Research Manager

About the role

The Research Manager will drive strategic insight and data‑led storytelling for business growth, urban planning and innovation initiatives within MiZa, an innovation‑driven neighbourhood in Abu Dhabi.

Key responsibilities

• Lead cross‑disciplinary research on business support programmes, industry trends, national initiatives and urban planning best practices.
• Analyse global and regional entrepreneurship, technology and innovation district developments to inform Abu Dhabi’s competitiveness.
• Conduct benchmarking, case studies and policy analysis to identify global best practices and define success metrics.
• Translate research findings into high‑impact visual formats – dashboards, maps, infographics – using Power BI, Tableau and PowerPoint.
• Design and maintain automated interactive dashboards that track business performance, innovation outputs and urban development indicators.
• Prepare board‑level presentations, CAPEX decks and government‑level briefings for senior decision‑makers and external partners.
• Collaborate with economists, architects, strategists and innovation consultants to ensure research depth and alignment with project goals.
• Set organisational standards for research, data visualisation and storytelling, and mentor fellows and residents on their projects.

Required profile

• Degree‑level education in a relevant discipline.
• Minimum six years of applied research, strategy or analytics experience in business growth, innovation or urban‑innovation contexts.
• Proven ability to synthesize quantitative and qualitative data into evidence‑based recommendations and new thinking.
• Excellent English writing and presentation skills, with a talent for distilling technical findings into concise executive summaries.
• Experience working with senior leadership, government agencies or corporate investors is desirable.

Required skills

• Microsoft PowerPoint (executive‑level storytelling and design)
• Power BI, Tableau, DAX and data modelling
• Data visualization and dashboard creation
• Data management and analysis (Excel, SPSS, GIS)