Qualitative Overlay Client Partner

At Toluna, we keep the world's biggest brands one step ahead of their markets, their competitors, and their customers. For 25+ years we've been a leader in consumer insights, and today we're at the center of our industry's biggest shift: the move to AI-powered research grounded in real human truth.

Brands come to us because we've solved a problem most of our industry is still wrestling with: how to move fast without losing trust in the answer. Speed comes from AI we've been developing in-house since 2019, always-on platforms, and a 79M+ validated consumer community across 100+ countries.

Introduction:

This is a Client Partner role in the qualitative team. Clients front and centre and our aim is to delight them each and every time with strategic direction and a trusted advisor mentality, in order to grow accounts to their maximum potential. You must have at least 7+ years of proven client management experience (agency side) servicing an existing client base. Stakeholder man marking and engagement is a must in terms of experience and that includes our clients and our quantitative client partners.

This is a role based on the sales team and so we do expect our Client Partners to develop new business opportunities within existing accounts as well as, hopefully, help to find new opportunities to grow our business. We never expect our Directors to cold call, but we do want brave people who are excited to represent our organisation in pitches and new business conversations.

Becoming a Client Director at Toluna gives you the opportunity to work closely with, and learn from, the senior Qual team and the rest of the Quantitative team too; to think strategically about how to grow existing and new clients, persuade clients through consultative selling; implement strategies that drive improved (senior) client relationships; actively support and participate in pitches; manage personal pipeline and forecast. Importantly, for qualitative Partners, we know that being hands on matters. The ideal balance will be 70% client management/proposals/seeking new business, 30% hands on project involvement.

Responsibilities:

• Man-marking quantitative Client Partners: building close overlay relationships with each CP, understanding their account portfolios and client relationships, and identifying where and how to get a foothold with their clients on qual. You will be the qual presence in their world.
• Writing winning proposals: crafting compelling, methodologically rigorous proposals in response to client briefs - from framing the research question and designing the approach through to costing and presenting a clear commercial rationale. Speed, quality and a commercially savvy eye are all essential.
• Taking client calls and chemistry meetings: holding briefing calls, scoping conversations and capability discussions with clients, establishing credibility quickly and demonstrating genuine curiosity about their business challenges.
• Demonstrating new solutions: showcasing Toluna's qualitative capabilities - including AI-enabled approaches and platform-based methods - in a way that is accessible, relevant and answers the 'so what' for each client. Handling follow-up questions with confidence and depth.
• Booking in new projects: once a project is confirmed, handing it over cleanly and efficiently to the research and project management team - with a clear brief, agreed timelines and any key client context they need to deliver successfully.
• Ensuring projects run smoothly: staying close enough to live projects to sense-check quality, flag issues early and maintain client confidence, without getting in the way of the delivery team. You are the client's escalation point when things need fast resolution.
• Hands-on delivery for high-profile clients: moderating immersive research sessions - in-depth interviews, focus groups, online communities and ethnographic work - for key accounts where your personal involvement signals the value we place on the relationship. You are selective and strategic about where you put your hands on the tools, but when you do, you do it brilliantly.
• Debriefing clients: leading client debrief sessions with authority and energy, translating findings into clear strategic implications and facilitating the conversation that turns insights into action.
• Limited but targeted report and deliverable writing: the majority of analysis and deliverable production sits with the research team, but you may contribute to or review outputs for your highest-value clients, particularly where strategic framing and client knowledge add genuine value.
• Championing qual in the UK team: actively promoting the value of qualitative research within the broader UK commercial team - educating quant colleagues on where qual adds something they can't get elsewhere, developing new ways to position qual with clients, and helping to build a culture where qual is seen as central to Toluna's offer, not an add-on.

Your profile:

• 7+ years' experience in qualitative market research in a research agency or client side but focused on qual
• Is able to understand client needs and demands in a research context - fully experienced with qualitative research and also useful to understand quantitative techniques
• Has excellent active listening skills.
• Has solid knowledge of qual research methodology and content including AI led methods and approaches
• Has excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to develop effective working relationships with both internal quantitative partners and external clients.
• Is a great communicator; written and verbal
• Is a compelling storyteller
• Is an insights provider
• Is hands-on and proactive
• Is brave and commercially minded.

Becoming a Client Partner at Toluna Group gives you the opportunity to: Unleash your creative genius: Utilise your expertise and storytelling experience to win hearts and minds with your proposals and debriefs, telling insightful stories that addresses key client business issues and present findings to clients. Collaborate with talented people: Nothing is more exciting than getting to work collaboratively with colleagues on impactful projects. We have a small but growing qual research function so we hope our Client Partners will act as mentors and teachers to more junior members and supportive guides to the senior ones Act as a key point of contact (Client Management): You will Interact with all stakeholders, both internally and externally on a day-to-day basis. You excel at providing clear communication to answer client questions, advising clients to proactively address needs and solving business problems that drive client satisfaction. Accountability for client success is something you pride yourself on. Grow and evolve: This is a new team and we're not as polished as some established businesses but that's what makes it exciting. This is a place where your energy, enthusiasm and skills will be welcomed and you can carve your own path. Being a part of our rapid success even when it feels a bit of a wild ride at times! Our Values: A cting with Ownership: Demonstrating individual accountability B ringing a Forward Mindset: Being action-oriented, bold & entrepreneurial C ollaborating with Curiosity: Exhibiting teamwork through togetherness D iscussing openly, committing jointly: Sharing your views openly E mbracing Empathy: Being egoless & caring What we Offer: At Toluna, we're all about creating a welcoming, diverse workplace where everyone can thrive. We offer competitive pay, great benefits, and plenty of opportunities to grow within our global team. Inclusion and respect are at the heart of what we do. Our community connects over 72 million people across 70 countries. If you're passionate about making an impact, we'd love to have you on board. Join our global team. We welcome big thinking and reward great work. Who to contact: Apply here IMPORTANT - PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR NAME AND EITHER YOUR RETURN E-MAIL ADDRESS OR TELEPHONE NUMBER IN THE MESSAGE . Please say that you found the vacancy on MrWeb! Thanks for your interest.