Research Analyst/Senior Research Analyst

QUESROW RESEARCH & STRATEGY CO.
Research Analyst — Primary Research
Location: Pune
Experience: 1–3 Years
Background: Engineering / MBA
Function
Research — Primary Research / Industry Intelligence
Location
Pune (mandatory — candidates outside Pune not considered)
Reporting To
Consultant/Senior Consultant
Experience
1 to 3 years in primary research or industry calling
Education
B.Tech / B.E (any branch) or MBA — mandatory
Employment Type
Full-time
Primary research experience — conducting expert interviews, cold calling industry professionals, B2B calling, or field research — is mandatory. Candidates without demonstrated primary research or cold calling experience will not be considered regardless of other qualifications.
About Quesrow
Quesrow Research & Strategy Co. is a specialist research and advisory firm focused on metals, materials, energy transition, and industrial sectors. We serve private equity funds, global producers, industrial conglomerates, and government bodies. Our work spans investment research, market entry strategy, competitive intelligence, feasibility studies, and sector benchmarking.
Primary research — talking directly to plant managers, traders, procurement heads, industry experts, and market participants — is the foundation of what we do. Every engagement depends on the quality of what our research team learns through real conversations, not what they find on Google.
Role Objective
To execute primary research for live client mandates — identifying the right industry respondents, making cold calls to senior professionals across the metals, materials, and industrial ecosystem, conducting structured interviews to gather market intelligence, and converting raw conversation into clean, insight-ready research outputs. This role is hands-on from day one.
Key Responsibilities
Primary Research & Industry Calling
→ Conduct cold calls and structured interviews with industry experts — plant managers, traders, procurement heads, raw material suppliers, distributors, government officials, and other sector participants.
→ Identify and map the right respondents for each research brief — not just anyone with a relevant title, but the right person in the right company with the right knowledge.
→ Prepare a respondent brief and discussion guide before every call — no calls without preparation.
→ Handle evasive, busy, or sceptical respondents professionally — building enough rapport to get the real answer, not just the polished one.
→ Probe and follow up — not accepting the first answer, digging for the specific data point or market insight the engagement needs.
Research Output & Documentation
→ Convert call notes into structured, insight-ready summaries — findings, key quotes, and one paragraph of synthesis per call.
→ Maintain accurate research logs, respondent trackers, and call outcome records for every engagement.
→ Cross-validate primary findings against secondary data sources to identify inconsistencies and gaps.
→ Support the BA/SBA in building research modules — contributing structured data and direct primary insights.
Secondary Research Support
→ Conduct desk research to build sector context before primary calls — value chain understanding, key player mapping, pricing trends.
→ Use CMS, internal knowledge libraries, and prior research to avoid duplicating work already done by the team.
→ Support report preparation with data sourcing, fact-checking, and exhibit building under BA/SBA guidance.
Candidate Profile
→ Education: B.Tech or B.E. degree from a recognised institution — any branch (metallurgy, mechanical, chemical, mining, electronics, computer science, civil). OR MBA from a recognised institution with a research or analytics background.
→ Primary Research: 1 to 3 years of demonstrated experience in primary research — expert interviews, B2B industry calling, cold calling, field research, telephonic surveys, or IDIs. This is non-negotiable.
→ Research Firm: Prior experience in a research firm, consulting firm, KPO, analytics firm, or market intelligence company is strongly preferred.
→ Cold Calling Comfort: Comfortable making cold calls to industry professionals. Not occasional calling — active, daily, structured outbound research calling.
→ Location: Based in Pune or immediately relocatable to Pune with no constraints. Candidates in other cities will not be considered for this role.
→ Communication: Good command of English — both spoken (for conducting expert interviews) and written (for producing clean research summaries).
Key Skills
Primary Research & Calling
Cold calling and expert interview execution
Structured probing and follow-up questioning
Rapport building with senior industry professionals
Handling refusals, redirections, and evasive respondents
Discussion guide building and pre-call preparation
Sector and respondent research before every call
Research Output & Tools
Clean, structured post-call note writing
Secondary research and desk research
Data triangulation across multiple sources
Excel — data organisation and basic analysis
CMS and knowledge management discipline
Time management across concurrent research tracks
Mindset We Are Looking For
→ Comfortable with rejection. Cold calling industry professionals means hearing 'I'm busy', 'not interested', and 'call back later' — many times a day. You treat it as part of the process, not a personal setback.
→ Genuinely curious about sectors and industries. You find it interesting to learn about how a steel plant operates, why aluminium prices move, or what a PE fund is trying to understand about a commodity market.
→ Preparation-obsessed. You do not make a call without knowing who you are calling, what they know, and exactly what you need to find out.
→ Notes-disciplined. Every call produces a structured output — findings, quotes, synthesis. Not a transcript, not a voice note, not 'I'll write it up later'.
→ Willing to ask the uncomfortable question. The most valuable data point is usually the one the respondent doesn't want to share. You have the confidence to ask anyway — politely but directly.
Before You Apply
Apply only if you can say yes to all of the following:
→ I have a B.Tech, B.E., or MBA degree from a recognised institution.
→ I have made cold calls or conducted expert telephonic interviews as a core part of my work — not occasionally.
→ I have experience in a research firm, consulting firm, KPO, or market intelligence company.
→ I am currently based in Pune or can relocate to Pune immediately with no conditions.
→ I can speak to senior industry professionals confidently in English and produce structured written summaries of what I learned.
Applications that do not meet the above criteria will not be reviewed. Please do not apply if primary research / cold calling is not a demonstrated part of your work experience.
Skills: cold calling,research,primary research

Work arrangement
No