Research Lead -Public Opinion / Segmentation

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.

Purpose of the Role

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:

• A national quantitative survey and segmentation analysis

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.

Key Responsibilities

1. Project Set-up & Planning

• 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

2. Research Design, Planning & Technical Leadership

• 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:
  • 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

3. Analysis, Interpretation & Sense-Making

• 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

4. Outputs & Deliverables

• 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

5. Collaboration, Quality Assurance & Organisational Learning

• 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

Ways of Working

• The consultant will serve as the senior expert voice on methodology, contextualisation, and insight development
• Close collaboration with OCH global and Italy‑based teams is essential
• All deliverables will follow OCH templates, standards, and review processes
• Regular check‑ins, working sessions, and shared documentation will ensure transparency and alignment

Experience & Qualifications

• 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 research institutions
• High level of autonomy, reliability, and professional judgement
• Full professional proficiency in Italian and English (written and spoken)
• Experience with values‑based or psychographic segmentation
• Familiarity with cluster‑based analytical approaches
• Interest in climate, environment, or public values research

Personal Attributes

• Structured, analytical thinker who can turn complexity into clarity
• Strong communicator, able to tailor insights to different audiences
• Culturally and politically sensitive
• Collaborative, adaptive, and solutions‑oriented
• Curious, reflective, and committed to evidence‑based work

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