Nesta is looking for a Senior Researcher/Project Manager to support the development of a new programme of work looking at collective intelligence design and digital social innovation. Specifically you will support the programme lead in undertaking analysis of the state of play and trends in the field of collective intelligence, interviewing stakeholders, designing events and developing case studies.
Nesta is a global innovation foundation. We back new ideas to tackle the big challenges of our time. Our mission is to spark and shape new ideas that improve how the world works for everyone. We use our knowledge, networks, funding and skills – working in partnership with others, including governments, businesses and charities. We are a UK charity but work all over the world, supported by a financial endowment.
The position
Digital platforms offer the potential to assemble people and knowledge as never before. Alongside this there have been rapid advances in Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning techniques that have enabled new ways of capturing, analysing and learning from large amounts of complex data. The aim of the new programme will be to link together the best projects and practitioners worldwide, help support the UK to be a global lead in this area and run practical projects which exemplify how this can be done well. As part of this the programme aims to work closely with organisations on the forefront of developing artificial intelligence but with a strong focus on social applications and benefits.
Key roles and responsibilities
The role of the Senior Researcher/Project Manager will be to project manage the development of the programme, you will interview key stakeholders – including funders, policy makers, academics and practitioners – working on collective intelligence. You will undertake desk based research, analysing the state of play in collective intelligence, and create insightful, compelling, actionable research outputs to an excellent written standard for a range of audiences and disseminate these widely to ensure maximum impact. Helping organise and run events and workshops and writing content for Nesta’s website are also key parts of this varied and interesting role.
Experience and skills
We don’t expect you to be an expert on collective or artificial intelligence but you will be a self starter who has worked in a fast-paced research or think tank environment who can quickly get up to speed on a new subject area. You’ll need proven qualitative and quantitative research skills and project management experience that includes designing, planning and delivering programmes of research or analysis. The ability to juggle light touch, short-term and larger in-depth pieces of research is essential and your excellent oral and written communications skills will allow you to present analytical and research material in an articulate and legible way for a range of audiences.