Research & Development Executive — Analysis, Reporting & Problem Solving

Research & Development Executive — Analysis, Reporting & Problem Solving We are a British curriculum education academy working with students across Kuwait and the wider Middle East. We are growing quickly and we need someone who can be pointed at almost any problem and come back with an answer. This is deliberately not a narrow role. Some weeks it is competitor research. Some weeks it is pulling apart a spreadsheet to find what the numbers are actually saying. Some weeks it is figuring out a tool nobody on the team has used before and reporting back on whether it is worth adopting. If you want a fixed list of daily tasks, this is not the role. If you like being handed a question and working out the answer yourself, keep reading. What you would actually do - Research topics we hand you, from competitor pricing to software options to market trends, and come back with a clear picture rather than a pile of links - Turn what you find into something presentable. Not just "here is the data" but "here is the pattern, here is where we sit against it, here is what I would do" - Work with spreadsheets and data to answer specific questions - Learn tools quickly and independently. We use Asana, Google Workspace, WhatsApp Business and a CRM, and you will meet new ones regularly - Take work off the plates of our Project Manager and Resource Manager as you learn the business What we are looking for - You can take minimum direction and run with it. When a brief is vague, you ask one good question and then get on with it - You are genuinely comfortable with technology and enjoy figuring things out - You can write clearly. A report that needs rewriting is not a finished report - You spot patterns. Anyone can list five competitors and their prices; we want to know what that list means - Reliable, responsive, and honest when something is not working Being straight with you about the rate The budget is $5 per hour for around 25 hours per week. We know that is modest, so here is what we are honestly offering alongside it: real variety, real responsibility, direct exposure to how a growing business is run, and the chance to grow with us as we expand. If you are early in your career, capable, and want range rather than repetition, this could suit you well. If you are an experienced analyst looking for market rate, we understand, and this is not the right fit. How we will decide We are not going to hire on a cover letter alone. Shortlisted candidates will be given a small paid research task, so you get paid for your time and we get to see how you actually think. That task is the main thing we will judge. To apply Skip the template proposal, we will not read it. Instead tell us: 1. A time you were given a vague or open-ended problem and worked out the answer yourself. What did you do, and what did you find? 2. What tools do you use when you need to research something quickly? 3. Anything you have made or written that shows how you present findings Note: Any candidate who attempts to contact us outside of Upwork will be automatically disqualified. All communication must remain on the Upwork platform.