We are recruiting for a Senior Lead, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

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 where the economy works for both people and the planet.

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 nesta.org.uk.

How will a Senior Lead: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion contribute to Nesta’s success?

The Chief Executive’s Office is looking for a Senior Lead to advance and deliver Nesta's equity, diversity & inclusion (ED&I) strategy.

This 9-goal strategy reflects not only who we are and the values we embody, but how we use our resources to improve the circumstances of people from disadvantaged backgrounds. The goals encompass pay, recruitment, culture, supplier diversity, mission impact, venture-building and communications.

Over the past three years, we have made meaningful progress advancing this strategy. Our approach aims to be grounded in evidence, accountability and compassion; we begin with analysis, set ambitious but credible commitments, collaborate with colleagues across the organisation to drive change, and create mechanisms to hold ourselves to account.

We are looking for a passionate, pragmatic and proactive problem-solver who will work closely with others to strengthen our impact and continue to make Nesta a more equitable, inclusive place to work. This role will also provide ad hoc support to Nesta’s partner organisation, the Behavioural Insights Team, on their EDI strategy and plan.

The role: What will you do?

In this role, you will be responsible for championing and progressing Nesta’s EDI strategy, in collaboration with leaders and colleagues across the organisation. For example, this may involve working with the People Team to define and deliver a social mobility strategy; or collaborating with our venture studio to support diverse founders.

You will need to juggle numerous priorities and varied relationships with compassion and discretion. This position requires EDI knowledge, excellent judgement, strategic thinking, interpersonal skills, personal initiative, and the ability to excel in a dynamic environment.

In this role, you will:

Develop and deliver multi-year action plans to deliver on Nesta’s ED&I strategy, in collaboration with departmental leaders across the organisation
Generate compassionate, actionable solutions to complex issues - informed by analysing evidence and data, engaging staff and others with lived experience, and speaking with external experts
Drive change management initiatives, building buy-in, anticipating and mitigating challenges, and communicating effectively to diverse audiences
Manage multiple projects at once and prioritise effectively; on any given day you might work on closing our pay gaps, creating a new speaker series, and writing a Board Paper
Support colleagues of minoritised backgrounds as a friendly ear and trusted advisor, in partnership with the People Team, Employee Resources Groups, and leaders across Nesta
Help foster an inclusive environment at Nesta alongside colleagues and senior leaders; facilitate engagement and dialogue on EDI-related issues across Nesta
Support and advise leaders, highlighting EDI considerations for strategic decisions
Give and receive regular feedback; actively contribute to an inclusive, high support / high challenge team environment

The person: Who might you be?

Focused on delivering impact, and passionate about advancing ED&I
Knowledge about a broad range of ED&I issues and best practices, with lived and/or professional experience advancing ED&I in a workplace or community
Demonstrated ability to inspire coalitions, earn trust, and build consensus amongst a range of senior stakeholders
Strong analytical problem-solving; able to break down issues, weigh pros and cons of all options, design creative solutions, and exercise strong judgement. Proficient in basic data analysis
Excellent project management (organisation, time management, project budgeting skills); capable of managing multiple demands at once
Able to steer major change management initiatives, generate buy-in and incentivise behaviour change, know when to deliver and know when to empower
Highly collaborative and able to work independently in dynamic, cross-functional project teams
Excellent verbal and written communications to range of audiences
Resilient to shifting priorities and setbacks; comfortable with ambiguity and imperfect solutions

What we offer

Salary: £63,000-£76,500 (offers are expected to be made towards the bottom of the band subject to seniority and experience) plus 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, Blackfriars, hybrid working arrangement with a minimum of two days in the office

Term: Permanent

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: Chief of Staff (CEO Office)

Flexibility: This role is available to be a job-share.

Making an application

To apply for this role, please submit your application before January 6th at 8:00am.

First round interviews will take place w/c 20th January 2025.

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.

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Senior Lead, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion