Surface access insight lead (12-month ftc)

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Job Description

The Research & Insight team plays a critical role in guiding decision-making across Heathrow through compelling research, insight, and strategic analysis. This role provides dedicated expertise for the Surface Access research portfolio, focusing on understanding how and why passengers and colleagues travel to and from the airport. It ensures that robust evidence and the customer voice are consistently embedded within Surface Access planning, customer experience improvements, and wider business decisions.

Working within the wider Customer Function and in close collaboration with the Surface Access team and a broad network of internal and external stakeholders, the role leads the design and delivery of ongoing measurement, ad-hoc research programmes, and third-party insights. The postholder translates complex business questions into clear research objectives and actionable insight to support prioritisation, investment decisions, and governance. By strengthening in-house capability, the role reduces reliance on external agencies while maintaining control over quality, methodology, and timelines, requiring strong influencing and presentation skills, alongside a proven track record of leading complex research initiatives in transport, travel, or aviation contexts.

Please note this role is a 12 month Fixed Term Contract.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Surface Access research and insight programme, maintaining a clear and prioritised plan of both continuous and ad-hoc studies to support stakeholder needs and informed decision-making.
• Deliver high-value research projects end-to-end, defining robust methodologies, overseeing delivery, and ensuring outputs are timely, high quality, and ready to inform decisions.
• Own and continuously improve Surface Access tracking and mode share measurement, including the Team Heathrow Colleague Travel survey, ensuring consistency, methodological robustness, and meaningful reporting of trends and drivers.
• Provide insight consultancy, translating business questions into appropriate research approaches, integrating multiple data sources, and delivering clear, actionable recommendations.
• Strengthen governance and auditability, documenting research objectives, assumptions, methodologies, and limitations to ensure outputs can be confidently used for decision-making and external evidence.
• Manage research partners and support effective stakeholder engagement, delivering clear reporting, dashboards, and communications, while contributing to wider team delivery and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or equivalent, with relevant experience in market research.
• Experience in delivering both quantitative and qualitative research and insight projects within transport, travel, aviation, or related sectors.
• Ability to influence strategic decision-making, with credibility and confidence to engage effectively with senior stakeholders.
• Strong capability in translating complex data and analysis into clear, accessible formats, including developing recommendations to support decision-making and action planning.
• Excellent organisational and time-management skills, with the ability to prioritise effectively and meet key objectives.
• Ability to understand diverse data requirements and stakeholder needs, and to work collaboratively with a range of working styles and perspectives.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to present information clearly and effectively.

Ideally, you will also have

• Experience in transport, mode choice, aviation, or journey behaviour research.
• Experience in using data visualisation tools (such as Power BI) to support self-service insight, reporting, and trend analysis.
• Understanding of regulatory environments and broader business planning processes (including Development Consent Orders), and how research supports formal submissions, audit requirements, and evidence based decision-making.

Our rewards

We offer competitive salaries and excellent benefits that will support you now and in the future. As well as performance-based annual bonuses and our longer-term Share in Success Bonus plans, we also offer generous annual leave allowances and market-leading pensions. With family friendly policies, access to private health insurance and a wide range of wellbeing tools, we'll support you to be at your best inside and outside work. And of course, we'll provide varied learning and development opportunities too. Here you'll find everything you need for a fulfilling career journey that can take you in exciting directions.

Working Location

Our Hybrid working approach offers the opportunity for colleagues in some roles to work from home for an average of two days a week, providing the flexibility to work in an agile way whilst ensuring we deliver for the operational needs of Heathrow. Working arrangements vary from team to team and will be confirmed during the recruitment process. You'll need to be based in the UK and within a commutable distance to Heathrow.

Sustainable Travel to work

Heathrow's Sustainable Travel Guide sets out easy and sustainable travel options that everyone can access.

Equal Opportunities

As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all. We believe that diverse talent makes us stronger - not least because we welcome passengers from all corners of the globe, every single day. Heathrow is an accessible place to work. With five diversity networks, we champion inclusivity and celebrate individuality.