Competitive Research Analyst
Up to £38K + bonus + benefits
Reference: WUK732
Please note: Applicants for this position must have authorization to work in the UK.Role
In this role you will lead the analysis and dissemination of competitive information for the Endpoint Security and Information Security product teams. This will include the analysis of competitor companies, products and markets; delivery of competitive information tailored to the needs of different internal and, occasionally, external customers.
You will have the ability to summarise information and create materials to satisfy the needs of the different audiences (sales/ product management/ executive management) and will have an understanding of the sales process. You will possess good written skills and will be able to present information on product strengths and weaknesses. You will have experience of Excel, Word and PowerPoint to an advanced level.
This position is based at our headquarters in Abingdon, Oxfordshire.
Main duties
- Identify, establish and maintain an agreed process and methodology to give a rounded view of competitors’ product offerings
- Develop the competitive evaluation criteria with Product Management, procure competitor products, install and test these products, and monitor the effectiveness of the process proposing changes to the Director of Information Security & Control
- Proactively solicit feedback and information from the sales and marketing teams on competitors’ activity and products, checking the validity of the information received against other sources (e.g. Internet)
- Interpret key market activity related to the known competitors and provide a factual analysis to Product Management, sales executive management and marketing
- Deliver a rapid summary of competitive strengths and weaknesses to field sales and marketing, followed by a more detailed follow-up/analysis on an as needed basis
- Ensure that the information circulated and shared meets the needs of the audience that you are addressing, is purposeful and is clear how it should be used to increase sales activity for Sophos
- Agree templates and communication standards with the Competitive Research Analyst (CRA), Gateway, proposing and agreeing any changes with the Directors of Product Management for all product sets
- Build a robust and effective communication strategy to pass competitive product information to the sales and marketing teams in all locations including regular e-mail updates (2 to 3 per week)
- Contact each of the Sales heads in each location on a quarterly basis to review the effectiveness of the information produced, reporting this back to the Director of Security & Control identifying improvements that could be made and gaining agreement to these
- Provide monthly summary competitive reports to sales, marketing and Product Management. Also, when needed, and in agreement with the Director of Security & Control, develop and deliver competitive presentations and webcasts both internally and externally
- Maintain and update a database of competitive information on the Intranet ensuring only up-to-date and relevant information is shown
- Ensure consistency, style and usability of the Intranet pages in conjunction with the CRA Gateway and Product Marketing Specialist
- Monitor the emergence of new competitors and new and relevant product releases from existing competitors, ensuring that sales and Product Management receive information in a timely fashion
- Understand the impact of competitive products on the Sophos product roadmap and actively engage with the Product Managers (PMs) to provide input on product requirements. Agree detailed project involvement on new product development activity with the Director of Information Security & Control
- Create and manage a test lab to support the evaluation of third party products for use by the CRA and PMs, providing support as needed to those using the facility
Experience and skills
You will need to demonstrate experience in the following:
- Installing software products and analysing performance
- Setting-up and maintaining a variety of hardware and software platforms
- The Security software industry
- Researching information and identifying external information sources
- Assimilating numerical information and presenting it as simple, clear and concise conclusions and recommendations
- Communicating information to sales and marketing professionals and senior managers (up to VP level)
- Producing reports and analysis for others
- Maintenance of databases and Intranet pages
Experience of the following is desirable:
- Sales, marketing or product management
- Analysing and commenting on strategic direction of a number of competing companies
Benefits
The remuneration package includes:
- Annual holiday entitlement of 25 days, which can increase to 28 days
- Profit-related bonus scheme
- Group personal pension scheme
- Private medical insurance
- Critical illness insurance
- Death in service policy (life assurance)
- Permanent health insurance
- Travel insurance
- Personal accident cover
Working conditions at Sophos are very good and include:
- Subsidised staff restaurant
- Free beverages, fruit and pastries
