Associate Director of Social Science

Are you fascinated by human culture and behaviour? Are you passionate about new ways to understand people? Do you know your ethnography from your digital anthropology? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you as the Associate Director of Social Science at Canvas
8.

This is an opportunity to join a dynamic, close-knit team focused on revealing the ‘why’ behind consumer behaviour. You’ll play a pivotal role in revolutionising qualitative research, championing innovation, and building a thriving global division within Canvas
8. With a brilliant team around you, your efforts will be instrumental in helping inspire the world’s best brands, agencies, and organisations, including Nike, Google, Lego, Mindshare, and Universal Music.

We are Canvas8, a strategic insights practice operating out of London, New York, Los Angeles, Singapore, and Manila. We help our clients understand people so they can make better business decisions.

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

We’re seeking an exceptional Associate Director with at least seven years of experience to lead our Social Science division. You will be responsible for pioneering and leading innovative research and analysis across consultancy projects and through Canvas8 Membership. Whether that’s ethnography, discussion groups, digital diaries, in-depth interviews, or a new exciting methodology we’re experimenting with, you’ll be at the forefront of driving qualitative excellence across the business.

Your influence extends beyond research design, guiding diverse international fieldwork across multiple projects. From inception to deliverable, you excel in crafting dynamic project deliverables that inspire and motivate clients. Your oversight includes innovation, training, execution, quality control measures across the discipline, profitability, and timings, and fostering strong client relationships. You are essentially our ‘go-to’ for all things social science.

• Oversee all qualitative work
• Design and implement innovative methodologies
• Develop and train best practices for qualitative research
• Create powerful stories about human behaviour and culture
• Enhance the Social Science department’s profile
• Develop thought leadership around Social Sciences
• Create new Social Science Membership solutions (e.g. subcultures, vox‑pops)
• Build and optimise supplier relationships and tools
• Support on relevant pitches and project design
• Report at Senior Analyst team meetings, handling budgets and reporting

This hybrid role requires a broad range of skills beyond traditional research. As well as being highly competent with qualitative research, you’ll need to be a strong writer, communicator, organiser and lateral thinker – but above all, you will be relentlessly curious about what people think, how they feel and why they do what they do.

Your leadership qualities shine through your extensive experience in qualitative research methods, where you’ve led countless qualitative studies end‑to‑end but also mastered the art of storytelling from research findings. Your collaborative spirit is evident in your ability to work seamlessly with partners inside and outside the practice, ensuring a team‑wide approach to project execution.

A proven track record in research design showcases your creative problem‑solving skills. Your knack for developing innovative solutions to client challenges and consistently winning proposals underscores your strategic mindset and ability to see the bigger purpose of your work.

Your exceptional people skills, cultural sensitivity, and clarity of thought contribute to a positive work environment. As Canvas8 establishes and grows this department, your proactive and self‑motivated nature will be pivotal in shaping its success.

• 7-9 years of experience in…