Director, Ethnography (12-month-contract)
About the role
Please Note: This is an 12-month contract role to cover a parental leave.
RBC is seeking a dynamic and experienced Director, Ethnography on an 12-month contract, to join the Client Experience Design and Insights department. This cross-functional role is integral for driving qualitative research initiatives and enhancing the ethnography discipline across the bank. The successful candidate will lead a team of qualitative researchers, collaborate closely with other research teams, partner with various stakeholders across the bank, and manage external vendor relationships to ensure the delivery of insightful and impactful research.
What will you do?
- Selecting, supervising, training and directing the work of Research and Development staff.
- Preparing and managing research and development budget.
- Helping senior management and internal clients to understand the results and implications of research and development initiatives.
- Developing and implementing research and development procedures and techniques.
Team Leadership and Management:
- Lead, mentor, and develop a team of high-performing qualitative researchers
- Strengthen the ethnography practice by implementing best practices and ensuring the highest quality standards in research methodologies and outputs
- Foster a culture of innovation and collaboration across the wider research team
Research Excellence:
- Plan and execute foundational, high-visibility research projects with stakeholders across multiple lines of business
- Present insights-driven narratives and recommendations to a wide range of audiences, including senior executives
- Collaborate closely with other Directors and Senior/Managers within the CXDI department to ensure cohesive and robust research output
- Ensure integration of qualitative insights with quantitative insights and behavioural data
Stakeholder Relationship Management:
- Maintain and strengthen relationships with key stakeholders across product, marketing, retail enablement, and other teams
- Understand and anticipate the research needs of different business units, ensuring alignment with the bank’s strategic goals.
Vendor Management:
- Manage relationships with external research vendors to ensure high-quality deliverables and adherence to timeline
- Evaluate and select vendors, negotiate contracts, and oversee the execution of outsourced research projects.
What do you need to succeed?
Must have:
- Master’s degree or higher in a related field (e.g., Anthropology, Sociology, Market Research)
- 7+ years of experience in qualitative research, with a mix of vendor and in-house experience
- 3+ years of team management experience
- Excellent relationship management and communication skills
- Strong strategic thinking and analytical abilities
- High comfort in operating with ambiguity
- Experience in managing external vendors and contracts
- Strong knowledge of quantitative research
Nice to have:
- Familiarity with the financial services industry is an asset
What’s in it for you?
We thrive on the challenge to be our best, progressive thinking to keep growing, and working together to deliver trusted advice to help our clients thrive and communities prosper. We care about each other, reaching our potential, making a difference to our communities, and achieving success that is mutual.
- Ability to make a difference and lasting impact
- Work in a dynamic, collaborative, progressive, and high-performing team
- Opportunities to do challenging work
About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance. Our success comes from the 94,000+ employees who leverage their imaginations and insights to bring our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our clients thrive and communities prosper. As Canada's biggest bank and one of the largest in the world, based on market capitalization, we have a diversified business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional experiences to our more than 17 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and 27 other countries. Learn more at rbc.com. We are proud to support a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. See how at www.rbc.com/community-social-impact.
La Banque Royale du Canada est une institution financière mondiale définie par sa raison d'être, guidée par des principes et orientée vers l'excellence en matière de rendement. Notre succès est attribuable aux quelque 94 000+ employés qui mettent à profit leur créativité et leur savoir faire pour concrétiser notre vision, nos valeurs et notre stratégie afin que nous puissions contribuer à la prospérité de nos clients et au dynamisme des collectivités. Selon la capitalisation boursière, nous sommes la plus importante banque du Canada et l'une des plus grandes banques du monde. Nous avons adopté un modèle d'affaires diversifié axé sur l'innovation et l'offre d'expériences exceptionnelles à nos plus de 17 millions de clients au Canada, aux États Unis et dans 27 autres pays. Pour en savoir plus, visitez le site rbc.com/francais
Nous sommes fiers d'appuyer une grande diversité d'initiatives communautaires par des dons, des investissements dans la collectivité et le travail bénévole de nos employés. Pour de plus amples renseignements, visitez le site www.rbc.com/collectivite-impact-social.
Director, Ethnography (12-month-contract)
About the role
Please Note: This is an 12-month contract role to cover a parental leave.
RBC is seeking a dynamic and experienced Director, Ethnography on an 12-month contract, to join the Client Experience Design and Insights department. This cross-functional role is integral for driving qualitative research initiatives and enhancing the ethnography discipline across the bank. The successful candidate will lead a team of qualitative researchers, collaborate closely with other research teams, partner with various stakeholders across the bank, and manage external vendor relationships to ensure the delivery of insightful and impactful research.
What will you do?
- Selecting, supervising, training and directing the work of Research and Development staff.
- Preparing and managing research and development budget.
- Helping senior management and internal clients to understand the results and implications of research and development initiatives.
- Developing and implementing research and development procedures and techniques.
Team Leadership and Management:
- Lead, mentor, and develop a team of high-performing qualitative researchers
- Strengthen the ethnography practice by implementing best practices and ensuring the highest quality standards in research methodologies and outputs
- Foster a culture of innovation and collaboration across the wider research team
Research Excellence:
- Plan and execute foundational, high-visibility research projects with stakeholders across multiple lines of business
- Present insights-driven narratives and recommendations to a wide range of audiences, including senior executives
- Collaborate closely with other Directors and Senior/Managers within the CXDI department to ensure cohesive and robust research output
- Ensure integration of qualitative insights with quantitative insights and behavioural data
Stakeholder Relationship Management:
- Maintain and strengthen relationships with key stakeholders across product, marketing, retail enablement, and other teams
- Understand and anticipate the research needs of different business units, ensuring alignment with the bank’s strategic goals.
Vendor Management:
- Manage relationships with external research vendors to ensure high-quality deliverables and adherence to timeline
- Evaluate and select vendors, negotiate contracts, and oversee the execution of outsourced research projects.
What do you need to succeed?
Must have:
- Master’s degree or higher in a related field (e.g., Anthropology, Sociology, Market Research)
- 7+ years of experience in qualitative research, with a mix of vendor and in-house experience
- 3+ years of team management experience
- Excellent relationship management and communication skills
- Strong strategic thinking and analytical abilities
- High comfort in operating with ambiguity
- Experience in managing external vendors and contracts
- Strong knowledge of quantitative research
Nice to have:
- Familiarity with the financial services industry is an asset
What’s in it for you?
We thrive on the challenge to be our best, progressive thinking to keep growing, and working together to deliver trusted advice to help our clients thrive and communities prosper. We care about each other, reaching our potential, making a difference to our communities, and achieving success that is mutual.
- Ability to make a difference and lasting impact
- Work in a dynamic, collaborative, progressive, and high-performing team
- Opportunities to do challenging work
About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance. Our success comes from the 94,000+ employees who leverage their imaginations and insights to bring our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our clients thrive and communities prosper. As Canada's biggest bank and one of the largest in the world, based on market capitalization, we have a diversified business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional experiences to our more than 17 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and 27 other countries. Learn more at rbc.com. We are proud to support a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. See how at www.rbc.com/community-social-impact.
La Banque Royale du Canada est une institution financière mondiale définie par sa raison d'être, guidée par des principes et orientée vers l'excellence en matière de rendement. Notre succès est attribuable aux quelque 94 000+ employés qui mettent à profit leur créativité et leur savoir faire pour concrétiser notre vision, nos valeurs et notre stratégie afin que nous puissions contribuer à la prospérité de nos clients et au dynamisme des collectivités. Selon la capitalisation boursière, nous sommes la plus importante banque du Canada et l'une des plus grandes banques du monde. Nous avons adopté un modèle d'affaires diversifié axé sur l'innovation et l'offre d'expériences exceptionnelles à nos plus de 17 millions de clients au Canada, aux États Unis et dans 27 autres pays. Pour en savoir plus, visitez le site rbc.com/francais
Nous sommes fiers d'appuyer une grande diversité d'initiatives communautaires par des dons, des investissements dans la collectivité et le travail bénévole de nos employés. Pour de plus amples renseignements, visitez le site www.rbc.com/collectivite-impact-social.