Project Description

The aim of the project is to derive evidence-based insights on the businesses we support, and the sectors that they occupy. The intention is to expand the Catapult’s understanding of how its various activities affect the businesses it supports, as well as the business and sectoral context where the businesses we engage with operate.

Project tasks:

1) Use basic statistics and data analysis, our internal databases on the businesses we engage, and our internal space-sector database (UK Space Capabilities Catalogue), to generate findings on:

a.  Sectoral Trends: Identify space sector trends, identify which sub-sectors we most engage with, and the characteristics such sectors have in common.

b. Business-level trends: Investigate what are the biggest predictors of growth for businesses; identify patterns in the data, relating to the characteristics of the space sector and businesses we support (age, size, investment maturity etc.). Assess what is the link between specific business outcomes, such as company turnover and Catapult support activities.

c. Identify new useful data items and work with the team to establish data collection processes on these variables.

2) Time permitting, draft the architecture for a system to run the analysis above periodically: through Excel, Power BI, Python, R, etc., depending on expertise and the practicality of the exercise.

Who we are looking for:

• Studying an undergraduate (2:1 minimum) or postgraduate degree in politics or international relations

• A demonstrable interest in the space sector, in particular cross-government collaboration

• An interest in learning more about the global space sector

• Comprehension of basic engineering principles and approaches

Skills and Experience required:

• Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Package (MS Office Word, Excel, etc.)

• Good command of English, both oral and written

• Must have the ability and confidence to effectively communicate with individuals with a range of backgrounds and positions in organisations

• Strong analysis and problem-solving skills

• Able to think independently to complete a given task

• Research experience desirable

Process details:

8 weeks minimum fixed term contract to be agreed with successful candidate. In-person Induction Event to be held on 19 June 2023, and an in-person/hybrid Showcase Event to be held at the 2023 UK Space Conference in Belfast between 21 November to 23 November.

5 days holiday to be taken during the placement

How we work:

We strive to create a high trust environment that enables team members to bring their whole selves to work – this helps to create the foundations of an innovation culture. Our shared values are critical to this:

• We care - for our people, our partners, and our planet

• We connect - and engage with people and ideas

• We learn - and grow, as people and as an industry

Underpinning this is our belief in great teams, our combined efforts will always deliver outcomes beyond that of any individual providing we are honest through debate, experiment and reflect, and create shared resolutions in support of our purpose. Live these values, work to our principles, take ownership to deliver, and we are certain you will thrive with us.

This job description set outs the skills and experience we believe are needed to be able to do this job but, research also tells us women are much more likely than men to take this list of requirements as absolute and self-select out of the process. If you think you can deliver this role then we want to hear from you, regardless of the boxes you didn’t tick.