Researcher

About Us

At Travel Counsellors, our customers, communities, and colleagues are at the heart of everything we do. For over 30 years, we've empowered 2,100+ independent travel agents worldwide, helping them build successful businesses while providing deeply personal, human connections with their customers. Supported by a talented team of over 400 people in our Support Offices, we create unique travel experiences that keep customers coming back. Named the Best Place to Work in Travel (2022) and ranked in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work (2023 & 2024), we’re expanding rapidly and looking for exceptional individuals to join our Head Office team.

Role Description

You will play a critical role in embedding customer, community, and market insights at the heart of strategic decision-making. You will own and implement a robust research and insight strategy across five core audiences: Customers, Clients, Community, Suppliers, and Future Travel Counsellors (TCs). This is a newly created role, designed to bring greater customer-centricity and data-driven decision making across the organisation. You will be responsible for leading the Voice of the Customer (VOC) programme, managing competitor analysis, synthesising multiple data sources, and collaborating cross-functionally to drive meaningful insights that shape our business strategy.

Principle Accountabilities

Strategic Research & Insight Management

• Develop and implement a comprehensive research and insight strategy to support business growth and decision-making
• Design and oversee qualitative and quantitative research initiatives, ensuring insights are actionable and directly influence business decisions
• Leverage a range of methodologies, including surveys, customer panels, in-depth interviews, and market trend analysis
• Work closely with internal stakeholders to embed research insights into marketing, product development, and commercial strategies.

Voice of the Customer (VOC) Programme

• Define and manage KPIs and goals for the VOC programme, ensuring it actively influences strategic decision-making.
• Develop a structured approach to capturing and leveraging VOC data across multiple touchpoints, ensuring the customer’s voice is heard across the organisation.
• Present VOC insights in a compelling way to senior stakeholders, enabling data-led decision making.

Feedback Management & Narrative Building

• Define and implement processes for handling different types of customer and client feedback, including Trustpilot and other review platforms.
• Develop a structured approach to collecting, analysing, and actioning customer sentiment data.
• Engage with key stakeholders to build a compelling and evidence-based narrative, ensuring insights are regularly reviewed and acted upon.

Customer Insights & Journey Mapping

• Provide a holistic, data-driven view of the customer by synthesising VOC, customer panel insights, research studies, and external market data.
• Ensure all business areas understand customer friction points and pain points, influencing product and service improvements.
• Develop customer segmentation models to enhance targeting and personalisation efforts.

Competitor Analysis & Market Intelligence

• Manage competitor analysis across key competitor brands, identifying strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities.
• Deliver actionable insights to inform marketing, product, and commercial strategies.
• Stay ahead of market trends, emerging customer needs, and shifts in consumer behaviour within the travel industry.

Commercial & Partnership Collaboration

• Work closely with the commercial team to provide insights that drive destination partnership revenue and business growth.
• Develop frameworks to assess commercial opportunities based on customer demand and competitive landscape.
• Support pricing, packaging, and promotional decisions with robust data-driven insights.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with marketing content creators, VOC teams, digital product owners, and business analysts to ensure insights drive meaningful action.
• Work closely with the UX and product teams to ensure a seamless and engaging user experience across all digital touchpoints.
• Collaborate with franchisees (Travel Counsellors) to ensure insights from the community are effectively captured and utilised.

Experience/Skills needed

Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in a research, insights, or customer experience role.
• Proven track record in designing and implementing research strategies that have influenced business decisions.
• Experience managing multi-source data and synthesising qualitative and quantitative insights.
• Background in travel, retail, hospitality, or premium service industries is desirable but not a deal breaker.
• Experience conducting ethnographic research to deeply understand customer behaviours, motivations, and pain points.
• Experience in leading VOC programmes and embedding customer insights into strategic initiatives.
• Proven experience in managing and delivering competitor analysis.
• Strong stakeholder management and experience working with cross-functional teams to drive insightled change.

Skills:

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex data and translate it into actionable insights.
• Expertise in both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies.
• Excellent storytelling and presentation skills, with the ability to engage and influence senior stakeholders.
• Strong knowledge of customer journey mapping, segmentation, and market research techniques.
• Commercial mindset, with the ability to align research insights with business growth opportunities.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong problem-solving skills, with a proactive and innovative approach to research challenges.

Our Benefits

• Competitive salary + annual bonus
• Flexible hybrid working
• Career development opportunities
• 25 days holiday (increasing to 28 after 5 years)
• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity pay
• 1 paid charity day
• Company events and incentives
• 3x salary death in service benefit
• Pension scheme
• Private Medical Insurance or Healthcare Cash Plan
• Free breakfast and beverages

Inclusive Recruitment Statement

Travel Counsellors is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and do not discriminate based on race, gender, disability, or any protected characteristic. We provide accommodations for individuals with disabilities throughout the hiring process. We believe diverse perspectives strengthen our team and encourage all to apply.