Demand jobs in United Kingdom

Hybrid
This role will be based on site, primarily in the named location with the opportunity to work remotely available in line with our Adaptive Working Framework.

We have one simple promise – to make a positive impact. Through our ground-breaking research, teaching excellence and commitment to sustainable living, we are changing lives for the better.

The University of Derby is a modern university with a modern outlook. Everything we do is driven by delivering excellence and opportunities for our students, our staff and our region.

We have some of the best university facilities in the UK and achieve outstanding results for our teaching and research and have been awarded Gold in the prestigious Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023 – making it one of the top universities in the country recognised for its outstanding student experience and student outcomes.

Financially strong and seriously ambitious we offer our employees an inclusive culture that centres itself around staff wellbeing, where you can be confident you will receive all the help and encouragement you need to build a rewarding career with lots of opportunities to enhance your skills.

Based at our state of the art, £75 million Cavendish Building in the heart of Derby, at Derby International Business School, we are not just educating future business leaders – we’re shaping innovators, disruptors, and pioneers ready to thrive in a rapidly evolving world.

Our diverse portfolio of undergraduate and postgraduate courses spans dynamic disciplines including accounting, business management, international business, economics and finance, marketing, event management, and tourism management. Each programme is expertly crafted to equip you with the cutting-edge skills, real-world experience, and strategic mindset you need to excel in today’s global marketplace.

We pride ourselves on our commitment to academic excellence and industry relevance. Our curriculum is designed in partnership with leading organisations such as PwC, Rolls‑Royce, and local enterprise hubs, ensuring our graduates meet the demands of a competitive business environment. With strong ties to local and national businesses, our students gain access to invaluable opportunities for placements, networking, and hands‑on projects that bridge the gap between theory and practice.

Our programmes are accredited by top professional bodies, including CIMA, ACCA, CIM, and CIPD, setting the gold standard for quality and credibility in business education.

We are seeking a Researcher to join an exciting collaborative project in partnership with Toyota Manufacturing UK (TMUK), a leading global industry partner. This role combines applied research with practical development, focusing on innovative solutions that address real-world challenges.

This project will support the development of a new, lightweight Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) at TMUK's Burnaston site. The vehicle will meet the rising demand for eco‑friendly micro‑mobility with features including a solar roof, advanced connectivity, and sustainable materials ensuring end of recovery and recycling. It supports the UK's move to zero‑emission transport, boosts the supply chain, and secures jobs at TMUK. By developing a ready‑to‑produce design, the project opens new market opportunities and positions the UK as a leader in sustainable urban mobility and advanced automotive manufacturing.

The Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC) has funded this £30.3 million project through the UK Government’s DRIVE35 Collaborate programme, and aims to meet the evolving needs of urban populations while accelerating the shift to zero tailpipe emission transport by validating a novel, lightweight battery electric vehicle (BEV) in the L6e category.

The University of Derby will play a critical role in the project, leading on real‑world testing and analysis, leveraging its expertise in micromobility user behaviour and solar energy viability. Together, the consortium partners are studying how to shape a smarter and more sustainable future for urban mobility across Europe. Acting as a ‘living lab,’ the University will evaluate how the BEV fits evolving patterns of sustainable urban mobility and assess its potential to transform city transport.

As micromobility becomes central to the future of urban transport, this study marks a vital step toward understanding and meeting the evolving mobility needs of city populations, while accelerating the shift toward reduced congestion emissions and enhanced urban accessibility. The research aligns with the University of Derby’s flagship Derby Urban Sustainable Transport Transition (DUST) project, focused on enhancing the city’s green spaces and promoting low‑carbon mobility.

By applying innovations in data‑centric engineering, market demand opportunities along with user engagement and experience, we will explore how novel technologies will be adopted and accepted such that micromobility reaches the most appropriate users and locations, maximising accessibility and effectiveness.

The Market Researcher in Micro‑mobility will contribute to this project by conducing market research, competitor research and consumer market research. The role will involve applied research and the Researcher will be responsible for translating research questions and user needs into relevant methods for best extracting competitor data and consumer opinions. You will work closely with academic colleagues, Toyota engineers and other industry partners, also contributing to publications and stakeholder engagement. The role will involve desk‑based research and primary research about the market for, and consumers' perceptions of, micro‑mobility vehicles.

This is an opportunity to work at the intersection of research and industry, delivering impactful outcomes that shape the future.

You will have a PhD or be on the journey towards a PhD or will have equivalent experience in Business, Marketing or a closely related discipline. You will be familiar and comfortable with both quantitative and qualitative research methods and data analysis. Ideally, you will have proven previous experience of designing and delivering research projects, will have strong organisational skills and be able to work both independently and as part of an interdisciplinary team. You will have strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, good awareness of data security and research ethics and will be able to communicate complex ideas to non‑specialists both verbally and in writing.

• Under the direction of the Principal Investigator, contribute to the development of new knowledge and techniques to the research project(s).
• Contribute to the determination of appropriate research methodologies for the project(s) such as surveys, focus groups and analysing user experiences.
• Engage in competitor research and market research
• Contribute to the writing up of research findings and dissemination through publications or seminar and conference presentations.
• Assist with the preparation of proposals and applications to both external and/or internal bodies for funding, contractual or accreditation purposes.
• Support the supervision of undergraduate projects and postgraduate research students in conjunction with other staff, and provide training and limited teaching as appropriate.
• Assist in the development of student research skills, for example as part of a postgraduate supervision team.
• Plan and manage own research activity and initiate research relevant to the discipline or research project(s).
• Where opportunities exist within the research project(s), support the development and delivery of business engagement activities, developing entrepreneurial links with external organisations.
• Contribute to the writing of collective bids for funding, and, where funders permit, write individual bids for funding with appropriate support.
• Undertake appropriate training and staff development.
• Provide guidance as required to other colleagues working on related research project(s).
• Assist and help informally students working in the same research discipline.
• Develop internal and external contacts with other academic staff to form collaborative relationships and assist with their research project(s).
• Understand own development needs and formulate a personal development plan.
• Observe and implement University policies and procedures.
• PhD (or close to completion) or equivalent experience in Business, Marketing or a closely related discipline

• Demonstrable experience in designing, developing and deploying modern market research and other research methods
• Proven experience of conducting consumer and competitor market research
• Experienced in use of surveys/questionnaires and quantitative data analysis
• Experience of qualitative research and data analysis
• Experience of writing publications for journals and presenting research at conferences

• Excellent survey design and data collection knowledge
• Understanding of data analysis techniques and the use of relevant software e.g. SPSS or similar
• Good awareness of data security, privacy and governance, including basic understanding of GDPR and security‑by‑design principles
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills
• Ability to communicate complex research concepts clearly and effectively to both specialist and non‑specialist audiences, verbally and in writing
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities, deliver to deadlines, and maintain accurate records of work for both research and reporting purposes
• Demonstrable ability to work both independently and as part of an interdisciplinary team, showing initiative, flexibility and a collaborative mindset
• Ability to build relationships and work collaboratively with colleagues, internally and externally

• Demonstrate competences, core behaviours and supplementary behaviours that support and promote the University’s core value
• Flexible to the needs of others
• Committed to ensuring a high quality student experience
• Committed to a high‑performance culture, fostering continuous improvement and driving quality
• Able to take a flexible approach to work
  • Travel between sites and occasionally overseas for work
  • Some evening and occasional weekend work

• Member of the Market Research Society or other relevant associations
• Masters Degree in Business or Engineering

• Experience of collaborating in multidisciplinary or industry‑partnered projects, ideally involving external stakeholders such as automotive or mobility companies
• Evidence of working with real‑world data sets, ideally in mobility, transport, smart cities, or IoT domains (e.g. GPS traces, sensor data, vehicle telemetry, open data portals)

• A track record of producing high‑quality research or technical outputs (e.g. peer‑reviewed publications, technical reports, open‑source software, or demonstrators)
• Generous annual leave entitlement of 47 days inclusive of bank holidays and concessionary days (pro rata)
• Suite of holistic wellbeing benefits and support including family‑friendly policies, generous sick pay provision and comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
• Access to a variety of staff discounts at high street retailers
• Discounted onsite gym
• Cycle to Work scheme
• A flexible working environment
• A commitment to personal and professional development

For further information and informal enquiries regarding the role, please contact Mark Gilman, Professor of Economics via m.gilman@derby.ac.uk

For enquiries regarding your application and for sponsorship eligibility, please contact the recruitment team via recruitment@derby.ac.uk .

This role may be eligible for sponsorship by the University.

The offered salary for this role is less than the going rate for the occupation and the minimum salary threshold for the Skilled Worker route (£41,700 per annum, as of 22nd July 2025). Therefore you will only be eligible to apply for a Skilled Worker visa subject to your individual circumstances which must meet one of the following criteria set out by UKVI :

• Your job is on the Immigration Skills List
• You’re under 26, studying or a recent graduate, or in professional training
• You have a PhD level qualification that’s relevant to your job
• You have a postdoctoral position in science or higher education

Please note that the University will assess your individual eligibility for sponsorship at the shortlisting stage.

The University of Derby is committed to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion, regardless of age, disability, trans status, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief (or none), sex and sexual orientation.

We are Disability Confident Employers, demonstrating our commitment to disability inclusion, and invite applicants to highlight adjustments they may require to ensure equitable participation in our recruitment processes.

Further, we are committed to ensuring an environment which is trans and non‑binary‑inclusive for all our staff, students, partners, and visitors, and continuously review our policies, guidance and training.

When applying to join the University, you can choose your preferred title, including the gender‑neutral title 'Mx'. We also ask our candidates if they would like to share their preferred pronouns.This is voluntary but demonstrates our commitment to inclusivity for trans and non‑binary candidates.Once employed, you can add pronouns and preferred names onto our system.

The University of Derby undertakes anonymised shortlisting during the staff recruitment process. This means that, when shortlisting, panel members will not be able to see an applicant’s name and will see an applicant number instead. This demonstrates the practical steps we are taking to remove barriers to recruitment by minimising the possible impact of our unconscious bias.

However you identify, we actively celebrate the knowledge, experience and talents each person brings. Our students come from a wide range of backgrounds; therefore we are particularly interested to hear from applicants who will help our leaders and teams be more reflective of our student population.

At the University of Derby, we are passionate about embedding sustainability into everything that we do. We aim to bring environmental sustainability into all aspects of the University, including teaching, research and operational activities. In line with the University's strategic framework, we expect all our staff to embed sustainability into their working practices and support the University's objective to reach net zero carbon by 2050.

Be part of something extraordinary, apply now.

You can apply by submitting an online application. Once you have signed in or registered with us you will be able to begin your application. If you are creating an account for the first time, please ensure you provide an email address that you access regularly as this will be our main means of contacting you regarding your application.

The University reserves the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

If you require any assistance, including the provision of any documentation in an alternative format, please contact the Recruitment team at recruitment@derby.ac.uk .

Please note all applications must be submitted online by Midnight GMT on the closing date of the vacancy.

The University of Derby is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our staff, students and children. At the University of Derby, safeguarding is everybody's concern.