ABOUT QUANTUM
Quantum is a specialised human & culture driven strategy consulting firm with 9 offices spread across 7 countries in Asia & UK. Proudly independent and privately held, we partner with companies across the globe to solve complex business, category and brand challenges through a deep understanding of people, culture and context.
We are a collective of strategists, anthropologists, semioticians, historians, behavioural economists, entrepreneurs, designers, and more. Our shared values & purpose influence the work that we do, with the aim of putting humans at the centre of business decision making.
Our thinking is informed by the human sciences, and combines rigorous analysis with strategic frameworks to help clients identify future opportunities, build meaningful brands, define purpose, and design new products and services.
We are proud of the culture we’ve built — curious, collaborative and intellectually generous. Many of our colleagues have grown with us over a decade or more, reflecting our commitment to learning, craft and long-term development.
ABOUT THE ROLE
As an Associate in the Quantum APAC team you will be delivering strategic research and analysis, and working with our project leads to arrive at implications and produce engaging reports. You will also play a client-facing role, regularly interacting with clients on project management and presenting project outputs. This role is for someone who has around 2-3 years’ experience.
You will work across sectors such as CPG, FMCG, F&B, financial services and technology. Your work will span consumer insight generation, cultural analysis, semiotics, trend work, storytelling, brand purpose, strategic consulting and futuring.
Our project sizes vary, but you will typically be working within a small-medium sized team. Often the work spans across APAC and draws on multiple methods, requiring collaboration with domain experts & other Quantum offices. We also ensure that our Associates get regular training to build a diverse range of skills and competencies.
As a member of APAC team you will also collaborate with the wider team to help achieve our growth ambitions. This means playing a supporting role on proposal writing and taking part in other marketing activities (e.g. writing articles.) We also encourage our associates to contribute to how we build our team culture and to pursue their professional passions, whether this is in a particular topic, sector, or methodology.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
- Deliver strategic research and analysis in partnership with project leads
- Plan, organise and participate in qualitative fieldwork such as ethnographic immersions, Journal studies, in-depth interviews and cultural observations across APAC
- Embed yourself in social and cultural contexts to develop a nuanced, grounded understanding of people’s lives
- Analyse written, visual and behavioural data with rigour, identifying patterns, tensions and unspoken cultural norms
- Translate insights into clear, compelling stories, frameworks and implications for clients
- Support proposal development and help translate client conversations into structured project approaches (under senior guidance)
- Contribute to final deliverables such as presentations, reports and workshops
- Play an active role in team collaboration and knowledge-sharing across the wider Quantum network
WHO YOU ARE
You are someone who combines curiosity with discipline, and imagination with rigour. You likely recognise yourself in many of the following:
- Sharp-eyed and observant, with the ability to notice behaviours, details and cultural cues that others may miss
- Comfortable embedding yourself in social groups and unfamiliar settings to gain deeper cultural perspective
- Analytical and methodical in how you read, interpret and synthesise written, visual and behavioural data
- Deeply curious about people, culture, brands and business
- Resourceful in seeking out information and motivated by solving complex, ambiguous problems
- Organised and dependable when managing fieldwork, workshops and multiple moving parts
- A strong team player who integrates easily into both local teams and the wider Quantum network
- Proactive and entrepreneurial in how you approach your work
- Keen to be trained in semiotics, ethnography, qualitative research techniques and innovation frameworks
- Able to express ideas clearly and persuasively, verbally and in writing, in English
EDUCATION BACKGROUND & REQUIREMENTS
- It would be great if you have a Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in a liberal arts, social sciences, psychology, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, design management, with a strong inclination to understand culture & brands
- That said, we value thinking ability over labels. Some of our most brilliant colleagues have backgrounds in chemistry, engineering, journalism and even the history of art. So if you don’t have an educational background that matches the above, but making sense of people, culture, brands and business excites you…write in!
- Have the ability to express exceptionally well, verbally and in writing, in English
- Based in the APAC region; preference for Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam
- This is a full-time remote position, reporting into seniors based across Singapore and Indonesia
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM US…
- Exposure to Fortune 500 companies and leading CPG/FMCG Brands
- Collaborative, cross-office ways of working with experienced strategists and researchers
- Structured learning through project work, training rotations and regular inspiration sessions
- Opportunities to work across markets, cultures and categories
- A collaborative, respectful, intellectually stimulating work environment
- 21 days of annual leave, in addition to 15 days of public holidays
- Sick Leave in accordance with local laws
- Robust appraisal, feedback and reward systems
- Periodic cross-group away days and team-bonding sessions
THIS ROLE IS NOT FOR YOU IF…
- You are looking for a purely operational or execution-only role
- You prefer highly structured, step-by-step work with little ambiguity or exploration
- You are uncomfortable with uncertainty, frequent changes, or evolving project scopes
- You are not yet comfortable articulating your thinking clearly in writing or in discussions, engaging directly with consumers or clients
- You are seeking a role with minimal writing, analysis or synthesis
HOW TO APPLY
If this roles excites you, please share:
- Your CV
- A short cover letter outlining your interest in Quantum and this role
Applications can be sent to namrata.zatakia@quantumcs.com with the subject line ‘Associate: APAC (Your name)’
