Managing Director - Public Affairs Northern Ireland

Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom (Hybrid)

Managing Director Public Affairs Northern Ireland - Market Research

Make Your Mark at Ipsos

The Ipsos Northern Ireland team is a core part of our highly respected Public Affairs service line and stands as one of the most innovative and fast moving professional services operations in Northern Ireland.

The team works with prestigious clients, including Northern Ireland Executive departments and financial organisations. We respond directly to the needs of government, helping to design, deliver, and evaluate vital public policies in areas such as Energy, Education, Early Years, and Housing.

We are recruiting for a commercially minded, visionary business leader at Managing Director level with a track record in delivering large scale quantitative and qualitative social research and/or evaluation projects.

What is in it for you?

This is an exceptional and exciting opportunity for an aspiring, visionary leader to take the lead of our Northern Ireland office.

• You will be the driving force behind our continued success in Northern Ireland, responsible for delivering and overseeing cutting edge social research and evaluation projects.
• Autonomy - you will be empowered to lead, innovate, and grow the business
• As Managing Director your role will be pivotal in implementing strategy, achieving ambitious targets, and shaping the future of Ipsos in Northern Ireland.
• You will have full accountability for the financial performance of the team and the quality of its work, making a tangible impact on both our business and society.
• Opportunity to work with an impressive client base - Northern Ireland Executive departments, financial organisations, academics and other NI public and voluntary sector organisations

The Role:

As a business leader, you will be developing an excellent understanding of our clients' needs to drive business growth and forge lasting partnerships.

You will be leading on proposals and revenue generation championing the Ipsos brand and representing the company in a senior capacity within the Northern Ireland market.

As a senior director, you will be directing the entire project lifecycle, from inception and questionnaire design to analysis and reporting, Overseeing the quality and delivery of all projects

About you:

We are looking for a research and/or evaluation specialist, with experience in business development and managing client accounts. We are particularly keen to hear from applicants with localised knowledge and experience of project delivery in Northern Ireland itself.

• A broad and insightful understanding of the research and evaluation industry and its specific market in Northern Ireland.
• Demonstrable success in business development and experience managing a successful business area, including financial aspects.
• Experience in large-scale quantitative and qualitative social research and/or evaluation.
• Exceptional communication, client handling, and negotiation skills, with experience working with clients at all levels.
• Strong leadership qualities with proven enthusiasm for developing high performing, motivated teams.
• A well known and respected figure in your sector with strong networks and high external profile.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support you as an individual. Our standard benefits include 25 days annual leave, pension contribution, income protection and life assurance. In addition, there are a range health & wellbeing, financial benefits and professional development opportunities.

We realise you may have commitments outside of work and will consider flexible working applications - please highlight what you are looking for when you make your application. We have a hybrid approach to work and ask people to be in the office or with clients for 3 days per week.

We are committed to equality, treating people fairly, promoting a positive and inclusive working environment and ensuring we have diversity of people and views. We recognise that this is important for our business success - a more diverse workforce will enable us to better reflect and understand the world we research and ultimately deliver better research and insight to our clients. We are proud to be a member of the Disability Confident scheme, certified as Level 2 Disability Confident Employer. We are dedicated to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process.

Your application will be reviewed by someone from our Talent Team who will be in touch either way to let you know the outcome.

Ready to have an impact? Apply now!

The Public Affairs Service Line is the world leader in Social and Opinion Research. We work with clients on political and public opinion polling, citizen and stakeholder management, social policy improvement, sustainable development strategy and identifying societal trends and perceptions across several sectors. We assess how government and public affairs policies as well as societal trends and views impact our client's brand/products/markets.

Ipsos is one of the world's largest research companies and currently the only one primarily managed by researchers, ranking as a full service research organization for four consecutive years. With over 75 different data driven solutions, and presence in 90 markets, Ipsos brings together research, implementation, methodological, and subject matter experts from around the world, combining thematic and technical experts to deliver top quality research and insights. Simply speaking, we help the biggest companies solve some of their biggest problems, serving more than 5000 clients across the globe by providing research, data, and insights on their target markets. And we are proud of our continuous efforts in making Ipsos the best place to work!

• Job Identification 6269
• Job Category Research
• Posting Date 09/11/2025, 08:46 AM
• Locations Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom (Hybrid)