Assistant Programme Manager – Innovation Programmes
£30-40k pa + excellent benefits
Fixed-term contract until March 2021
Blackfriars, Central London

Are you a collaborative, organised and proactive individual with impressive interpersonal skills and first-class attention to detail?  Are you looking for an exciting and highly rewarding new challenge? If so, Nesta is looking for an Assistant Programme Manager to join our dynamic Innovation Programmes team, where you will support the development and delivery of a new innovation fund focused on upskilling and retraining adults in light of a changing labour market.

About Nesta and Innovation Programmes

Nesta is an innovation foundation. For us, innovation means turning bold ideas into reality and changing lives for the better. We use our expertise, skills and funding in areas where there are big challenges facing society. Nesta is based in the UK and supported by a financial endowment.  We work with partners around the globe to bring bold ideas to life to change the world for good.

Innovation Programmes focuses on running practical experiments and grant programmes that accelerate and learn from innovation. Nesta’s activities are based around five thematic areas: Government Innovation, Innovation Policy, Education, Health and Creative Economy and Culture, and this role will help deliver on our Education mission: supporting bold ideas to equip learners with the skills and knowledge to thrive in the future.

About this exciting opportunity

Our successful candidate will work closely with internal and external stakeholders to ensure the effective design and delivery of the innovation fund and help set up appropriate processes for assessing applications and run effective communications. You will also coordinate grant making, including monitoring of milestones, evaluation and finance to keep track of project budgets and deadlines, plus:

• Work effectively with diverse Nesta departments, including financial, legal and communications
• Answer day-to-day enquiries about the fund with applicants, and later build close relationships with a small portfolio of award winners
• Support the management of internal and external events relating to the innovation fund, including workshops, judging meetings, outreach events, launch events and roundtables
• Undertaking desk-based research to scope the best ideas, fields of interest, and existing evidence base

What we are looking for

You will have strong organisational, prioritisation and time management capabilities, including the ability to coordinate and track multiple projects simultaneously, plus possess proven experience of working to tight deadlines, delivering high quality outputs on multiple projects and tasks.

Excellent interpersonal, relationship-building and communication skills, both verbal and written, are vital, as are the ability to manage social media and the aptitude to learn about new fields and sectors.

Nesta is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion – we welcome and encourage applications from everyone.

Closing date: 22 July 2019 at 8am. First interviews will be held on 30 July 2019. Second interviews will be held on 6 August 2019.