Market Research Specialist

SUMMARY:
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POSITION INFO:
The Role To provide strategic market intelligence and foresight that anticipates market shifts, identifies growth opportunities and translates complex industry, competitor and customer insights into informed commercial and strategic decision-making. What You'll Do Market Intelligence & Foresight Develop and implement a market intelligence roadmap aligned with the organisation's strategic objectives. Conduct research on global and regional aerospace & defence and safety & security markets, procurement trends, technology shifts, and industry dynamics. Provide strategic foresight for multi-year resource allocation, technology investments, and business development initiatives. Develop and maintain proprietary forecasting models (econometric and scenario-based) for revenue planning, export target setting, and future trend prediction. Deliver actionable intelligence to support business development, procurement, and strategic planning. Provide geopolitical, regulatory, and economic risk assessments for market entry, exit, and technology investment decisions. Maintain a comprehensive market intelligence repository and provide early-warning alerts on competitor strategies, pricing, product roadmaps, partnership activities, and foreign market entries. Identify New Business Opportunities Identify, evaluate, and prioritise new market opportunities, strategic customers, and regions of interest. Identify emerging markets, customer needs, competitor trends, and technology shifts to support organisational decision-making. Support revenue and income generation initiatives by aligning research insights with business development and marketing objectives. Evaluate market feasibility for new products, services, or capabilities in line with national security priorities and international compliance. Collaborate with business development teams to support go-to-market strategies and investment cases. Research, Design, Analyse and Report Lead quantitative and qualitative market research to uncover actionable insights into market trends, customer needs and competitive positioning. Produce high-impact reports, dashboards, and strategic briefings for senior management and key stakeholders. Track and benchmark the export performance and competitiveness of South African defence products in priority markets. Translate complex technical, geopolitical, and economic signals into clear recommendations to inform multi-year strategic decision-making. Stakeholder Engagement and Relationship Management Represent the organisation as the aerospace & defence market intelligence subject-matter expert at high-level forums, aerospace & defence exhibitions, trade shows, and strategic engagements. Build and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including government departments, industry partners, event organisers, and international community. Provide guidance to internal teams on interpreting research findings for operational, marketing, and business development decisions. Budgeting and Risk Management Support risk management and compliance frameworks to mitigate operational, geopolitical, and market risks. Develop and manage the annual market intelligence budget and ensure alignment with organisational objectives. What You Bring Bachelor's Degree in Business, Economics, Aerospace & Defence Related Studies, Marketing, Data Analytics, or related field. Minimum of 10 years' experience in market research, business intelligence, competitive analysis, or strategic analysis, preferably within defence, government, or regulated sectors. Demonstrated experience in developing and analysing market research studies, delivering actionable insights, and informing strategic business decisions. Proven experience in forecasting, scenario planning, and multi-year opportunity identification, supporting revenue generation and investment prioritisation. Experience in aerospace & defence or safety & security markets or similar environment, with knowledge of procurement processes, technology trends, and competitive dynamics in the South African and international. Exposure to research methodologies, data analytics and market intelligence platforms. Why Apply Attractive and competitive salary package. Medical aid supporting your wellbeing. Funeral cover providing additional peace of mind. Work on diverse and high-impact projects. Meaningful career and professional development opportunities. Be part of an engaging, collaborative and performance-driven workplace. Join a team contributing to solutions and capabilities that make a meaningful impact. Participate in industry activities, exhibitions and events locally and internationally. Due Date: 18 September 2026