We are recruiting for an Interim Chief Programmes Officer! 

About Nesta

We are Nesta. The UK’s innovation agency for social good. We confront challenges that affect millions of people, from inequality and ill-health to the climate crisis. 

Working with diverse teams of data scientists, designers, behavioural scientists, practitioners, entrepreneurs and those with lived experience, we design, test and scale new solutions to society’s biggest problems. We partner with frontline organisations, build new businesses and work to change whole systems. Harnessing the rigour of science and the creativity of design, we work relentlessly to put new ideas to the test.

How will an Interim Chief Programmes Officer contribute to Nesta’s success? 

You will lead Nesta’s work to improve the quality of early years services, reduce inequalities in food environments and life expectancy, and help the UK achieve it’s climate change targets. You will manage ‘Mission Directors’ who each lead multi-disciplinary teams that bring together capabilities in design, data science, behavioural insights, and experimental research.

Your role 

As Chief Programmes Officer, you will ensure that the three innovation Missions - focused on a fairer start, a healthy life, a sustainable future - deliver measurable change for millions of people in the UK. 

You will be accountable for building partnerships, developing solutions, rigorously testing what works, and delivering impact at scale. You will be able to join up teams of practitioners, experts and strategists with specialists in innovation methods - including data scientists, researchers, and designers - to tackle some of society’s biggest challenges. 

Additionally, you will play a critical role on Nesta’s leadership team by working closely with the CEO, Chief Scientist, Chief Strategy Officer and other colleagues to help shape and deliver every part of Nesta’s strategy. 

The successful candidate will have experience in designing and testing solutions and supporting their adoption at scale. They will have direct experience building and working in large strategic partnerships, directing multi-disciplinary teams, making strategic business decisions as part of a senior management team, and managing significant resources and risks.

Your responsibilities

Leading Nesta’s Missions

• Oversee Nesta’s three Missions and provide strategic direction, supporting Mission Directors in designing programmes of work to achieve each Mission’s defined outcomes.

• Partner with the Executive team and Mission Directors to make full use of Nesta’s resources, influence and methods to ensure we produce work of the highest impact

• Partner with the Chief Strategy Officer and the Executive Team to surface key strategic trade-offs and make decisions on when to invest further or divest in specific programmes of work. 

• Partner with the Chief Strategy Officer to build shared clarity over Mission objectives and performance, and direct programme measurement to ensure we are achieving our objectives

• Partner with the Chief Scientist to bring the best of our methods to bear on the challenges we seek to tackle, and ensure exceptional programme quality

• Proactively manage each Mission’s Board of Trustees Sub-Committee

• Develop, coach and mentor colleagues and teams across the Missions

• Advocate an organisational culture of being impact-led, inquisitive, inclusive and incisiver, and model the behaviours and norms we’d like to see across Nesta. Act with transparency and integrity. 

• Contribute to the delivery of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion goals, particularly in relation to the Mission outcomes we focus on, and the culture we seek to foster.

Leading Nesta’s policy influencing and relationship-building

• Cultivate and manage relationships with senior stakeholders, co-funders and partners outside of the organisation and build effective networks. Lead efforts to secure multi-year partnerships in priority areas. 

• Work proactively with key opinion formers, the media, relevant government departments and other stakeholder organisations to influence, through evidence and research, the development of policy. This work will need to reflect a four nations’ perspective and, where appropriate, be in collaboration with partners and stakeholders to maximise impact. 

• Represent Nesta to external audiences, including practitioners across education, healthcare settings, local and national government stakeholders.

Person specification

• Experience in an executive role shaping strategic decisions over organisational impact, partnerships, funding, and staffing

• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute on strategic plans, managing change, measuring results, making data-driven decisions, and adapting as required

• Experience managing large scale, multi-year programmes, allocating resources where they will have the greatest impact

• Experience in a field related to at least two of the following fields: early years; health; climate change; economic policy.

• Ability to effectively manage Advisory Boards/Governance Committees, building strong relationships and leveraging advisors’ expertise and networks 

• Experience building trusted and effective relationships with delivery partners, academic institutions, corporations, and government actors

• Foundational understanding of at least two of Nesta’s innovation methods - design, data science, behavioural science, research and experimentation 

• Demonstrated ability to guide and motivate others; manage and resolve conflict; and foster a positive and inclusive working environment

Desirable

• Experience working with central and local government, effectively influencing policy and practice

What we offer

Salary: £96k-£121k plus array of benefits, including health cash plans, dental insurance, the ability to buy and sell annual leave, eyecare vouchers and more  

Location: This role is based in Blackfriars, Central London, but we offer flexibility for our people to work remotely 

Term: 12 month  Maternity cover

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: CEO

Making an application 

To apply for this role, please submit your application before 8:00am on the 20th of May 2021.

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.