and analysis to support institutional understanding of both prospective and current students’ changing demographics, motivations, and needs to inform academic delivery and the wider student experience, including the student journey.
5. Framework and tools to deliver brand tracking – delivered with relevant teams across marketing and communications.
6. Framework and tools to deliver competitor analysis, tracking and monitoring.
7. Co-develop (with Planning team) effective range of Management information dashboards to monitor reputation and recruitment progress.
Key Deliverables
8. Develop and implementation of a framework for programme/course portfolio review, development and annual health check.
9. Framework for annual pricing, entry requirements and equivalencies review to be delivered in partnership with student recruitment teams.
10. Framework and tools to deliver brand tracking – delivered with relevant teams across marketing and communications.
11. Framework and tools to deliver competitor analysis, tracking and monitoring including campaign analysis, persona development and horizon scanning to support strategic and operational marketing and recruitment delivery.
12. Co-develop (with Planning team) effective range of Management information dashboards to monitor reputation and recruitment progress.
13. Support Global Marketing and Recruitment team in delivery of Global Marketing metrics dashboards and associated reporting tools.
14. Effective line management of marketing insight team including dotted line responsibility for market insight staff that are/may be located at our Dubai and Malaysia campuses – working closely with respective Directors of Marketing for each campus to agree priorities and key deliverables.
15. Lead presentations and facilitate discussions with University Executive and Court regarding future market positioning and portfolio development.
Essential & Desirable Criteria
Essential
You will have worked as part of a broad team to deliver wide reaching analysis and be able to provide evidence of its impact at a strategic level. Experience in development of relevant MI and BI tools and dashboards will be key, as will knowledge of the latest reporting tools and their use.
You must be a confident and effective leader, able to influence at the highest level of an organisation. You should hold a degree and ideally a professional qualification in Market Research and/or analysis.
16. In depth knowledge and experience of product portfolio analysis and development
17. Experience of monitoring organisational performance in Higher Education – both reputation and recruitment
18. Able to build strong relationships and shared plans with a wide range of stakeholders
19. Be a self-starter with the ability to successfully manage multiple priorities in a complex, global environment
20. An excellent understanding of the global higher education market
21. Experience of commissioning market research and insight – both qualitative and quantitative
22. Experience and evidence of influencing strategy and direction of travel through work with senior leaders
23. Strong understanding of and ability to analyse large volumes of statistical data using relevant tools e.g. SPSS
24. Superlative written and verbal skills as well as strong presentation skills
25. An approach to the role which is resourceful, creative and results oriented with high energy and a positive attitude.
Desirable
26. You will ideally be working/have worked in higher education and/or have in-depth knowledge and understanding of the environment and current challenges. Experience in a Scottish and/or global higher education environment would be an additional advantage.
27. Line management experience would be preferred but not essential. An ability to guide and influence the work of others will be important. Experience of working in a global organisation and of data sources from outside of the UK would also be an advantage.