Research Executive

Research Executive

SHIFT Active Media | Bath

Research is a growing and important part of how SHIFT helps clients make better decisions. Powered by our global research panel, The Rider Research Hub, our research team works closely with colleagues across the agency and with clients to uncover insights that shape products, brands and strategies.

From category deep dives and customer journey mapping to product development and brand positioning, our research helps clients focus on what really matters. It also underpins SHIFT’s thought leadership, exploring both the business and cultural sides of the cycling and active lifestyle landscape.

As a Research Executive, you’ll work alongside the Research Director and Senior Research Manager to deliver client and in-house research projects, while helping the team continue to grow its capability and impact. This is an excellent role for someone early in their research career who is curious, organised and keen to develop.

You’ll support the end-to-end delivery of research projects, combining hands‑on project support with analysis and insight generation. Over time, you’ll take increasing ownership of smaller projects, while contributing to larger, strategically important programmes of work.

Research setup & delivery

• Support the design, setup and management of research projects, from building questionnaires to monitoring fieldwork and recruitment.
• Provide day‑to‑day project support to keep research programmes running smoothly and on track.
• Take ownership of smaller internal and client projects, with guidance from senior team members.

Analysis & insight

• Support analysis across a range of data sources, including quantitative survey data, secondary research and qualitative interviews.
• Help extract key findings and insights that inform client recommendations and internal thinking.
• Assist in turning data into clear, engaging outputs for different audiences.

Trends & cultural insight

• Help SHIFT stay close to emerging trends and behaviours across cycling, active lifestyles, marketing and culture.
• Contribute to regular trends updates and insight reports.

Knowledge sharing

• Share insights with the wider agency and help identify opportunities where research can support other teams or client work.
• Contribute to SHIFT’s thought leadership and internal learning.

We’re open to candidates from a range of backgrounds and don’t expect you to have done everything listed below. We’d love to hear from you if you bring many of these qualities:

• Comfortable working with data and spreadsheets; experience with more advanced analysis or statistics is a bonus, but not essential.
• Organised and detail‑oriented, with care for accuracy and quality in your work.
• Adaptable and proactive, able to manage multiple tasks in a fast‑paced agency environment.
• Collaborative and supportive, enjoying working with different teams and contributing where needed.
• Curious about people, behaviour and culture, with an interest in cycling and/or the outdoors (you don’t need to be an expert or elite athlete).
• Clear and confident communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Ability to synthesise information, spotting what matters most and summarising it clearly for others.

You might already have experience in a research agency, or in a marketing, insight or analytical role. Equally, you may be coming from an academic background or another field where you’ve used research, analysis or data in a structured way. What matters most is your curiosity, rigour and desire to learn.

Launched in 2010, SHIFT Active Media is an award‑winning marketing agency specialising in cycling and active lifestyles. We work with some of the world’s most recognised cycling and outdoor brands.

As a full‑service creative and communications agency, our work spans brand strategy, global media planning and buying, advertising, film and video, websites, social media and beyond, reaching cyclists around the world.

We’re an established agency with a diverse mix of specialists working collaboratively under one roof, based in one of Bath’s best offices. Our culture is friendly, collaborative and ambitious, and we take pride in doing great work.

At SHIFT, we believe diverse perspectives lead to better insight. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds, identities and abilities. If this role excites you but you’re unsure whether you meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply. We’re interested in potential, not just experience.