Research Manager

Why this role matters

Research Managers help WBA deliver its work reliably, on time and to a high standard. They often work with colleagues in research but also with other functions such as Engagement, People Operations and Technology. Research Managers help turn agreed priorities into workable plans, bring the right people together when work gets stuck, and keep improving the processes and tools we depend on.

The person we’re looking for

Alongside strong delivery skills, there are some qualities we’d particularly value in the team. You’re curious, resourceful and naturally inclined to ask whether there’s a better way of doing things. You enjoy experimenting with tools, testing ideas and quickly building practical solutions in Airtable, Claude, Excel or whatever best fits the task. You have an eye for inefficiencies, repetitive tasks and unnecessary complexity, and look for opportunities to simplify, improve or automate how we work. You take initiative, spotting problems and opportunities and acting on them without waiting to be asked. And you can see the bigger picture: stepping back from individual tasks, distilling complex processes to their essentials and turning one-off solutions into simple, scalable approaches that others across the organisation can benefit from.

What RPM is working on

Research Process Management is currently supporting, among other things:

• The Integrated Transition Assessment (ITA): setting up the plans, processes and coordination behind our first integrated assessments in 2027.
• Arc 3000: helping coordinate the work, resources and suppliers needed to verify climate data for 3,000 companies.
• The CRM: helping shape how we capture and use information on our interactions with companies and stakeholders.
• The Results Management Framework (RMF): how we track progress towards our goals and impact.
• The Project Management Tool (PMT): our shared planning tool in Airtable.
• The AI policy: helping define practical guidance for using AI well and responsibly across WBA.
• Microsoft Teams rework: so our channels and spaces reflect the new structure.

What you’ll do in Research Process Management

• Plan delivery. Turn agreed priorities into realistic plans, workloads, assessment targets and dependencies, kept current in the PMT as things change.
• Unblock work. Bring colleagues together across functions to solve delivery problems, with clear owners and follow-through. When a decision is beyond your remit, escalate with options and a recommendation.
• Give visibility. Keep an accurate, timely picture of progress, risks and dependencies, so decisions are made early rather than late.
• Improve how we work. Design and document practical processes, prototype tools and automations yourself, and work with Technology to scale what works and remove manual effort.
• Manage suppliers. Make deliverables, timelines and quality expectations clear, monitor them and resolve issues with the right internal teams.
• Build PM capability. Help colleagues plan their work and use shared tools well, through guidance, training and hands-on support.

How you’ll work

You’ll be given broad direction and trusted to set your own approach. You decide day-to-day priorities, project planning and sequencing, and process and tool improvements within agreed frameworks. Changes to priorities, scope, resources or commitments go to the Head of RPM or the relevant project leads.

What we’re looking for

• Delivery experience. Experience in project, programme or research management (typically 6+ years, or equivalent), coordinating multiple projects, stakeholders and competing priorities.
• Influence without authority. You can bring people to agreement and resolve coordination issues without relying on a formal role.
• Organised problem-solver. You get to the root of issues and keep track of the details.
• Clear communicator. You write and report clearly, and flag risks early.
• Systems thinker. You can distil processes to their essentials and abstract them to a higher level, and help others adopt new ways of working.
• Builder and tinkerer. You enjoy testing new things and prototyping tools in Airtable, Claude, Excel or similar, and you automate anything you find yourself doing more than three times.
• Proactive self-starter. You don’t wait to be told what to do: you spot what needs doing and get on with it.

How to apply

Submit your CV and a cover letter of no more than one page through BambooHR by Monday 2 November 2026 (9:00AM CET). Guidance on the cover letter and the selection timeline are in the Teams post announcing this role.