Research Manager

About MiZa and Role Purpose

MiZa, rooted in the historic Mina Zayed port and inspired by Sheikh Zayed’s vision for progress, is a forward-thinking neighbourhood fostering innovation and transformative ideas. The Research Manager contributes significantly by delivering strategic insights and data-driven narratives that support business development, urban planning, and innovation projects within MiZa.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead interdisciplinary research on topics such as business support programmes, trends in target industries, national initiatives, and urban placemaking best practices.
• Examine global and regional trends in entrepreneurship, technology relevance, and innovation district development, contextualizing these within Emirates and regional competitiveness frameworks.
• Conduct benchmarking, case studies, and policy reviews to extract global best practices for innovation districts, creative economies, and growth hubs, including defining success metrics.
• Convert complex quantitative and qualitative information into clear, evidence-backed recommendations and innovative ideas that can elevate MiZa's standards in these domains.
• Transform research findings into visually compelling formats including dashboards, maps, and infographics using Power BI, Tableau, and PowerPoint.
• Create automated interactive dashboards to monitor business performance, innovation outputs, and urban development indicators.
• Develop executive presentations and reports that communicate complex insights accessibly and persuasively.
• Assist in preparing capital expenditure and investment proposals, high-level government presentations, and strategic briefings for senior leaders.
• Collaborate closely with economists, strategists, architects, and innovation experts to ensure thorough, aligned research output.
• Integrate socio-economic, spatial, and business data to inform placemaking, urban planning, and programming decisions.
• Engage with data providers, government bodies, and think tanks to source and validate data.
• Establish organizational standards for research methodology, data analysis, and storytelling quality.
• Guide the efforts of fellows, residents, and other contributors working on MiZa projects.

Qualifications and Experience

• University degree or equivalent qualification relevant to the role.
• At least six years of professional experience in applied research, strategic analysis, or data analytics within business growth, innovation, customer experience, or urban development contexts.
• Proven ability to conduct rigorous research, source key insights, and create impactful reports that introduce new perspectives rather than merely restating existing knowledge.
• Advanced analytical capabilities with hands-on expertise in data management, visualization, and interpretation, including proficiency in data modeling, DAX, and Power BI.
• Experience crafting dashboards, presentations, and reports tailored to government, investment, or corporate stakeholders; exceptional skill with Microsoft PowerPoint for executive-level storytelling is imperative.
• Excellent command of English in writing and presentations, with the ability to distill complex technical data into concise, executive-focused summaries.