Senior Manager, Research and Strategy | Product Development and Design

Senior Manager, Research and Strategy | Product Development and Design

• Closing Date: 2026-07-31

At Qatar Airways, we craft cutting‑edge inflight products, enhance passenger comfort, and drive innovation in aviation design. From concept to launch, our Product Development and Design (PDD) Team collaborates with industry leaders to create products that set new standards in travel.

If you are passionate about innovation and design, this is your chance to make a lasting impact in the aviation industry.

Join our Product Development and Design Team that transforms ideas into reality and shapes the future of airline experiences!

As Senior Manager, Research and Strategy, you will be the analytical and strategic core of the Research and Strategy function within Qatar Airways' Product Development and Design division, reporting to the VP, Strategy and Planning. You will lead the delivery of research, insight, and strategic analysis that underpins the division's ability to make informed, commercially sound decisions across its full product portfolio.

You will manage a team of researchers and analysts, building their capability and ensuring the function delivers rigorous, actionable intelligence that directly supports product investment decisions, roadmap planning, and divisional performance. You will turn ambiguous strategic questions into structured analytical frameworks and raw data into compelling, decision‑ready recommendations.

Working in close partnership with the Manager, Project Strategy and Planning, you will ensure that strategic insight and PMO execution are tightly connected. You will provide the research and analytical foundation that governs how initiatives are prioritised, sequenced, and measured. Your influence on governance and planning will be through the quality and clarity of the strategic input you provide, not through direct ownership of PMO processes.

As part of your role, your responsibilities will be inclusive of, but not limited to the following:

Research, Insight and Analysis

• Lead the delivery of passenger research, market intelligence, and competitive benchmarking programmes that provide the division with a current, accurate, and actionable picture of the external landscape.
• Synthesise complex, multi‑source data into clear strategic narratives and decision‑ready recommendations for senior leadership.
• Develop and maintain research frameworks and insight methodologies that ensure consistency, rigour, and relevance across all analytical outputs.
• Commission and manage external research agencies and insight partners, ensuring quality, timeliness, and value for money.

Strategic Planning and Support

• Support the VP in the development and ongoing evolution of the divisional strategy, translating strategic direction into structured workplans, analytical frameworks, and clearly defined priorities for the team.
• Develop and maintain product and experience strategy documents, ensuring they are current, evidence‑based, and aligned with group strategy.
• Prepare high‑quality strategic materials, briefing papers, and executive presentations that enable the VP and divisional leadership to engage confidently at board and C‑suite level.
• Support the evaluation and prioritisation of product initiatives, developing business cases and ROI analyses that inform investment decisions.

PMO Alignment and Strategic Influence

• Partner closely with the Manager, Project Strategy and Planning to ensure strategic priorities are accurately translated into project governance, roadmap sequencing, and performance frameworks.
• Provide the analytical and strategic input that enables the PMO function to prioritise initiatives with confidence and commercial clarity.
• Preview and challenge roadmap progress from a strategic perspective, escalating where initiatives are drifting from their original strategic intent or where emerging insight suggests reprioritisation is warranted.
• Ensure that research and insight outputs are structured and communicated in a way that is directly usable by the PMO function, bridging the gap between strategic analysis and operational planning.

Organisational Development Support

• Support the VP in shaping ways of working improvements and operating model evolution across the division, contributing a research and insight perspective to how the division structures and sequences its work.
• Help build a culture of evidence‑based decision‑making across the division by promoting best practice use of data, research, and strategic frameworks at team level.
• Collaborate with the Manager, Project Strategy and Planning on the people and process dimensions of organisational change, providing strategic context and insight to support effective adoption.

Team Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of researchers and analysts, setting clear expectations, managing performance, and creating a working environment where talent grows and thrives.
• Build team capability in research methodology, strategic analysis, and structured communication, raising the quality and impact of the function's outputs over time.
• Foster a team culture defined by intellectual curiosity, attention to detail, and a genuine commitment to delivering insight that makes a difference.

About You

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent with a minimum of 10 years of experience in research, strategy, insight, or planning. A postgraduate qualification in business, strategy, or a related discipline is advantageous.
• Proven experience managing a research, strategy, or insight function with a track record of delivering high‑quality analytical outputs that have directly informed senior decision‑making.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills with the ability to structure complex problems, synthesise multi‑source data, and produce clear, evidence‑based recommendations.
• Experience managing and developing teams with the ability to set direction, build capability, and maintain high standards of delivery in a demanding environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to translate complex analysis into compelling, accessible narratives for senior and executive audiences.
• Experience supporting senior leaders with strategic planning, business case development, and executive‑level presentations.
• Solid commercial fluency, including familiarity with financial modelling, business case development, and ROI analysis, even without direct P&L ownership.
• Strong project management awareness with the ability to engage credibly with PMO functions, understand governance frameworks, and influence planning priorities through strategic input rather than direct management.
• Strong cross‑functional collaboration skills with the ability to work as an equal peer with planning, PMO, and operational functions, influencing through the quality of insight rather than positional authority.
• Candidates from management consultancy, consumer insights, research agencies, premium brand environments, or innovation‑led organisations are strongly encouraged to apply. Aviation experience is not a prerequisite.

Preferred

• Experience working within or alongside a product design, UX, or creative development environment.
• Familiarity with PMO frameworks and governance models, sufficient to engage credibly and influence prioritisation without owning the function directly.
• Experience in high‑expectation product or experience environments where insight directly shapes investment decisions and product quality.
• Experience commissioning and managing external research agencies or strategic consultancies.
• Exposure to organisational design or ways of working improvement programmes in a support or advisory capacity.