IFF Research is always on the lookout for talented people to join our team.
Whether you’re an experienced researcher, a graduate, telephone interviewer or a seasoned business services professional, we would love to hear from you.
IFF Research was founded back in 1965 and is now one of the UK leading independent research agencies. We’re really proud to be involved in some of the most impactful social and market research, providing insight to help inform our clients’ decision-making processes.
While it’s easy to say, our people really are the heart of IFF, reflected in our first core value of “being human first”.
We welcome and encourage people who think and act outside of the norm. Creative problem solvers who are inspired to help others find solutions, and who are not afraid to be themselves. Our people are bright, fun and friendly, which is what makes our work environment interesting, inclusive and engaging. The result is a culture which promotes wellbeing and is a genuinely enjoyable place to be.
We believe that you get the most out of people and create a happy and healthy workplace by enabling people to work in a way which suits then. So we operate a flexible work environment, trusting people to work effectively and encouraging personal responsibility for their work.
What we do
IFF helps organisations, businesses and individuals in the public, private and voluntary sectors make better informed decisions. We’re an independent social and market research agency who deliver a wide range of research services to inform policy decisions and steer companies in the right strategic direction.
We are dynamic enough to lead on large-scale studies like the Employer Skills Survey (one of the largest B2B surveys in the world), whilst also being agile enough to offer bespoke and cost-effective projects for a wide range of clients.
Creating a great work environment
The wellbeing of our staff is something we place great importance on. Which is why we created an employee-led wellbeing committee, tasked with promoting and supporting wellbeing at IFF.
As a team, our wellbeing committee composed our wellbeing statement:
At IFF we put wellbeing at the heart of our workplace culture. It is core to our organisational values and ways of working.
We support our employees to lead a healthy and happy lifestyle, both in and out of work.
Our Wellbeing Committee:
- Runs initiatives and regular events that promote physical and mental wellbeing
- Writes articles in our monthly newsletter about the external support available
- Gives line managers training in offering basic pastoral care, reasonable adjustments and referrals
- Oversees our team of Mental Health First Aiders who offer first line support and identify concerns
Our wellbeing committee are supported by our social committee, who organise a range of social activities to suit the diverse interests of our team. As well as our environmental committee who are helping us to work more sustainably.
A culture of learning
We are dedicated to the continuous learning and development of our people. Part of this means making sure that we give our people access to high quality training.
We are delighted that the internal training we design and deliver ourselves has recently been accredited by the Market Research Society (MRS). This means it’s been given the stamp of approval as meeting the rigorous quality standards that the MRS demands. This accredited training includes our Graduate Trainee Development Programme, as well as our training on core research skills, specialist research skills, and management training and development.
At the same time, we encourage our team to explore and seek external training that will develop their specialist skills, appeal to their interests, and also develop them personally. For example, some researchers have recently attended training on Thinking on your feet and Online authority for introverts. We are a firm believer in seeing our staff as people first. We believe that anything that helps them to develop their confidence and grow personally benefits us hugely too, by creating a happy and powerful workplace.
We see L&D as much more than simply attending training courses, however. Our mission is to create a truly learning organisation. For us, this means:
- Helping our people to get most out of learning every day, on the job. To do this, all of our line managers and project managers are supported by training that helps them to develop others effectively. This includes training on giving and receiving feedback, coaching skills, and guidance on communication, difficult conversations and asking better questions.
- Allowing our staff regular dedicated ‘learning’ time within their working hours, to work on personal research-related projects that pique their curiosity.
- Encouraging our staff to become members of research and insight organisations like the MRS, Association of Qualitative Researchers, and the Social Research Association. This additional source of expertise, networking and learning events and resources is invaluable, and we are very happy to provide this for those that want it.
- We have a full time L&D Manager in post, who works to design and deliver our training courses alongside our internal subject matter experts, and who is working to build and grow our overall learning culture.
“I truly love working in Learning and Development at IFF. I really do believe that learning, and developing, is something that should be career-long and life-long. People who see themselves growing, who feel confidence and pride in their abilities, and who have the chance to pursue their interests at work, do fantastic work and are happy doing it. We have a wonderful bunch of keen, bright people, and I feel very lucky to be involved in creating a learning culture around them and with them.”Our commitment to inclusion
Creating an inclusive workforce and a culture of respect and acceptance is engrained in our company values, and we understand that different ways of thinking, working and communicating are key to our success.
We are very proud to have signed the MRS Inclusion pledge: A Manifesto for Opportunity. As part of our commitment to this pledge, we are committed to publishing information on different demographics as well as making commitments throughout the employee lifecycle to create an environment where the only barriers to progress are personal choice and professional competence. Read more about the pledge and our commitment to inclusion here.
Our commitment to sustainability
Creating positive change and making a difference is at the heart of what we do at IFF. And in this vein we’re proud to have signed up to the MRS Net Zero Pledge, which commits the organisation to becoming carbon net zero by 2026. Our Environmental Working Group (open to all!) is leading this initiative, with a focus on reducing resource use, transitioning to renewable energy, and introducing a sustainable procurement strategy. Through this work we also seek to support and encourage others – clients, partners and suppliers – to consider environmental impacts in the work that they do.
Joining IFF
Our people lie at the heart of everything we do. We encourage all our team to be themselves, offering support, flexibility and opportunities to help them develop professionally and personally.
Want to join us?
Great! Please click on the following links to find out more about different areas of our team.
Our Rules of the Game
Decided by our team, our Rules of the Game bring our Values to life, reflecting how we work together and behave day-to-day.
