Research Lead – Public Opinion / Segmentation

Our Common Home

About The Position

Our Common Home promotes civic participation of everyone in society to build solutions to our changing natural environment, in particular people with more traditional values who feel a deep attachment to place, to their traditions, to their family and nation and who so far have been left out of the conversation. We partner with locally rooted civic organisations and institutions in Italy: trusted custodians of landscapes, cultural practices, and rural communities. By supporting these networks, we aim to strengthen stewardship, and achieve our mission to reach a political consensus on the need to preserve our environment and empower everyone across society to work together in exploring and building solutions. Research plays a central role in OCH’s work. Our insights inform strategy, campaigns, and long-term programme design, grounding our work in evidence, cultural context, and lived experience. The Audience Segmentation & Public Opinion Research Consultant will lead the delivery of OCH’s flagship audience segmentation study in Italy. This multi-phase research project will combine: Exploratory qualitative research, A national quantitative survey and segmentation analysis, A final qualitative profiling phase. The study will generate a robust, evidence-based understanding of the values, motivations, and narratives shaping Italian society. These insights will identify priority audiences and inform the campaigns and strategies of OCH’s new Italy programme. This is a senior, delivery-focused role. The consultant will act as the technical and analytical lead, ensuring methodological rigour, contextual relevance, and strategic usefulness across all phases of the research. The role will operate under the guidance of OCH Global Research Services and in close collaboration with the local country team.

Requirements

7+ years’ experience in applied qualitative and/or mixed-methods research
Proven experience delivering segmentation or strategic insight projects
Strong expertise in designing research instruments for diverse Italian populations
Excellent analytical and synthesis skills across qualitative and quantitative data
Demonstrated ability to translate research into clear, actionable strategic insights
Deep understanding of Italian political, cultural, linguistic, and social dynamics
Experience working with NGOs, research firms, academia, or public institutions
High level of autonomy, reliability, and professional judgement
Full professional proficiency in Italian and English (written and spoken)

Nice To Haves

Experience with values-based or psychographic segmentation
Familiarity with cluster-based analytical approaches
Interest in climate, environment, or public values research

Responsibilities

Develop the overall project timeline and budget
Produce detailed workplans for each phase and milestone
Coordinate tasks and contributions across the project team
Select, contract, and manage external research partners
Appoint and manage advisors where appropriate
Conduct literature reviews and exploratory sessions to inform primary research
Lead the research from inception, including scoping, kick-off, and planning
Act as technical lead, ensuring methodological integrity and analytical coherence
Design and oversee data collection tools, including: A values-based national survey questionnaire tailored to the Italian context, Qualitative instruments such as interview and focus group guides
Make and document methodological decisions on sampling, instruments, and analytical framing, balancing: OCH research standards, Political, cultural, and practical realities, Project scope, timelines, and resources
Provide technical oversight of external research agencies, including review of tools, translations, and fieldwork protocols
Ensure learning from each phase informs subsequent stages
Attend selected focus groups or interviews to support quality control and contextual understanding
Act as lead analyst and sense-maker across qualitative and quantitative components
Define analytical priorities for quantitative analysis, including: Descriptive analysis and index construction, Cluster or segmentation analysis
Assess the robustness and strategic usefulness of segmentation outputs
Integrate qualitative and quantitative findings into clear audience segments, narratives, and personas
Lead the design and development of all research outputs
Work closely with OCH colleagues to identify strategic implications and engagement opportunities
Support briefings, workshops, and sense-making sessions with internal and external stakeholders
Collaborate with designers on data visualisation and storytelling, ensuring analytical accuracy and narrative clarity
Collaborate closely with OCH global and local research and strategy teams
Ensure alignment with OCH research standards
Document key analytical decisions and learnings to support organisational memory
Maintain proactive communication on timelines, risks, and dependencies