Download a copy of the Job Description.
Contract type: Permanent
Hours: Full Time (37.5 hours per week)
Salary: £31,497-£34,872 per year (depending on experience)
Location: Whitehall, Greater London (Hybrid)
Line manager: Associate Director (Information Ecosystems)
Application deadline: Sunday 21st September, 23:59 GMT (UK)
Interviews:
First round (remote) – Friday 3rd October
Second round (in-person at our offices in Whitehall) – Friday 10th October
About Demos
Demos is a highly respected cross-party think tank with a unique approach to making policy to solve our long term problems. Building on nearly 30 years of creativity, ideas and impact, Demos is Britain’s leading cross-party think tank. We put people at the heart of policy-making to create bold ideas and a more collaborative democracy.
Demos’ dedicated digital research hub – Demos Digital – is a centre of excellence in digital policy and is home to the following core pillars of Demos’s work:
- Trustworthy Technology – working towards technological progress aligns with the needs and values of citizens
- Resilient information ecosystems – supporting robust and healthy democratic discourse and participation
Outside of Demos Digital, Demos’ work extends across three additional pillars:
- Public Service Reform – to liberate citizens and public servants and prevent problems
- Citizen Economy – where people, businesses, charities and government work together to achieve growth that works for people as well as profits
- Collaborative Democracy – in which politicians, experts and citizens partner to tackle the challenges facing our country
The new digital policy researcher will work on a range of projects primarily related to Demos Digital’s “trustworthy technology” and “Resilient information ecosystem” pillars. Some projects will be crosscutting, touching on other Demos pillars as well – for example, looking at the role of AI in the public sector (public service reform), or grappling with increasing wealth and power concentration to major tech controllers (citizens economy). Tech touches everything.
About the role
We are looking for a brilliant Researcher with demonstrable experience in tech policy to join our digital policy team. You will be passionate about social change, enthusiastic about Demos’ policy mission, and keen to be part of a collaborative and dynamic team.
The role will suit someone interested to:
- Support high-quality research (e.g. literature reviews, surveys, focus groups etc.) and develop policy ideas that can influence policy makers in Whitehall, Westminster and beyond.
- Writing reports, briefings and articles that communicate policy ideas clearly and to a wide audience.
- Be part of a welcoming, creative community of thinkers – both at Demos and among the many other organisations we work closely with.
The digital policy team works to articulate and advocate for an internet and digital technologies that protect and promote democracy. Our vision is a future in which people are placed at the heart of digital policy to ensure technology is built with and for people, not something done to them. We have unique insights and expertise across tech policy and its impact on our society, economy and democracy.
Our recent work has included research and policy looking at impacts of AI on Democracy, building public compute infrastructure for the UK, how we advance digital rights, how we build an AI openness strategy and the importance of open-source for driving the AI revolution.
We’ve also produced influential works on maintaining healthy information ecosystems investigating how we secure our information supply chains (and strengthen our epistemic security), the efficacy of Community Notes during the 2024 Southport riots, and the vulnerabilities to disinformation in local information ecosystems.
What you’ll be doing
- Using qualitative and quantitative methods to undertake original research to inform evidence-based policy recommendations.
- Supporting multiple projects simultaneously, and developing your project management skills.
- Drafting and designing high-quality research reports, blogs and other outputs for a range of audiences.
- Developing experience with policy development and understanding of the UK political environment.
- Contributing actively to the development of new project proposals and participating in fundraising meetings.
- Beginning to cultivate relationships with potential partners relevant to your interests and work
- Supporting with the design and delivery of Demos Digital events (e.g. roundtables, workshops, network events)
About you
The types of experience and skills we are looking for include the below. We welcome a range of applications which include at least some of these attributes.
Skills
- Good written and verbal communication skills:
- Ability to communicate ideas through blogs, briefings, newsletters and short articles
- Ability to contribute to the design and production of long form policy reports
- Ability to support the design and delivery of qualitative and quantitative research (e.g. interviews, focus groups, deliberative workshops, surveys etc.)
- Ability to analyse complex information to develop clear policy ideas and analysis
- Ability to manage your own time efficiently while contributing to multiple projects.
Knowledge & Interests
- An interest in how policymaking works at community, local, national or international level and in building relationships with influential figures and key decision-makers in tech policy
- We are especially interested in hearing from people with strong interest or subject area expertise in digital policy areas including but not limited to:
- AI and emerging tech governance
- AI democratisation / democratising AI governance
- Open-source governance and policy
- Societal impact of emerging technologies / systemic AI safety
- Epistemic Security / online mis/dis information
- Media literacy
Experience
- Demonstrable experience in a research or policy setting:
- Conducting primary research, including research design (discussion guides, surveys etc.) and moderation
- Conducting secondary research, including literature reviews and evidence reviews
- Building professional networks and collaborating with external partners
- Working with a dynamic team to deliver external outputs and impact
- Supporting fundraising efforts, including drafting grant applications and/or project proposals
Behaviours
- Highly collaborative in approach to working with colleagues and external partners
- A passion for the kind of politics we want to promote, coupled with an open mind and inclusive approach to working with people whose ideas and opinions differ
- Keen to learn take up opportunities for professional development
- Enthusiastic, with a can-do attitude and willingness to juggle priorities in a dynamic workplace
Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Justice (DIEJ) at Demos
At Demos, we recognise, celebrate and promote the positive contributions that are made by diverse groups. We exist to proactively tackle social and economic exclusion, and engaging with and promoting the voices of people whose voices may not otherwise be heard is core to our work. We believe that this should be reflected in our team and we strongly encourage applications from people from minority ethnic communities, people with disabilities, or others with lived experience of disadvantage.
We expect all members of our team to commit to Demos’ cross-party approach. This means we engage with all parties in the democratic system where it will further our charitable aims. Our mission to strengthen democracy and overcome division depends on building dialogue across political divides while upholding our values of diversity, inclusion, equity and justice.
We expect all members of our team to recognise and value differences and the unique contributions that people make to the way we conduct our work and develop our insights, and encourage people to bring their diverse perspectives and backgrounds into their work on a day-to-day basis. We would be happy to discuss flexible working requirements with any candidates.
What we offer
- Generous leave entitlement: 27 days + Bank holidays + 3 additional days off between Christmas and New Year
- Enhanced pension contribution: 6%
- Enhanced sick pay
- Enhanced parental leave
- A forward-thinking, supportive and collaborative team
At Demos we centre staff wellbeing as a key priority; we will make every effort to ensure staff feel happy, healthy and valued as part of our integral team.
Application and selection process
Applications close Sunday 18th September, 23:59 GMT (UK)
To apply, please provide the following through our application submission form.
- an anonymised CV (with any references to your name and personal details removed)
- answers to four screening questions (up to 250 words each) highlighting your interest and experience in tech policy, relevant skills and your reasons for applying to work with the Demos digital policy team
- a completed copy of our diversity monitoring form (optional)
Selection Process
The screening questions will be evaluated and graded anonymously to minimise bias in our screening process.
- First stage interviews will be 30 minutes long and conducted virtually over Zoom. They will take place on Friday October 3rd.
- Second stage interviews will be 50 minutes long and conducted in person at the Demos Office in Whitehall. They will take place on Friday October 10th.
Candidates shortlisted for second stage interviews will be asked to prepare a presentation proposing a research project, and to provide a non-academic writing sample (e.g. policy brief, blog post, or policy report style writing) that evidences their familiarity with a tech policy topic (e.g. online safety, AI governance, digital rights, etc.) and their ability to communicate an idea clearly to an audience.
Please do get in touch at [email protected] if you require any adjustments to be able to engage with our recruitment process.
Questions?
If you have any further questions or aren’t sure if the role is right for you, please feel free to reach out to us by emailing [email protected] and we would be happy to answer any queries.
We look forward to hearing from you!