We are Nesta, the UK’s innovation agency for social good. We design, test and scale solutions to society’s biggest problems. Our three missions are to give every child a fair start, help people live healthy lives, and create a sustainable future where the economy works for both people and the planet.
For over 20 years, we have worked to support, encourage and inspire innovation. We work in three roles: as an innovation partner working with frontline organisations to design and test new solutions, as a venture builder supporting new and early stage businesses, and as a system shaper creating the conditions for innovation.
Harnessing the rigour of science and the creativity of design, we work relentlessly to change millions of lives for the better.
Find out more at nesta.org.uk
About the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre
Nesta is leading a large consortium of university and industry partners to deliver a major research centre on the Creative Industries for the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). Our consortium connects leading thinkers, across multiple academic disciplines, with expertise that spans the breadth of challenges facing the UK’s creative industries, and leverages long-standing relationships with government and industry. The Centre has the ambitious objective to use academic research in a timely and agile way to address the biggest policy challenges facing the UK’s creative industries.
The role
We are recruiting for a Research Centre Manager to oversee the day to day operations and ensure robust and timely implementation of its business processes in The Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) and ensure that the PEC delivers against its ambitious targets.
Key roles and responsibilities
How will a Research Centre Manager (PEC) contribute to Nesta’s success?
The Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre is looking for an outstanding Research Centre Manager to oversee its day to day operations and ensure robust and timely implementation of its business processes (including its financial management). This is a senior role: the successful candidate will work closely with the Centre Director and other members of the PEC’s senior management team to ensure that the PEC delivers against its ambitious targets.
The role
- To work with the Director and PEC team to manage and monitor key PEC business processes and shared team resources (e.g. trello; financial, legal, human resource management).
- To work with the PEC’s Partnerships Manager to ensure the PEC’s Centre Director and Management Board have the management information they need, in particular on delivery against scheduled outputs.
- To ensure the successful integration of PEC processes with Nesta-wide processes and systems (e.g. Salesforce).
- To work with the Director to manage budget, and liaise with Nesta finance to ensure that budgeting and forecasting information is provided when needed.
- Oversee the collation and reporting of key KPI and impact evaluation data to our key stakeholders.
- To co-ordinate and oversee key governance processes, including the servicing of Management and Advisory Board meetings.
- To support the Director and Partnership Manager in the stewardship and servicing of key external relationships.
- To line manage the PEC’s Finance and Administration Manager.
- To work with colleagues in PEC team, Partnerships department and across Nesta to represent Nesta’s offer to external audience and build strong partnerships that will deliver Nesta’s strategy
Experience and skills
Essential
- Strong focus on delivery and eye for detail, and ability to manage multiple processes simultaneously to deadline.
- Experience managing a programme or portfolio of interconnected projects with subcontracted partners and consultancy services.
- Highly organised with proven track record of project and programme management.
- Excellent people skills and the relevant experience of working with stakeholders at all levels internally and externally in a research or policy environment.
- Ability to think strategically as well as attention to detail that ensures high quality of work.
- Experience setting and keeping to a large budget, and familiarity with a range of financial tools such as PowerBI and Adaptive Insights.
- Excellent writing and presentation skills.
- Qualifications or demonstrated experience in using project management frameworks.
- Interest in, and ability to build personal knowledge and expertise about the PEC at Nesta.
Desirable
- An interest or experience in the cultural and creative industries, and policy influencing.
- Experience in providing management support and strategic guidance in a complex, fast-moving environment.
- Experience in managing operations in a new or young team or start up
Other useful information
At Nesta, we believe that a diverse workforce leads to an organisation that is more innovative, more creative and gets better results.
We want our workforce to represent the diversity of the people and communities we serve. We also want our workplace to be one where different experiences, expertise and perspectives are valued, and where everyone is encouraged to grow and develop.
This means that when we are recruiting, we actively seek to reach a diverse pool of candidates. It also means that we are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that potential employees may need to in order to be successful.
We recognise the importance of a good balance between work and home life, so we do everything we can to accommodate flexible working, including working from home, compressed or part-time hours, job shares and other arrangements.
Please just let us know in your application or at any stage throughout the process (and beyond) if these are options you’d like to explore.
Salary: circa £61k, plus an array of benefits, including health cash plans, dental insurance, the ability to buy and sell annual leave, eyecare vouchers and more. This role is based in Blackfriars, Central London, but we offer flexibility for our people to work remotely. This is a full-time role but we offer a range of flexible working arrangements and encourage our people to take advantage of them. Many do.