Research Director - Central London Office Strategy

JLL empowers you to shape a brighter way.  

Our people at JLL are shaping the future of real estate for a better world by combining world class services, advisory and technology for our clients. We are committed to hiring the best, most talented people and empowering them to thrive, grow meaningful careers and to find a place where they belong.  Whether you’ve got deep experience in commercial real estate, skilled trades or technology, or you’re looking to apply your relevant experience to a new industry, join our team as we help shape a brighter way forward.

About the Role:

Reporting to the Head of UK Offices Research, we are seeking a dedicated Central London client facing research director to act as the strategic linchpin for our Central London business. This is a high-impact, commercial role for an established market expert who thrives at the intersection of data, strategy and client engagement.

You will be the expert voice of research in the room for our most important Landlord/Developer client pursuits, translating market intelligence into a competitive advantage that wins business. Your primary focus will be on driving a sophisticated, sector-led approach to our analysis, identifying the growth engines of the London economy and shaping JLL’s strategic response.

The role will be embedded in the CL agency team, and will require a minimum of 4 days in the office - two working directly with the City agency team and two working with the West End team.

What this job involves:

Strategic Pitch Leadership & Business Winning

• Own the research and insights component for all major Central London client pitches, serving as the strategic partner to Office Agency and the Clients & Pursuits teams

• Represent JLL research directly in high-stakes client presentations and pitches, articulating a compelling, data-driven narrative that differentiates our platform and helps secure mandates

• Liaising with the wider Central London office research team, as well as global colleagues, to ensure all relevant trends are captured and incorporated into outputs

External Influence & Thought Leadership

• Develop and deliver compelling client presentations that go beyond data, offering a clear, forward-looking perspective on key market trends and future opportunities

• Use data visualisation to create powerful stories about the future of the London office market, leveraging a wide array of proprietary and third-party data sources to conduct analysis

• Contribute to the Central London offices insight programme, and utilise global insight to pick up on trends and produce client facing thought leadership

Forward-Looking Sector & Economic Analysis

• Serve as a leading interpreter of macro-economic and policy developments, providing regular, high-level briefings to internal Central London leadership on the direct implications for our business and clients

• Provide a business-sector-led research strategy, identifying high-growth industries and analysing their specific real estate requirements and impact on the Central London office market.  Liaising with the global research team on wider business sector trends

• Own the firm’s intelligence on corporate migration by managing our occupier moves database, uncovering critical trends and future client opportunities from the data

Commercial Research & Consulting

• Play a key role in securing and delivering bespoke, fee-generating consulting assignments, leveraging your deep market expertise to provide high-value advisory services to our top-tier clients

Sound like you? To apply, you need to have:

• A bachelor’s degree in economics, Finance, Real Estate, or a related field. A Master's degree or RICS qualification is strongly preferred

• A minimum of 10 years of experience in commercial real estate research or a related analytical field. Direct and extensive experience covering the Central London office market is essential

• Exceptional writing and communication skills, demonstrated by a portfolio of published articles, reports, or white papers. You must be skilled at translating complex data into a compelling, business-oriented narrative

• Polished presentation skills with the credibility and confidence to engage with senior leadership, major clients, and the media

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel. Strong experience with data visualisation platforms (e.g., Tableau, Power BI) and familiarity with statistical tools (R, Python) or GIS software is a plus

• A strategic and analytical mindset, with a demonstrated ability to translate economic and business sector trends into actionable real estate intelligence

• Strong commercial acumen and experience contributing to fee-earning research or consulting projects

• The ability to influence and build strong relationships with senior internal stakeholders, particularly in brokerage and business development teams

• A self-directed and proactive work ethic, with an established reputation as a go-to expert in the Central London office market

Location:

On-site –London, GBR

If this job description resonates with you, we encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet all of the requirements.  We’re interested in getting to know you and what you bring to the table!

At JLL, we harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to efficiently accelerate meaningful connections between candidates and opportunities. Using AI capabilities, we analyze your application for relevant skills, experiences, and qualifications to generate valuable insights about how your unique profile aligns with the specific requirements of the role you're pursuing.

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