The Nuffield Council on Bioethics (NCOB) is hiring a Horizon Scanning Coordinator to support in its ambition to better anticipate emerging trends in biomedicine and health. They will assist in the evolution and enhancement of NCOB’s current horizon scanning (HS) and foresight activities. Supporting in the synthesis of evidence as well as the design and coordination of workshops, roundtables and lunch clubs. 

The role

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics has a strong track record of anticipating developments at the intersection of scientific development and societal challenge. Within our new five-year strategy, we have committed to evolving our methodologies so to enhance our capabilities. This will ensure our work is relevant, timely and influential. Building upon what we have achieved so far, the Horizon Scanning Coordinator will work to embed our new approach to HS and foresight, ensuring that we reach an even broader range of stakeholders and fully socialise futures thinking across our organisation.   

The Horizon Scanning Coordinator’s efforts to gather both desktop-based and stakeholder insights will facilitate the NCOB’s ability to identify emerging ethical challenges in the developments in biomedicine and health. This will help the NCOB to prioritise topics for its projects and inquiries.  

Engagement will be central to the role. Connecting people and organisations from a variety of disciplines and sectors, in both the UK and internationally, will help us look ahead and be aware of external developments, opportunities and potential risks. Our findings and outputs will both inform our own work and strategic priorities and help shape the thinking of others, such as professional bodies, research funders and policy makers.  

The role is likely to include:   

• Organising events to gather qualitative insights from our stakeholders and experts.  

• Engaging with organisations that fund, research or influence developments in biomedicine, health and ethics in the UK and internationally. 

• Convening diverse expert and non-expert audiences to gain insights on topics of public interest.  

• Leading on the quantitative desktop-based research required for curating an annual longlist of topics. 

• Using HS or futures techniques to interrogate specific areas of interest. 

• Assisting in the annual production and publication of the NCOB’s HS infographic. 

• Drafting blogs and comment pieces that summarise what we have learnt and what the NCOB thinks / advises be done. 

• Supporting the future-focused elements of Council projects and initiatives.   

About you 

You are looking for an opportunity to join a new team within an impact-focused and highly reputable organisation. You are either early in your career as a researcher or have transferrable skills and are seeking to change profession. You do not necessarily have an in-depth knowledge of HS or foresight methodologies, though this would be a considerable advantage. More importantly, you understand the importance of engagement and have excellent communications and evidence-synthesis skills. You have excellent writing skills and think creatively about engaging about communicating with a range of audiences.  

You enjoy small team environments and develop good working relationships. You have strong research and analysis skills, and a flare for coordinating events (for example, workshops, roundtables or lunch clubs). You have an interest in bioethical issues.  

You want to work for a dynamic, outward-looking organisation that enables you to make a real difference in the world. You have confidence in your abilities, feeling able to work alone and as part of a team. You are able to work collaboratively and always carry out your work to the highest standards.  

For further information about the role, please download the full job description (PDF).

About us 

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics is a leading independent policy and research centre, and the foremost bioethics body in the UK. We are on a mission to embed ethics in decisions regarding biomedicine and heath so that we all benefit. 

For over thirty years we have tackled some of the most complex and controversial bioethical issues facing society. We are funded jointly by the Nuffield Foundation, Wellcome and the Medical Research Council.  

We aim to inform policy and public debate through timely consideration of the ethical questions raised by biological and medical research so that the benefits to society are realised in a way that is consistent with public values. Our work has led to shifts in public understanding and policy change on topics ranging from assisted reproduction and genome editing to managing the disagreements that arise in the care of critically ill children. 

Central to our reputation and standing is our independence – we do not represent any  particular group or view and we select our own topics, methodologies and outputs.   We select topics to examine through our HS programme and use a variety of approaches to identify, consider and resolve the ethical issues they raise. Our approach is multidisciplinary and deliberative. We draw on a wide range of expertise and experience and use the best available evidence. We collaborate where our expertise complements those of other organisations (e.g. see our current collaboration on Genomics and AI Futures with the Ada Lovelace Institute).   

We engage with a wide range of different voices and views and are committed to increasing the diversity of the people we work with. As part of the Nuffield Foundation, we are a small team with the practical support of an established organisation that cares for its employees. 

Find out more at: www.nuffieldbioethics.org   

Further information and how to apply 

The closing date for applications is 09:30am (BST) on Tuesday 7th May 2024, with interviews scheduled to take place on Wednesday 22nd May 2024.

You will be required to complete some questions as part of this application process, and you are also required to upload an up-to-date copy of your CV. The Applied platform lets you save an application and resume it ahead of submitting before the application deadline. 

Should you need to make an application in a different format or require any adjustments as part of the application process, please get in touch with us: recruitment@nuffieldfoundation.org 

We are committed to inclusive working practices and during the application process we commit to:  

• As a Disability Confident employer, we will offer a guaranteed first stage interview for disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria for the role.  

• making any reasonable adjustments – for example providing documents in different formats, arranging for a sign language interpreter for interviews etc  

• paying for travel costs (and any childcare or care costs) for interviews where in-person attendance is required  

Our benefits package includes:  

• Consideration of requests for part time and/or flexible working (eg compressed hours arrangements, job sharing etc)  

• 28 days holiday per annum and all public holidays (with the option to buy or sell up to 5 days).  

• A salary exchange pension scheme that offers employer contributions of up to 11%.  

• Life assurance scheme.  

• Family leave policies that provide an enhanced level of pay.  

• Cycle to work scheme and loans towards season tickets.  

• Frequent opportunities for learning and development (including options for coaching and mentoring, and reading weeks) 

• Support with your physical, mental and financial wellbeing including an employee assistance provider, a private GP service, personal health reviews with Bupa, a will and funeral planning service and a staff network of trained Mental Health First Aiders. 

• Staff peer groups and social networks.