United Kingdom · Research and Development · Entry Level (0-2 years)

Associate R&D Portfolio Analyst

As an Associate R&D Portfolio Analyst, you ensure that every research project gets the attention it deserves through meticulous data accuracy.

Here is the whole job, in plain words. What it is, a real day, what you decide, how you're judged, how people get here and where they go next. Then the part no course gives you: twelve AI tutors who learn your work.

Experience bandEntry Level (0-2 years)
Direct reportsNo direct reports
Reports toR&D Portfolio Analyst
UK framework levelUsually someone starting out, or keeping a process running

Also advertised as Junior Portfolio Coordinator · R&D Project Support Assistant · Portfolio Data Administrator

Built on an analysis of 43,079 real UK job descriptions · grounded in qualifications employers recognise

Start with a free Future Fluency check, tuned to Associate R&D Portfolio Analyst

Ten quick questions, one per Future Fluency, asked against this role rather than a generic one. About five minutes, and no card.

Start the check, free

We see you

You sometimes wonder if AI will make your role redundant, but you know the human touch in interpreting data is irreplaceable. The precision you bring to your work gives you a quiet confidence that machines can't replicate your judgement.

1What this role really is

This isn't just about spreadsheets; it's about making sure the right research projects get the right attention and resources. You'll be the backbone, making sure the data that drives big decisions is spot on. Honestly, it's where you learn the ropes of R&D investment.

2A day in the life

Not a job advert. A real day, built from what this role actually holds.

08:45

You start your day by checking the accuracy of updates in the portfolio management system, ensuring all project data is up-to-date.

11:00

You chase down project managers for their latest status reports and financial forecasts, a task that requires patience and persistence.

14:30

You draft a portfolio report, pulling together data from multiple sources into a clear, concise format for your manager's review.

16:15

You organise materials for an upcoming R&D gate review meeting, making sure every attendee has the necessary documents.

3What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

Microsoft ExcelIntermediate

Populating templates, basic calculations (sums, averages), sorting/filtering data, creating simple charts for reports. You'll use this a lot for data manipulation and quick analysis.

Planview (or similar PPM system like Clarity PPM)Intermediate

Updating project statuses, entering new project details, running pre-built reports, navigating the system to retrieve information. This will be your primary data hub.

Confluence / SharePoint / MS TeamsIntermediate

Creating and organising documentation pages, managing shared files, collaborating with team members, and using these platforms as the central source of truth for project information.

Microsoft PowerPointIntermediate

Formatting presentation slides, inserting charts and tables, ensuring consistency for gate meeting materials. You'll be helping to make sure our presentations look professional.

4What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

The choice	Coming in	Where you are now	The step above
Data Entry & Validation	Follows established data entry guidelines. Flags any inconsistencies or missing data to manager. Does not make assumptions or 'fix' data without approval.	Independently validates data against multiple sources. Proposes minor adjustments to data entry processes. Identifies and resolves common data discrepancies.	Defines and refines data validation rules and processes. Troubleshoots complex data integrity issues. Mentors junior analysts on best practices for data quality.
Report Generation & Distribution	Generates reports using pre-built templates. Distributes reports to pre-defined recipient lists after manager review. Flags any issues with report generation.	Adapts existing report templates for specific requests. Defines new recipient lists based on stakeholder needs. Identifies opportunities for report automation.	Designs new report formats and dashboards to meet evolving leadership needs. Establishes reporting standards and ensures consistency across the portfolio. Automates complex reporting workflows.
Process Improvement Suggestions	Identifies minor inefficiencies in daily tasks and suggests improvements to manager (e.g., 'Could we use a shared template for this?').	Proposes and implements small-scale process improvements within their area of responsibility, with manager approval. Documents new processes.	Leads initiatives to optimise significant R&D portfolio management processes. Assesses impact of changes and drives adoption across the team.

5How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, honestly: the hard targets, how often each one is actually looked at, and the quiet human signals that never make it onto a dashboard.

PPM Data Accuracy

How often the project data you enter or update in Planview (or similar system) matches the source information.

Target · 98% accuracy on all data entries

If you update 50 project fields in a week, only one can have an error. We'll pick 10 random entries and check them against the source document.

Gate Meeting Material Readiness

Ensuring all required documents and reports for R&D gate reviews are collected and formatted on time.

Target · All materials prepared 48 hours before each gate meeting

For a Tuesday gate meeting, all project summaries and financial updates need to be in the shared folder by end of day Friday, ready for review.

Assigned Report Generation Timeliness

Completing and distributing routine reports or data pulls by their agreed deadlines.

Target · 95% of assigned reports delivered on time

If the weekly project status report is due Monday morning, you'll have it ready. Missing it means project managers don't have the info they need.

Proactive Support & Initiative

Looking for ways to help the team without being asked, or spotting potential issues before they become problems.

You'll proactively offer to help with data collection for an upcoming report, or you'll flag an inconsistency in project naming conventions across different systems. Your manager will notice you're thinking a step ahead, not just waiting for instructions.

Learning & Application of Portfolio Concepts

How quickly you pick up on our R&D portfolio management methodologies and start applying them in your daily work.

You'll start using terms like 'Stage-Gate' or 'TRL' correctly in conversations, and you'll understand why certain data points are critical for rNPV calculations. You'll ask smart questions that show you're grasping the bigger picture, not just the task at hand.

Organisational & Documentation Quality

Keeping our shared files, documentation, and communication channels clear, consistent, and easy to navigate.

Your Confluence pages or SharePoint folders will be well-structured and up-to-date. When someone asks you for a document, you'll know exactly where it is. Other team members will find your notes and summaries helpful and easy to understand.

6Would you like it

The honest version. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy

Making a Real Impact Through Accuracy

You'll feel good knowing that the clean, accurate data you've prepared is directly informing multi-million-pound R&D investment decisions. It's not just data entry; it's the foundation of our future products.

Seeing a project you've meticulously tracked get approved at a gate review, knowing your accurate reporting helped leadership make that choice.

Learning & Growing in a Complex Field

You'll be constantly exposed to new scientific projects, portfolio management methodologies, and financial modelling concepts. If you love to learn and understand how things work, you'll thrive here.

Picking up the nuances of rNPV calculations or understanding why a certain TRL assessment is critical, then applying that knowledge in your daily tasks.

Supporting a High-Performing Team

You'll be an essential part of a small, focused team, directly enabling their success. You'll get satisfaction from knowing your support allows others to focus on higher-level analysis.

Your manager relying on you to ensure all gate meeting materials are ready, freeing them up to focus on strategic recommendations.

What frustrates people

Chasing project managers for overdue status updates (it's a constant battle, frankly).
Dealing with inconsistent or incomplete data inputs from various sources.
Spending time updating systems, only for priorities or data requirements to change shortly after.
Feeling like your work is 'behind the scenes' and not always directly visible to senior leadership.
The occasional 'urgent' request that throws off your carefully planned day.

What this role does not give you

Immediate strategic decision-making authority.
A role where you're building complex financial models from scratch (not yet, anyway).
A quiet, uninterrupted work environment (you'll be interacting a lot).
A job where every piece of your work goes directly into a final product or decision without modification.

7Who you work with

Your attention to detail ensures the data used for R&D investment decisions is reliable. This means leadership can make informed choices about which projects to 'go' or 'kill', ultimately affecting the efficiency of our research spend and the success of future products.

Inside the business

R&D Project Managers
Finance Business Partners (R&D)
R&D Portfolio Team
Research Scientists (for data collection)

8What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

A strong track record of accuracy and attention to detail, perhaps from a previous administrative, data entry, or support role.
Proven ability to learn new software systems quickly and effectively.
Excellent organisational skills, demonstrated by managing multiple tasks or responsibilities efficiently.
The ability to communicate clearly and professionally, both in writing and verbally.
A genuine interest in the R&D sector and how investment decisions are made.

9What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

Advanced Excel Modelling & Automation

While AI will handle some tasks, Excel remains a core tool for ad-hoc analysis and specific financial calculations. You'll need to move beyond basic functions to build more dynamic templates and potentially even automate some routine tasks within Excel.

Lookup Functions (VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP) · Pivot Tables & Charts · Basic Macros (VBA)

This month: Master Pivot Tables and Charts by creating weekly summaries of project costs or resource allocation.
Next quarter: Learn and apply XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP to link data from different spreadsheets for a report.
Month 3-6: Take an online course on advanced Excel functions, focusing on data manipulation and analysis.
Month 6-12: Build one small macro to automate a repetitive task you currently do manually in Excel, with manager guidance.

Quick win: Try to create a Pivot Table to summarise your weekly data collection efforts – it's a great way to visualise progress.

Basic Data Visualisation (Tableau/Power BI)

Moving beyond static Excel charts, you'll need to start understanding how to create interactive dashboards that allow users to explore data themselves. This is crucial for making portfolio health visible and understandable to leadership.

Dashboard Design Principles · Connecting to Data Sources · Basic Chart Types

This month: Explore existing dashboards in Tableau/Power BI within our organisation. Understand how they work.
Next quarter: Complete a free introductory course on Tableau Public or Power BI Desktop to learn the basics of the interface.
Month 3-6: Try to replicate one of our simpler internal reports as a basic dashboard in Tableau/Power BI using dummy data.
Month 6-12: Work with your manager to connect to a real (non-sensitive) data source and build a simple, internal dashboard for team use.

Quick win: Download Tableau Public or Power BI Desktop and try to visualise some publicly available data (e.g., government statistics) to get a feel for the tools.

10Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up

Online courses in advanced Excel or an introduction to data visualisation tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI).
Attending internal R&D project review meetings (as an observer) to understand the decision-making process.
Reading industry publications or blogs on R&D trends and portfolio management to broaden your understanding of the sector.
Seeking out opportunities to take on more complex data analysis tasks within the team, with guidance.

11How the AI economy is changing work like this

Before we ask anything of you, here's what we can already say about AI and work of this kind:

A broad read on this kind of work, not an analysis of this job on its own. Roles that share a pattern get the same answer here.

Fading: AI does more of this

AI is taking over the repetitive data entry and error-checking tasks, freeing you from the tedious busywork.

→

Rising: worth more because of AI

Your ability to interpret and refine AI-generated insights becomes more valuable, as it requires human judgement and context understanding.

The new skill this role is being asked for: AI-Assisted Data Validation & Cleaning

AI tools are getting incredibly good at spotting anomalies and inconsistencies in large datasets. This will shift your focus from manual error-checking to overseeing AI's work and handling the trickier exceptions. It's about being a data detective, not just a data entry clerk.

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

AI-Assisted Data Validation & Cleaning

AI tools are getting incredibly good at spotting anomalies and inconsistencies in large datasets. This will shift your focus from manual error-checking to overseeing AI's work and handling the trickier exceptions. It's about being a data detective, not just a data entry clerk.

Pattern Recognition in Data
Automated Data Profiling
Exception Handling

Basic Prompt Engineering for Summarisation

Large Language Models (LLMs) can summarise vast amounts of text quickly. You'll use this to get initial drafts of project summaries or meeting notes, saving you significant time. Your value will be in crafting the right prompt and then refining the AI's output, not writing from scratch.

Clear Instruction Giving
Context Provision
Output Refinement

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

Data Collection & Entry
Basic Financial Understanding
R&D Process Awareness
Reporting & Data Presentation

The pathway

How you actually get there, here

How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.

1
Administrative Assistant / Office Support
1-2 years
Skills to master
- Organisation, attention to detail, basic data entry, professional communication, managing multiple tasks.
You're ready to move on when
- You're the go-to person for complex spreadsheet tasks in your current role.
- You consistently spot errors that others miss.
- You've taken the initiative to improve a data-related process in your current job.
- You're eager to learn about the 'why' behind the numbers.
2
Project Coordinator / Project Support
1-2 years
Skills to master
- Project documentation, stakeholder communication (internal), timeline tracking, basic reporting, understanding project lifecycles.
You're ready to move on when
- You've managed the documentation for several projects from start to finish.
- You're adept at chasing project updates and keeping things on track.
- You enjoy bringing order to complex project information.
- You're curious about how project data feeds into bigger business decisions.
3
Recent Graduate (Numerate/Science/Business)
0-1 year (entry direct from university)
Skills to master
- Academic rigour, research skills, analytical thinking, structured problem-solving, willingness to apply theoretical knowledge to practical tasks.
You're ready to move on when
- You achieved strong results in a numerate or analytical degree.
- You've completed projects or dissertations involving data collection and analysis.
- You're highly organised and self-motivated in your studies.
- You're keen to start a career where you can learn about R&D strategy and investment.

12How people get here · where they go next

Came from

Project Coordinator / Project Support

1-2 years

You mastered bringing order to complex project information, which set the stage for handling detailed data management.

You are here

Associate R&D Portfolio Analyst

Entry Level (0-2 years)

This isn't just about spreadsheets; it's about making sure the right research projects get the right attention and resources. You'll be the backbone, making sure the data that drives big decisions is spot on. Honestly, it's where you learn the ropes of R&D investment.

Goes to

R&D Portfolio Analyst (Level 2)

2-3 years

This role involves owning data streams and conducting initial analysis independently, requiring a deeper understanding of portfolio optimisation.

The long view:Your journey starts here, at the heart of our R&D investment decisions. We're looking for someone keen to learn, meticulous with details, and ready to grow. If that sounds like you, we'd love to chat.

Pay & demand

Pay and demand for this role will appear here, each figure traced to a named authoritative source (e.g. the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, under the Open Government Licence). We don’t show numbers we can’t attribute.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how Associate R&D Portfolio Analyst is actually changing. In about two minutes, the free confidence check asks where you stand on each of the ten. That's the whole check, and it's what makes the plan yours rather than generic.

13The team that's yours

No two people are taught the same way. This is one-to-one, not one-to-many.

Zavmo is a hyper-personalised AI learning platform. Twelve virtual tutors, each with a different way of teaching, and one orchestration agent that picks the right one for the moment. So every single lesson is shaped around you, your role, and the way you learn. Not a course everyone sits through. A conversation built for you, and no one else.

The Navigator

Big-picture guide

Your Navigator helps you understand the broader landscape of R&D investment, guiding you on how your meticulous data work impacts strategic decisions.

The Coach

Real practice

Your Coach sets up scenarios using real project data, providing feedback on how you can improve your accuracy and efficiency in report generation.

The Explorer

Safe to try

Your Explorer encourages you to experiment with AI tools for data validation, allowing you to learn from mistakes in a safe environment.

…and nine more, matched to you after your first chat. Meet all twelve

Start free and meet yours

14What it feels like

A conversation, not a course

Because your tutor knows your role, your projects and your last session, learning sounds like this. And it's different for every single person:

Research SkillsLevel 2

Applied to your work in Associate R&D Portfolio Analyst

The objective of this unit is to enable learners to develop essential research skills. Learners will understand various research methods, learn how to plan and execute a research project, and gain the ability to report on and evaluate research findings effectively, considering validity, reliability, and ethical implications.

The NavigatorLast time we discussed how your data accuracy impacts the rNPV models. How did that go with your latest report?

YouI think it went well, but I'm still figuring out how to spot potential errors more quickly.

The NavigatorLet's focus on using conditional formatting in Excel to highlight anomalies in your data; it could speed up your error-checking process.

How the thinking builds

Remember
Understand
Apply
Analyse
Evaluate
Create

An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

One to one, not one to many

No two people run this the same way

A course is written once and handed to everyone. This is assembled around you, and keeps changing as it learns you. Five things it reads, and what each one changes.

Your actual work Every lesson is taught against a live piece of your own work, not a worked example from a textbook.
What you already know The first conversation finds your starting point, so you skip what you can already do and spend the time on what you cannot.
The conditions you learn under Not a learning-styles quiz. The evidence does not support those. The dimensions the research does back, read once and used to shape the plan.
How far you got last time It picks up mid-thought. The tutor knows what you said, what you struggled with, and what it asked you to try.
Which tutor suits the moment Twelve of them, each for a different kind of thinking. The one who walks you through a first idea is not the one who stress-tests it.

See how you learn, free. Eight questions, no sign-up. A directional taster; the diagnostic inside Zavmo goes deeper and keeps adapting.

DemonstrateIllustration

Evidenced on your work in Associate R&D Portfolio Analyst

You do not finish by watching something. You finish by showing it on the work you already do, against the measures this job is judged on.

PPM Data AccuracyHow often the project data you enter or update in Planview (or similar system) matches the source information.If you update 50 project fields in a week, only one can have an error. We'll pick 10 random entries and check them against the source document.98% accuracy on all data entries
Gate Meeting Material ReadinessEnsuring all required documents and reports for R&D gate reviews are collected and formatted on time.For a Tuesday gate meeting, all project summaries and financial updates need to be in the shared folder by end of day Friday, ready for review.All materials prepared 48 hours before each gate meeting
Assigned Report Generation TimelinessCompleting and distributing routine reports or data pulls by their agreed deadlines.If the weekly project status report is due Monday morning, you'll have it ready. Missing it means project managers don't have the info they need.95% of assigned reports delivered on time

These are this job's own measures, with its own targets. Nothing is marked evidenced, because nobody has started this yet. Yours would fill in from the work you bring.

The Navigator· your tutor

The NavigatorLast time we discussed how your data accuracy impacts the rNPV models. How did that go with your latest report?

YouI think it went well, but I'm still figuring out how to spot potential errors more quickly.

The NavigatorLet's focus on using conditional formatting in Excel to highlight anomalies in your data; it could speed up your error-checking process.

It knows your role, your work, your last session. That's what one-to-one really means. No two people are ever taught the same way.

Your passport

This isn't a certificate you file away. It's a passport to the life you're designing.

Every credit you earn and every fluency you build adds up: evidence where it counts, carried with you. Zavmo keeps the map: where you are, where you're heading, and the next step, at your pace, around your life. From Associate R&D Portfolio Analyst to R&D Portfolio Analyst (Level 2), and whatever you decide comes after.

Level 2 · in progressAI Fluency→ R&D Portfolio Analyst (Level 2)→ your design

A year from now

A year from now, you confidently manage data streams with a keen eye for detail, using AI as a tool to enhance your strategic insights.

See Your Progress GrowIllustration

Associate R&D Portfolio Analyst

Data Collection & Entry
Basic Financial Understanding
R&D Process Awareness
Reporting & Data Presentation

This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

15The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

Associate R&D Portfolio Analyst is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

R&D Portfolio Analyst (Level 2)
2-3 years in the Associate role
This is the natural next step, moving from supporting tasks to owning specific data streams and conducting initial analysis independently.
- Intermediate Financial Modelling: Populating and updating rNPV models, performing basic sensitivity analysis.
- Data Quality Ownership: Taking responsibility for the accuracy of specific data sets, not just individual entries.
- Basic Dashboard Creation: Building simple dashboards in Tableau/Power BI from existing data sources.
- Understanding of Portfolio Optimisation Concepts: Grasping the basics of how we balance risk and reward.

Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

Let's be real, a lot of the initial work in R&D portfolio management involves gathering, cleaning, and summarising data. That's where AI comes in. It's not here to replace you; it's here to take the boring, repetitive tasks off your plate, freeing you up to learn and grow faster.

Imagine spending less time manually updating spreadsheets and more time understanding *why* that data matters. For an Associate R&D Portfolio Analyst, AI tools can be a game-changer, helping you verify data, draft initial reports, and even get a head start on research, making your day-to-day more efficient and less tedious.

Automated Data Verification

Feed an AI agent your raw project updates and the data already in Planview. It'll quickly highlight inconsistencies or missing information, saving you hours of manual cross-referencing and making sure your data is spot on. Think of it as a super-fast, tireless proofreader for your numbers.

Initial Report Drafting Assistant

Instead of staring at a blank page, give an AI tool your collected project statuses and key metrics. It can generate a well-structured first draft of a weekly or monthly portfolio summary, saving you time on formatting and getting started. You'll then refine it, adding your insights.

Quick Research & Summaries

Need to quickly understand a new technology, a competitor's recent patent, or a specific market trend for a project? Use an AI research assistant to pull key information and summarise it for you. This helps you get up to speed faster when supporting the team's analysis.

Email & Communication Support

Drafting polite but firm follow-up emails to project managers for overdue data can be tricky. AI can help you craft clear, professional messages, ensuring you get the information you need without wasting time or causing friction.

Common questions

How do you become an Associate R&D Portfolio Analyst?

Common routes in include Administrative Assistant / Office Support (1-2 years), Project Coordinator / Project Support (1-2 years) and Recent Graduate (Numerate/Science/Business) (0-1 year (entry direct from university)). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can an Associate R&D Portfolio Analyst progress to?

This role can lead on to R&D Portfolio Analyst (Level 2) (2-3 years in the Associate role), depending on the skills you build.

What level is an Associate R&D Portfolio Analyst in the UK?

This role aligns to RQF Level 2 on the UK framework, a guide to the depth of qualification it maps to, not a hard entry bar.

What new skills matter most for an Associate R&D Portfolio Analyst?

Increasingly, AI-Assisted Data Validation & Cleaning and Basic Prompt Engineering for Summarisation. These are the areas where the higher-paid, future-proof work is heading.

The honest bit

You’ve started things before

Most of them were built for a room full of people who aren’t you. A cohort moves on whether or not your week allowed it, and by the third week the thing you’re behind on becomes the reason you stop opening it.

There’s no cohort here, and no timetable to fall behind. Before anything starts, Zavmo asks when you’re sharpest and how long you can realistically sit down for, then builds the sessions around those answers. A bad fortnight changes your pace. It doesn’t put you behind.

And you only pay once you start learning. Searching and planning are free, and you can cancel any time — so the cost of finding out is an afternoon, not a year.

What it costs

Less than one coaching session. Every month.

A single career-coaching hour costs more than a month of this, and it ends when the hour does. Zavmo doesn't. It's £70 a month, about £2.30 a day, for a companion that knows an Associate R&D Portfolio Analyst, works on the job you actually do, and keeps going at your pace rather than a timetable's.

Searching and planning stay free. You only pay when you start learning.
Your credits are yours. Regulated, and they don't vanish when a subscription ends.
Cancel any time and billing stops. No notice period, no minimum term.

Your path, personalised

You have the map. Walking it is the part we do together.

This route runs to 8 national skill standards. That is a real journey.

Zavmo shapes a learning experience as unique as you are. It fits how you learn, your pace and the work you already do. Every step stays benchmarked to recognised national standards. That’s the plan for becoming an Associate R&D Portfolio Analyst: personal to you, and it still counts. The first steps are free.

Independent research finds well-designed intelligent tutoring performs nearly as well as one-to-one human tutoring: VanLehn (2011), Educational Psychologist.

A private tutor in the UK averages £35–40 an hour . Zavmo is £70/month.

A Zavmo curriculum screen: a three-month plan of nine units, ninety credits, each one an Ofqual-regulated unit the learner can tick or untick before starting. — A real plan on learn.zavmo.ai: Ofqual-regulated units, credits, and a three-month run at your own pace.

Start free No commitment. See your first steps free.

16Where to go from here

Other roles at Level 2

Same depth of qualification, different job. Useful if the work appeals but this particular role does not.

Other roles in Research and Development

Stay in the field you know and move sideways rather than up.

If you leave this industry

The skills you'll gain here – data management, financial analysis, project governance, and strategic thinking – are highly transferable. You could move into broader business analysis, financial planning and analysis (FP&A), project management in other sectors, or even operations roles where optimising resource allocation is key.

Not sure this is the right direction?

Work out what you actually want from work first, then come back and see which roles fit it. Takes about ten minutes.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Build my plan, free Here's the first ten minutes: a 2-minute confidence check → your personalised roadmap → meet the tutors matched to you. No card, cancel any time. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.

Associate R&D Portfolio Analyst

What's rising in its place

AI-Assisted Data Validation & Cleaning

Basic Prompt Engineering for Summarisation

Skills this role draws on

Technical

How you actually get there, here

Administrative Assistant / Office Support

Project Coordinator / Project Support

Recent Graduate (Numerate/Science/Business)

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

Roles this leads to

No two people are taught the same way. This is one-to-one, not one-to-many.

A conversation, not a course

No two people run this the same way

This isn't a certificate you file away. It's a passport to the life you're designing.

A year from now, you confidently manage data streams with a keen eye for detail, using AI as a tool to enhance your strategic insights.

Everything else the record holds

The career path, and where it branches

R&D Portfolio Analyst (Level 2)

Where AI is starting to help

Automated Data Verification

Initial Report Drafting Assistant

Quick Research & Summaries

Email & Communication Support

Common questions

You’ve started things before

Less than one coaching session. Every month.

You have the map. Walking it is the part we do together.