Research Manager, Third-party due diligence

Role purpose

Our third-party due diligence (VANTAGE) team assess our clients’ current, former or potential counterparties, looking for any issues that might pose a reputational or business risk to them, wherever they may be in the world. The work is compliance-focused and volume-driven. The Research Manager is responsible for the quality of VANTAGE work. S/he will oversee and guide Researchers to ensure they produce clear, analytical and exceptionally well-written reports which help our Clients protect their integrity and reputation. S/he will also support the Regional Research Manager in training researchers and managing projects, leveraging internal and external resources in order to complete VANTAGE projects in a timely and effective manner.
The successful candidate will have a strong knowledge of open-source intelligence and public record research, experience in writing and reviewing due diligence reports, and has excellent communication, writing and interpersonal skills.

Role tasks and responsibilities

Project management of third-party due diligence
- Ensure VANTAGE work is properly scoped, allocated to researchers, tracked and ultimately delivered on time and within budget
- Communicate directly with clients in order to clarify the scope of projects, address questions, and suggest potential additional avenues of research
- Review and approve (content and editorial) VANTAGE work, ensuring projects are of high quality and meet Clients’ specifications
- Liaise with and provide feedback to vendors and subcontractors, ensuring the quality of work they provide is high and adheres to our global delivery standards
- Engage with colleagues in the Business Intelligence team whenever VANTAGE work requires their input and collaboration

Regional research initiatives
- Assist Regional Research Manager in training new researchers in the VANTAGE methodology and approach, ensuring new team members successfully complete the onboarding process
- Provide continual training and cascade updates to the VANTAGE methodology and approach
- Monitor quality of work and give feedback to researchers; motivate and guide researchers to ensure they are focused and directed effectively on operational and other aspects of the work
- Interact regularly with other Managers to provide support and feedback on VANTAGE work
- Participate in discussions with other Managers to provide insight on potential service/product improvement
- Support the Regional Research Manager in recruiting new researchers

- Experience in writing, researching and reviewing/editing due diligence reports; demonstrated excellence in research, writing and editing in English

- Experience in managing projects, especially where the project team is spread across several locations

- Strong knowledge of research techniques, databases, networks, online registers and archives and other OSINT research tools

- Experience influencing people across an organization, especially without direct reporting lines

- Proven ability to meet project deadlines