Customer Insight Analyst

At AQA, we’re committed to advancing education and we’re committed to our people. As the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK, we mark over 10 million exam papers each year and it’s our people who make this happen.

Job title: Customer Insight Analyst
Contract type: Permanent
Location: Manchester
Salary: £36,000 to £38,200

Working arrangements: Hybrid working, with a minimum of two days a week in the office

Do you enjoy looking beyond the data to uncover what it really means? Are you energised by asking questions, exploring possibilities and making sense of complex information, even when all the answers aren't immediately clear?

This is an opportunity to join AQA's evolving Customer Intelligence team. Using your curiosity, analytical thinking and sound judgement, you'll help us better understand our customers and competitors, shape important business decisions and uncover valuable insights.

Purpose of the Role
As a Customer Insight Analyst, you'll help AQA better understand its customers by turning information from multiple sources into clear, actionable insight.
This is more than a reporting role. You'll look beyond the data to identify patterns, explore underlying causes and build a deeper understanding of customer needs and experiences. Through your analysis and recommendations, you'll help colleagues and leaders make confident, evidence-based decisions.
You'll join a developing Customer Intelligence team, so you'll need to be comfortable working with ambiguity, adapting to evolving ways of working and helping shape a more proactive, forward-looking approach to insight.

In this role, you’ll be responsible for:
•    Analysing customer, research, behavioural and panel data to identify trends, anomalies and opportunities, bringing different sources together into a clear and meaningful story.
•    Creating dashboards, reports and accessible data visualisations that give stakeholders practical insight and recommendations.
•    Working with teams across AQA to understand their questions, challenge assumptions and influence decisions through trusted evidence and customer insight.

You'll thrive in this role if you're curious, enjoy exploring unanswered questions and can see beyond individual data points to understand the bigger picture. You’ll bring:
•    Experience using quantitative and qualitative research methods to analyse information and generate actionable insight.
•    The ability to handle large or complex datasets while continuing to question what the information means and what else needs to be understood.
•    Experience presenting complex findings clearly through reports, dashboards, visualisations or data storytelling.
•    Confidence advising and influencing stakeholders through evidence-based recommendations.
•    A proactive and adaptable approach, with the ability to work effectively when processes or information are still developing.

What’s in it for you?
You'll help shape an evolving Customer Intelligence team, with the opportunity to influence how insight is generated, shared and used, rather than stepping into a role where everything is already defined.
•    Influence decisions that affect AQA’s customers, products and future direction.
•    Explore different sources of customer and competitor information.
•    Develop your analytical, research, influencing and data storytelling skills.
•    Work with stakeholders across a wide range of teams and business areas.
•    Help build a more proactive and customer-focused approach to decision making.

Diversity and inclusion statement
At AQA, we are committed to fostering a workplace that celebrates diversity and promotes equity and inclusion. We believe that a diverse team brings richer perspectives and drives better outcomes. Our ED&I strategy ensures that everyone—regardless of religion, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, age, disability, sexual orientation, or background—is valued, respected, and empowered to thrive. We actively promote inclusive language, avoid stereotypes, and strive for representation across all dimensions of diversity. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and lived experiences.

Application process

•    To apply, please submit your CV and a cover letter outlining your suitability for the role by 23.59 on Sunday 16 August.
•    First stage interviews will take place remotely on 24 and 25 August, second stage interviews will take place in our Manchester office on the week of 31 August.

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Full Job Description

Summary

The Customer Intelligence team’s mission is to influence AQA to make confident decisions because we understand customers better than anyone else. We strive to be the exam board of choice. We do this by delivering the right insights, at the right time, to allow us to better understand our customers, the market and our future potential. Stakeholders will receive trustworthy data and meaningful insights to inform decision making and agree prioritised areas for development and improvement.
The Customer Insight Analyst plays a key role in supporting this mission by uncovering actionable customer insights from data to inform strategic decisions and improve customer experiences. The insights provided by the Customer Insight Analyst will help drive product development, strategic decisions, and will help shape the future direction of our organisation.
In this role you will use expertise in data analytics and direct feedback received from customer facing teams and colleagues to develop insight about customers that aligns to the needs of our insight delivery plan and Customer Intelligence team accountabilities.
As part of a small insight team you will work with appropriate AQA departments to turnaround valuable insight that helps our leadership team make key decisions.AQA is a leading exam board and education charity. As well as delivering high quality assessment, we believe it is vital that we use our research, insight and expertise to support strategic decision making. The Customer Intelligence team works across all areas of the organisation providing insights, guidance and supporting improvement efforts to ensure our customers are kept front and centre in everything we do. The postholder will be used to working in a fast-paced environment delivering clear actionable insight and recommendations for AQA. 
Activities:
•    Collaborate with stakeholders to understand business needs and challenges and translate them into analytical questions.
•    Develop and maintain dashboards and reports that provide clear, actionable insights.
•    Conduct in-depth analysis to identify trends, anomalies, and recommend opportunities for improvement.
•    Analysing data sets of multiple types (research, behavioural, panel) to find insight about our customers that we can act on. You will be accountable for digesting several sources of information into cohesive narratives.
•    Using expertise to produce accurate and actionable insight which develops and drives action in support of our Brand and Customer Strategy. 
•    Work closely with other analysts, and insight roles, and the Customer Intelligence Business Partner to devise the best approaches and methods for our analysis.  
•    Work with colleagues across the Customer Intelligence Team to help support the development of future tools and capabilities being developed. 
•    Develop and maintain strong working relationships with other AQA teams who have an interest and / or influence in Customer and Product systems or information, e.g. AQA CRM team or AQA Data Analytics Insight and Reporting team. 
•    Present complex data in a clear, concise, accessible and compelling manner to stakeholders, providing clear actionable insights using data storytelling where appropriate
•    Contribute to a culture of continuous improvement and customer-centric thinking across the organisation providing data and insight to support the journey towards increased customer centricity. 
•    Contribute to strategic planning and decision-making processes by providing data-driven insights and recommendations.
•    Ensure data accuracy and compliance with relevant regulations and policies.
Need to know (to be successful in this role, you will need to have knowledge/experience of):
•    A degree or other relevant qualification (such as an apprenticeship) in a relevant field 
•    Proven experience of delivering research projects independently, preferably in an education-related or assessment-related context.
•    Strong understanding of education policy issues and trends.
•    Experience of using appropriate quantitative and qualitative methodologies for analysis and insight, including statistical data analysis, data visualisations, surveys, interviews and focus groups.
•    Ability to translate complex data into clear insights and actionable recommendations.
•    Ability to use own knowledge and expertise to advise and influence stakeholders, assess risks and recommend actions
•    A self-starter that has curious and keen to learn new approaches and techniques.
•    Good communication and data visualisation skills are essential