We are hiring a Principal Researcher - 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. 

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 www.nesta.org.uk  

About A Fairer Start mission

We want every child to have the fairest possible start in life, so they can thrive and realise their potential.  Nesta’s A Fairer Start Mission is on a 10-year endeavour to ensure that from 2030 every child has the same chance of developing to their full potential in the early years.

We will work towards this goal by:

• supporting the development of a well-functioning ecosystem of effective parenting interventions

• designing, testing and scaling ways improve financial support for families

• identifying ways to improve the quality of early childhood education and care

• optimising the delivery of integrated family support

• advocating for a more impactful, sustained and efficient early years funding system.

As a Principal Researcher, you will: 

• Work alongside a talented team of 30 with an unusual blend of skills - ranging from data analytics and behavioural science to design and communications

• Play a key role in undertaking high-quality and innovative research to inform our approach to reducing early childhood inequalities, including helping to shape government policy

• Manage some projects, and on others, be the methodological lead for work involving complex quantitative analysis, especially those using causal inference, and/or cost-benefit analysis

• Make judgements on the trade-off between robustness and pace in our research activities, on a case-by-case basis 

• Supervise and mentor junior researchers/analysts and quality assure their work

• Support the development of the team’s subject and methodological expertise

• Disseminate research findings to relevant stakeholders, including government and other prominent organisations working on the early years 

• Contribute to the mission’s strategic thinking through your knowledge of the evidence base and analysis of existing datasets 

• Have opportunities to collaborate with and learn from other researchers in the team, as well as others with research, data science, behavioural science and design expertise across other teams at Nesta

• Model a caring, high challenge, high support culture in our team 

You will report to one of the members of the AFS Mission Leadership Team. This is a fixed term position based in London. 

Candidate criteria

Essential

We are looking for people who understand what we do, share our values and are keen to learn and develop their expertise. We are looking for candidates with the skills listed below. 

• Qualifications and experience: You have PhD or equivalent professional experience in a quantitative discipline - for example: economics, statistics, social and public policy (quantitative), or a related discipline. You have experience working with public-sector stakeholders or a demonstrable interest in public policy, and in doing research with practical implications. 

• Technical skills: You have expertise in a range of quantitative methods. Ideally, you are an expert in both non-experimental methods (e.g. theory and practice of regression analysis and quasi-experiments) and randomised-controlled trials. 

• Data analysis: You have a proficiency in at least one programming language (e.g. Python, R, Stata, Julia), and are willing to learn Python if this is not already the language you use. 

• Domain knowledge: You have experience working in early years, education, highly related public policy or a related sector

• Research management: You have practical experience of developing research proposals and analysis plans involving administrative and large-scale survey data and/or randomised-controlled trials.

• Project management: You have a track record of managing research projects, potentially involving multiple partners, and pushing them forward to completion. This includes managing timelines, staffing and project budgets. 

• Written communication: You have excellent written and oral communication skills, especially in communicating the value of technical concepts and analysis to non-technical audiences.

• Line management: You have a capacity and willingness to manage and develop junior colleagues (the current incumbent manages one direct report).

• Time management: You are able to manage and develop yourself at work; you demonstrate high levels of initiative, and take responsibility for your own workload and development. You have experience working in multidisciplinary teams

• Mindset: You have a collaborative and solution-focused approach to problem solving, and are willing to work flexibly on topics outside of your immediate expertise.

Desirable:

• Experience of line management

• Experience of multi-disciplinary working eg with designers or behavioural scientists

• Experience doing research in contexts with non-academic stakeholders

• Experience in designing, running and analysing surveys

• Experience using Git and GitHub (or equivalent) for version control

• Python proficiency or high proficiency in coding other languages with willingness to learn

• Experience conducting qualitative research and analysis, or designing mixed-methods evaluations

• Knowledge and previous use of administrative and survey data sources relevant to early childhood development 

• Experience collecting primary data on young children or other vulnerable populations 

What we offer

Salary: £58,500 - £72,800 per annum (offers are expected to be made at the bottom of the band) plus an array of benefits, including private medical insurance, dental insurance, the ability to buy and sell annual leave, eyecare vouchers and more  

Location: This role is based in London with a hybrid working arrangement; we expect all staff to work from our Blackfriars office at least two days a week. 

Term: Fixed term, 14 months

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. 

Start: Early January 2027 

Please note: We are looking to appoint one, and potentially two, Principal Researchers, for Nesta’s A Fairer Start mission team. Should we appoint a second Principal Researcher, the Job Description will be consistent with what is set out below, but with a greater focus on commissioning and overseeing evaluations. We will discuss this possibility with any finalists before making a second appointment.

Making an application

To apply for this role, please submit your application before 8:00am on Monday 5 October 2027. Please submit a CV and answer the question on Applied. 

We encourage smart use of AI to help you work efficiently. However, our application questions are your chance to highlight your unique skills and experience. AI-generated answers often sound generic and miss what makes you a great fit. Because we’ll dive deeper into your answers during the interview, we want to hear your authentic voice from the start. 

Successful candidates will be invited to do a technical task. Following this successful candidates will be invited to an interview, in person (though if a virtual interview is preferred by the applicant this will be accommodated). We would hope that the technical task will be completed the first half of the week commencing 12th October and interviews the subsequent week. 

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.