Research Director

P\S\L Group is a global organisation dedicated to putting information at the service of medicine.  The companies and people of the P\S\L Group aim to improve medical care by serving those who need it, those who provide it and those who seek to improve it.

To this end, we want our information and education services to contribute to the goals we share with our clinicians, clients and supporters, namely: to accelerate the advancement of medicine and help people enjoy better, longer lives. 

Our key contribution to society is to help clinicians and those who support them provide state-of-the-art medical care. 

Our primary business purpose is to help clients and supporters increase the effectiveness of activities pertaining to scientific communication, medical education and the maintenance of audience intimacy.

Instar

Instar helps you put research at the heart of brand performance by offering you custom-assembled virtual panels and proprietary advanced analytics techniques that, together, allow you to test, track and enhance the elements that drive your brand's performance. In addition to its innovative and proprietary products, Instar offers you a team of consummate market research professionals who are striving to develop and maintain state-of-the-art expertise in the latest:

1.   Data collection techniques
2.   Advanced analytics methodologies
3.   Data visualization technologies

Objective

The Research Director is accountable for ensuring the consistent delivery of high-value research that strengthens client confidence, supports long-term partnerships, and drives business impact.

This role provides strategic oversight across a portfolio of client accounts, partnering closely with Research Managers to ensure research programs are executed reliably, insights are decision-focused, and projects are delivered with the highest standards of quality. The Research Director also plays a key role in developing research talent, supporting account growth, and driving the adoption of scalable products, tools, and ways of working.

What you will do 

• Serve as the senior research lead across assigned client accounts and research programs, ensuring credibility, continuity, and consistently high-quality delivery.
• Build trusted relationships with clients by developing a deep understanding of their business objectives, therapeutic areas, and decision-making needs.
• Ensure insights are relevant, actionable, and clearly support client decisions.
• Partner with Sales to support strategic proposals, renewals, and long-term account growth.
• Provide senior guidance on research design, methodology, and execution for complex or high-profile projects.

• Maintain oversight across a portfolio of projects to ensure consistent quality, delivery excellence, and client satisfaction.
• Partner with Research Managers to ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to the highest research standards.
• Review key project deliverables and provide strategic guidance to strengthen research quality and business impact.
• Identify and proactively mitigate delivery, quality, timeline, or commercial risks before they impact clients.
• Support feasibility, scope, and delivery decisions that appropriately balance quality, speed, and cost.

• Coach and develop Research Managers and Research Analysts through regular feedback, mentoring, and role modeling.
• Foster a collaborative, psychologically safe environment where teams feel empowered to ask questions, solve problems, and continuously improve.
• Promote consistency in research execution and delivery across teams.
• Support the growth of research capability by identifying development opportunities and sharing best practices across the organization.

• Champion the consistent use of standardized research processes, tools, templates, and methodologies across client accounts.
• Lead adoption of new research products, AI-enabled capabilities, and innovative ways of working to improve research quality, scalability, and efficiency.
• Partner with Innovation and Research Leadership to provide feedback that strengthens products, processes, and client delivery.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that enhance consistency, reduce rework, and improve team effectiveness.

Who you are 

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (life sciences, business, marketing, or related discipline).
• 8+ years of experience in healthcare or pharmaceutical market research.
• Demonstrated success leading complex quantitative market research programs and managing senior client relationships.
• Strong strategic thinking, consulting, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Proven ability to balance client needs, research quality, delivery realities, and commercial considerations.
• Experience mentoring and developing research teams.
• Comfortable operating across multiple projects, stakeholders, and global research programs.
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Experience with SPSS, Tableau, and Google Slides is an advantage.

What Success Looks Like

• Clients view you as a trusted strategic research partner.
• Research portfolios are delivered consistently on time, within budget, and to a high standard of quality.
• Research Managers and Analysts grow through effective coaching and leadership.
• Strong client relationships contribute to account growth, renewals, and long-term partnerships.
• Standardized tools, products, and innovative ways of working are adopted consistently across your portfolio.
• Continuous improvements strengthen research quality, delivery efficiency, and scalability.