We are recruiting for an Analyst (A Fairer Start)

About Nesta

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. 

Whatever it takes

Everyone works at Nesta because we are driven by a deep commitment to our missions. A guiding principle of our culture is that we do whatever it takes to achieve them, bringing our best to all our work. We are seeking an Analyst with this mindset to work in Nesta’s A Fairer Start mission.

How will an Analyst contribute to Nesta’s success? 

The following list sets out the core tasks expected of Analysts. We don’t expect you to be an expert at everything, but we want you to come to Nesta with a growth mindset where you are ready to experiment and learn. Most of your time will be spent supporting the delivery of mission projects, applying your skills to help us make progress on our key strategic focus areas. 

The role 

As an Analyst at Nesta you will:

• Support projects that advance the fairer start mission, ranging from research and analysis to stakeholder management and policy influencing;

• Help deliver work from design to completion in collaboration with technical colleagues, domain experts and practitioners from other disciplines;

• Plan and manage your own tasks and workstreams, and contribute to those led by others

• Communicate outputs of your work to a wide range of internal and external audiences

• Contribute to an inclusive, collaborative and stretching team environment

Tasks may include

• Reviewing existing research  - critically appraising and summarising evidence on a given problem. You should be able to interpret common research statistics and critique research designs. 

• Conducting primary research - either quantitative, qualitative or design/user research. You are willing to learn more advanced methods as needed.

• Communication - disseminate the team’s work externally, which may include producing reports and slide decks for partners, writing blogs, public speaking, stakeholder engagement, and developing other creative ways to communicate ideas to different audiences.

• Workstream and project management - you can manage your tasks within projects from start to finish, have experience with project management tools or are willing to learn to use them, can identify and proactively communicate project risks, and can work as part of a multidisciplinary team

• Stakeholder management - you can work closely with internal and external stakeholders in project delivery, provide clear updates on project progress and actively contribute within meetings. 

• Domain knowledge - get to grips with new areas, topics and contexts that the range and variety of your projects take place in. You will need to quickly build contextual competence in unfamiliar topics (e.g. learn what key jargon means, be credible in conversations with stakeholders, understand what is measured and what is important).

The person

Essential: 

• Project management skills: you can plan work and execute against that plan; identify risks and issues, raising these appropriately within the team.

• Research skills: experience applying one or more of the following disciplines: behavioural science; user or qualitative research; experimental or quasi-experimental evaluation; quantitative analysis; and/or data science

• Strategic thinking: a track record and demonstrated ability to navigate complexity and uncertainty in a structured and logical way, optimising for impact across multiple options and/or within constrained resources

• Communication and presentation skills: you can communicate clearly and effectively in a range of internal and exteranl settings, including presentations, slide decks, research reports and blog posts. You are confident in explaining complex ideas in simple terms, ask thoughtful questions to build understanding and alignment, and contribute constructively in group settings. 

• Domain knowledge: some knowledge or experience in the practice, policy or research context of the Fairer Start mission. This might include through previous work, research, study, or personal experience working in the early years and/or education sectors.

Desirable

• A Bachelor’s or Masters qualification

• Experience of working as part of a research team and/or in multi-disciplinary teams, making use of mixed research or innovation methods.

• Experience of working in a policy context for a consultancy, think tank or other fast-paced environment. 

• Expertise in the practice or policy related to child development and/or early childhood interventions over the last two decades in the UK.

What we offer

Salary: £37,400 plus an array of benefits, including private medical insurance, dental insurance, the ability to buy and sell annual leave, eye care vouchers and more  

Location: This role is based in London, with a hybrid working arrangement and a minimum of two days in the office

Term: Permanent

Hours: 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. 

Reports to: Mission Manager, A Fairer Start

Making an application

To apply for this role, please submit your application before 8:00am on the 26th January 2026.

Interviews will take place w/c 16th February 2026.

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.