---
title: "Hire remote research analyst staff"
description: "Hire a dedicated remote research analyst who works your hours: scope, skills, tools, sample day, cost benchmarks and how we vet research analysts."
url: https://assistbpo.com/roles/research-analyst/
updated: 2026-09-20
publisher: AssistBPO (SS Support Network LLC)
language: en-US
---

# Hire remote research analyst staff

Hire a remote research analyst from AssistBPO and get a named analyst who turns your questions into structured, sourced answers. Market and competitor research, vendor comparisons, prospect and account profiles, pricing scans and literature summaries, delivered as briefs, tables and dashboards in your hours.

- Data & back office
- Employed staff of the group

[Hire a remote research analyst](https://assistbpo.com/get-a-staffing-plan/?persona=role&desk=data-back-office) [Book a 20-minute call](https://assistbpo.com/book-a-call/) The analyst is an employee of the group with a backup and a team lead.

In short

- One named analyst who learns your market, plus a backup and a team lead
- Briefs, comparison tables and dashboards with a named source on every figure
- Competitor, vendor, prospect and pricing research on a weekly request board

**Desk**
: [Data & back-office desk](https://assistbpo.com/services/desks/data-back-office/)

**Occupation code**
: 13-1161.00 Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists

**Works in**
: 8 platforms you already run

Updated September 2026 · Reviewed by [Issabela Masters](https://assistbpo.com/team/issabela-masters/)

## What does a remote research analyst do?

An AssistBPO research analyst works a standing brief of 10 duties, and anything on it can be added or dropped in the weekly review.

1. Take a research question, agree the scope and format, and deliver a brief with sources and a summary on top
2. Build competitor profiles: products, pricing, positioning, hiring signals and recent news, refreshed on a schedule
3. Run vendor and software comparisons with weighted criteria tables and a recommendation for your decision
4. Profile prospects and accounts for sales: firmographics, decision makers, triggers and talking points
5. Track pricing across competitor sites and marketplaces and report changes weekly
6. Summarize reports, regulations and long documents into one-page briefs with page references
7. Maintain a research database in Airtable or Notion so past work is searchable and reusable
8. Build simple dashboards in Sheets or Excel from public data and your own systems
9. Verify facts and statistics before they go into your decks, proposals or content
10. Send the end-of-day report: delivered, in progress, questions for you

## What skills and tools does a remote research analyst need?

The 8 skills below are the ones AssistBPO screens for, and the research analyst works them inside 8 platforms you already run.

- Search discipline: primary sources first, dates checked, nothing unsourced
- Structured note-taking and comparison table design
- Spreadsheet analysis: pivots, lookups, charts and clean formatting
- Reading regulations, filings and reports quickly and pulling what matters
- Writing summaries that lead with the answer
- Using AI tools to accelerate scanning while verifying every claim by hand
- Discretion with competitive and confidential material
- Asking the clarifying question before spending a day on the wrong thing

## Tools this role works in

- [Google Workspace](https://assistbpo.com/software/google-workspace/)
- [Microsoft 365](https://assistbpo.com/software/microsoft-365/)
- [Airtable](https://assistbpo.com/software/airtable/)
- [Notion](https://assistbpo.com/software/notion/)
- [HubSpot](https://assistbpo.com/software/hubspot/)
- [Zoho CRM](https://assistbpo.com/software/zoho-crm/)
- [ChatGPT](https://assistbpo.com/software/chatgpt/)
- [Slack](https://assistbpo.com/software/slack/)

[See all 80 tools we work in](https://assistbpo.com/software/)

## A sample day, in your time zone

1. 8:00 ET Review the request board, confirm scope on two new questions, post the start-of-day check-in
2. 8:30 Competitor refresh: pricing pages, changelogs and job posts for five competitors into the tracker
3. 10:00 Vendor comparison: score six payroll platforms against your nine criteria, draft the table
4. 12:30 Profile 15 target accounts for the sales team with decision makers and recent triggers
5. 14:00 Summarize the 60-page regulator consultation into a one-page brief with section references
6. 15:30 Fact-check the eight statistics in next week's webinar deck and replace two with sourced figures
7. 16:30 File the day's work in the research base with tags and sources
8. 16:45 End-of-day report: delivered, in progress, questions for you, tomorrow's plan

Times are illustrative. Your shift is fixed to your opening hours during onboarding.

## Hours and models

Models

- Dedicated analyst, 80 or 160 hours a month, in your hours
- Research pod: analyst with a data entry specialist and a lead for large scans and list builds
- Project: a market map, a vendor selection or a competitor teardown with agreed dates

Coverage

US Eastern to Pacific, UK and Australian Eastern shifts from the group's two offices. Research is asynchronous, so many clients run the analyst ahead of their morning and use the overlap for scoping calls.

## What are the terms for a remote research analyst?

The card, the contract terms and this role's own schedule and screening, in one place.

| Specification | What you get |
| --- | --- |
| Focus, 20 hours a week | $800 a month, 80 hours |
| Dedicated, 40 hours a week | $1,600 a month, 160 hours |
| Managed Pod, three seats or more | From $4,800 a month |
| Standard schedule | Dedicated analyst, 80 or 160 hours a month, in your hours |
| Coverage | US Eastern to Pacific, UK and Australian Eastern shifts from the group's two offices. |
| Screening | 5 gates, named candidate within 72 hours |
| Setup fee | None |
| Minimum term | Month to month, no lock-in |
| Notice | 30 days, to stop or to change hours |
| If the fit is wrong | Trained backup covers the desk the same day, re-match at no charge |
| Continuity | One named assistant, one named backup, one team lead |
| Who does the work | Employed by SS Support Network LLC, never freelancers or contractors |

These are rate-card starting points. What you pay depends on the hours, the desk and the coverage window, which is what the staffing plan sets. Rates improve as you add assistants. Your staffing plan states the rate for the number of seats you need. [The rate card](https://assistbpo.com/pricing/) carries the other currencies, the add-ons and the six things that move a plan off it.

## How much does it cost to hire a remote research analyst?

Plans start at $400 a month for 40 hours, at $10 an hour, and rates improve as you add assistants. Get a staffing plan within 1 business day.

### What moves the plan

1. Hours a week and whether the role is dedicated or shared
2. Seniority and the tools involved
3. Coverage zone: business hours, after-hours or 24/7
4. One person or a pod with a lead

### What the market publishes

Other providers' published ranges, by market, so you have something to hold this against. These are not AssistBPO prices.

| Market | Published range | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| United States | Freelance marketplaces such as Upwork show a median of about $13 an hour for virtual assistant work, and turnover of a freelance assistant is estimated to cost 2 to 3 months of salary in lost productivity | Zedtreeo, Catalyst and Nacho analyses, 2026 |
| United Kingdom | UK-based VA and PA rates £25 to £45 an hour; Society of Virtual Assistants surveys put freelancers at about £28 to £35; PayScale employed average £15.33 an hour | SVA surveys and PayScale UK, 2026 |
| Canada | Canada-based virtual assistants C$25 to C$60 an hour; managed offshore plans US$699 to US$899 a month | Virtual Gurus and VantaStaff published pricing, 2026 |

[Hire a remote research analyst](https://assistbpo.com/get-a-staffing-plan/?persona=role&desk=data-back-office) [How we build a plan](https://assistbpo.com/pricing/)

## How are remote research analysts vetted?

5 gates, in order. A candidate who fails one does not reach the next.

1. English and phone assessment
2. Typing and tool tests
3. Background check
4. NDA and security onboarding
5. Shadowing and QA scorecard

Candidates who clear all 5 gates are proposed to you by name within 72 hours.

1. Candidates write a one-page brief on a question we set, with sources, in 90 minutes, then defend it on a call. We are checking for writing that leads with the answer, honest handling of what could not be found, and the ability to explain a method to a non-specialist.
2. A timed spreadsheet exercise: clean a messy dataset, build a comparison table with weighted scores, and chart the result; then a verification task with five statistics, two of which are wrong or unsourced and must be caught. We also check how the candidate uses AI tools without trusting them.
3. Identity, address and employment verified, references from previous research, analyst or consulting roles, and a plagiarism check on submitted writing samples.
4. Signed NDA covering your strategy, deal pipeline and any confidential documents shared for research, access through your drives and CRM under your accounts, MFA, managed devices, and no research files stored outside your workspace.
5. The analyst shadows a senior, then works your request board with the team lead reviewing every brief for sourcing and structure before delivery for the first weeks. Monthly, the lead scores a sample on accuracy, sourcing, clarity, scope discipline and turnaround.

The full pipeline is on the [how we hire and manage assistants](https://assistbpo.com/how-we-hire/) page. Assistants are employees of the group, never freelancers, and you never co-employ them.

## Services this role delivers

- [Web research services](https://assistbpo.com/services/web-research/)
- [Research virtual assistant](https://assistbpo.com/services/research-assistant/)
- [Excel virtual assistant](https://assistbpo.com/services/spreadsheet-reporting/)
- [Competitor monitoring virtual assistant services](https://assistbpo.com/services/competitor-monitoring/)

## Frequently asked questions

### How much does it cost to hire a remote research analyst?

Plans depend on hours, desks and coverage. Get a staffing plan within 1 business day. For context, freelance marketplaces show a median of about $13 an hour for assistant-level work with high turnover cost (Zedtreeo and Nacho, 2026), UK freelance rates sit around £28 to £35 an hour in SVA surveys, and Canadian assistants list C$25 to C$60 an hour. A dedicated AssistBPO analyst is one person for a block of hours each month, so a large scan costs time on the board rather than a separate quote.

### Is it the same person every day?

Yes. One named analyst builds knowledge of your market, your competitors and the sources that matter in your industry, which is what makes the tenth brief better than the first. A backup is kept current on your research base and trackers so a refresh does not skip a week, and a team lead reviews the request board with you. Everything is filed in your workspace, so knowledge stays with you.

### What hours will the analyst work?

Your hours on US, UK, Canadian or Australian time, from the group's two offices. Because research is done heads-down, many clients run the analyst ahead of their morning so briefs requested at the end of one day are waiting at the start of the next, and use the live overlap for scoping calls and questions. Time-sensitive requests, such as a prospect profile before a 2pm call, are flagged on the board and handled in your hours.

### How are research analysts vetted?

A timed brief with sources and a call to defend it; a spreadsheet test covering data cleaning, weighted comparison tables and charts, plus a verification task with planted wrong statistics; a background check with references and a plagiarism screen; a signed NDA with access under your accounts; and a supervised first weeks period where the team lead reviews every brief before delivery. The monthly QA scorecard then tracks accuracy, sourcing and scope discipline.

### Is the analyst an employee or a contractor?

An employee of the group. AssistBPO is a division of SS Support Network LLC, and every analyst is on our payroll with a manager, paid leave and training. We never place freelancers or contractors, you never co-employ the person, and no agreement exists between you and the individual. You engage AssistBPO for a staffed research desk with a backup and a team lead included.

### Does the analyst use AI tools?

Yes, to scan faster, and never as a source. AI tools help find candidate documents, draft a first structure or summarize a long text for orientation, but every figure, quote and claim in a delivered brief is traced to a named primary source with a date. Anything that cannot be verified is marked as unverified or left out. You will never receive a statistic that was generated rather than found.

### Can the analyst do lead lists and prospect research?

Account profiles, decision-maker research, trigger events and talking points, yes, delivered into your CRM or a sheet. Large-volume list building and contact enrichment are usually better handled by a lead generation specialist working from the analyst's ideal customer criteria, so when you need both we staff a small pod under one lead. All contact data is gathered from lawful sources and handled under your consent rules.

### What formats will the research come in?

Whatever your team will use. Standard outputs are a one-page brief with the answer on top and sources below, a comparison table in Sheets or Excel, a slide summary for a leadership meeting, or an Airtable or Notion record for the research base. Recurring trackers, such as competitor pricing, come as a dashboard that updates on a schedule with a short note on what changed.

## Related roles

Sales & lead gen
### Lead generation specialist

Dedicated lead generation specialist - Research methods across search, directories, LinkedIn and company sites
- Data enrichment and verification tool fluency
- Spreadsheet skills: dedupe, lookups, formulas, clean imports

Works in Hire a remote lead generation specialist

[Lead generation specialist](https://assistbpo.com/roles/lead-generation-specialist/)

Data & back office
### Data entry specialist

Dedicated data entry specialist - Typing at 60 words a minute or better with near-perfect accuracy
- 10-key numeric entry for invoices and financial data
- Spreadsheet skills: formulas, lookups, validation, pivot tables

Works in Hire a remote data entry specialist

[Data entry specialist](https://assistbpo.com/roles/data-entry-specialist/)

Marketing & content
### Content writer

Dedicated writer - Clear, plain-English writing in US, UK, Canadian or Australian spelling as your market needs
- Research discipline: named sources, dates, no invented figures
- Interviewing subject-matter experts and turning notes into structure

Works in Hire a remote content writer

[Content writer](https://assistbpo.com/roles/content-writer/)

Hire this role

Tell us the hours and tools. A named research analyst is proposed within 72 hours.

[Hire a remote research analyst](https://assistbpo.com/get-a-staffing-plan/?persona=role&desk=data-back-office)[Book a 20-minute call](https://assistbpo.com/book-a-call/) Read before you hire

- [What to delegate first: the 60-task delegation audit](https://assistbpo.com/resources/what-to-delegate-first-the-60-task-delegation-audit/)
- [How to hire a virtual assistant: a 10-step guide for small businesses](https://assistbpo.com/resources/how-to-hire-a-virtual-assistant-a-10-step-guide-for-small-businesses/)
- [All guides](https://assistbpo.com/resources/)

Not a job listing

This page describes the role we deliver to clients. Looking to work with us? See [careers](https://assistbpo.com/careers/).

Next step

## Your desk, staffed. Wherever you are.

Tell us what is overloaded. A named person replies within 1 business day with a staffing plan, and we propose your assistant within 72 hours.

[Hire a remote research analyst](https://assistbpo.com/get-a-staffing-plan/?persona=role&desk=data-back-office) [Book a 20-minute call](https://assistbpo.com/book-a-call/) Or call [+1-657-777-0006](tel:+16577770006) during US, UK or Australian business hours, or [hear our demo receptionist](https://assistbpo.com/demo-line/).

- A named assistant proposed within 72 hours
- Employed, screened and managed staff, never freelancers
- Your hours, your tools, your data

---

Source: https://assistbpo.com/roles/research-analyst/ · Contact: https://assistbpo.com/contact/ · Full site map for agents: https://assistbpo.com/llms.txt