Associate Director of Insight

Are you a seasoned insight professional curious about brands, innovation and people? Are you a strategic commercial thinker who believes market research should go further? Are you smart, nice and open-minded? If so, we want to speak to you about an exciting opportunity to join Canvas8 as our Associate Director of Insight in London.

If you are culturally savvy with strong commercial nous and sharp strategic analysis skills, this role is for you. You’ll be researching cultural, social and technological shifts as well as changes in industry. With a brilliant team around you, your efforts will be instrumental in helping inspire the world’s best brands, agencies and organisations including Google, Lego and Ogilvy.

About us

We are Canvas8, a strategic insights practice operating out of London, NY, LA, & Singapore. We help our clients understand people so they can make better business decisions.

Our work is about investigating the hidden insights in everyday life – from the psychology of boredom to teenage make-up rituals to why Barbiecore is a Gen Y thing – and making them meaningful for brands. Our team is a blend of different disciplines and skills – from psychology to journalism, and anthropology to behavioural economics. What unites them is a desire to understand people and a passion for delivering outstanding work.

About the role

We're looking for a remarkable Associate Insight Director with a minimum of 7 years of experience to lead innovative strategy and insights projects both in our consultancy and through the Canvas8 Membership platform.

Our work is about investigating the hidden insights in everyday life – one day you might interview a scientist about the psychology of doom scrolling, and the next, guide a team to understand why teenagers are no longer playing sports. The topics are varied.

A key aspect of this position is partnering with our clients to proactively help them achieve their goals. Whether responding to their briefs or anticipating their ambitions, you will be designing thoughtful and innovative solutions to meet their needs.

The day-to-day

• Managing a team of analysts
• Developing key accounts
• Supporting the strategic partners' team with project design and new business pitches
• Owning large-scale mixed methodology insight projects
• Working across editorial and consultancy projects
• End-to-end project ownership: from design to delivery
• Presenting concise analysis, insights, trends and ideas in inspiring formats
• Researching consumer behaviour, trends and shifts
• Managing clients impeccably
• Owning timelines, deliverables and budgets
• Working across cultures with potential travel

About you

You’re very experienced in the world of consumer trends, cultural analysis, strategy and mixed-method research. With a proven track record of designing exceptional proposals, managing teams, and solving strategic problems, you excel in delivering high-quality commercial insights projects.

Emotionally intelligent and a lateral thinker, you’re naturally curious and always push for better answers. You love delivering insight that gets people off their seats and drives real change.

As a brilliant writer, editor, and communicator, you intuitively understand client challenges and can unlock powerful insights through inspiring storytelling. You are adept at both quantitative and qualitative research and analysis, confidently conducting interviews, parsing data, and generating clear, actionable insights.

Well organised, you are comfortable owning complex projects from start to finish, communicating proactively with the client, leading others, and problem solving. Finally, you’ll excel in clarity of analysis and creating inspiring deliverables – from ethnographic documentaries to engaging workshops and high-quality written reports.

In essence, you are passionate about understanding the world around you, capable of transforming research into compelling narratives, and driven by a desire to help clients achieve their goals through innovative solutions.

• 7-9 years of experience in an insights role
• Exceptional mixed-method research and analysis skills
• Previous managerial and leadership experience
• Proven commercial consulting experience at the project owner / sign-off level
• A lateral thinker with an eye for spotting patterns and cultural shifts across multiple industries
• A commercial and strategic mindset, with an eye for opportunity
• Strong commercial awareness and culturally attuned
• Impeccable client management
• Natural organiser, comfortable with complexity
• Curious, collaborative and tenacious
• Smart, nice and open-minded

• Competitive salary dependent on experience
• Hybrid working with flexible start times
• 29 days paid holiday (including bank hols)
• Interest-free ‘Life Unlock Loan’ for lump sum payments (rental deposits, sponsorship etc)
• A personalised career development plan
• Access to physical and mental well-being support, including two Mental Wealth days
• Pension, life insurance, cashback private health plan, and cycle scheme
• Summer Fridays, seasonal benefits, and lots of staff socials
• A friendly and welcoming team (pooches included)

If you think this sounds like a good fit, please apply below by outlining why and attaching your CV.

At Canvas8, we believe in the power of diversity to drive innovation. We're committed to creating an inclusive space where every individual is valued. Join us in a workplace that celebrates differences—race, gender, age, and beyond—fueling our creativity and competitive edge. We actively seek diverse talents and provide equal opportunities, free from discrimination. Shape your future with us, where diversity isn't just a value, but a key to our success.