Public First is a specialist consultancy, helping charities, philanthropists, public sector bodies and global brands improve public policy. Based in London, we have worked in more than thirty international markets. We are part think tank, part strategic consultancy, part polling company, and part communications agency. In other words, we bring together the different disciplines that make policy happen and work.
Our Team
The Public First team has been recruited from the most senior levels of government, the civil service, Parliament, political campaigns, think thanks, opinion research and the media. Our staff have been, and continue to be, active in each of the main political parties.
Working in the Technology Practice, you’ll help to deliver policy, campaigns and impact projects. You will deepen your knowledge of the political landscape surrounding tech policy, help to analyse public opinion insights, and bring new research to life for our clients.
Technology
Technology is one of the major areas of specialism for Public First, and we work with some of the best-known businesses in the sector – including Google, AWS, Meta, Intel, Uber, Sky and others. We are looking for the right person/people to join our growing technology practice.
Our recent projects have included:
- Projecting the value of AI to the UK economy with Google;
- Exploring hybrid working trends in the UK with Zoom, Vodafone and Indeed;
- Measuring the economic impact of Uber in Canada and Mexico;
- Examining the future of British media and entertainment with Sky.
The Role
We are currently looking to recruit an Associate Director to work across all of our projects. This is an exciting opportunity to join one of the company’s fastest growing teams, ideal for a policy expert with significant experience.
The successful candidate would be responsible for:
- Leading projects within the technology practice. This will be under the supervision of the Head of Practice, but with significant day-to-day autonomy and responsibility for execution and delivery of work. This will include managing client relationships, scoping projects, drafting policy reports and briefings, as well as undertaking in-depth research;
- Providing expertise in particular areas of technology policy. We want a culture of expertise within the organisation, and to learn from each other about all elements of policy within our practice;
- Maintaining and further building strong networks across the technology sector. This will include working with stakeholders across Westminster and Whitehall, technology companies and the wider tech network, think tanks and policy organisations, corporations and third sector organisations, and others.
The role will require the following:
- Experience working in technology policy. The single most important thing we will be looking for is someone who understands, and can write clearly about, technology policy. We are relaxed about where this expertise may have come from, or how many years’ specific experience you have in this field;
- Familiarity with government, policymaking and politics. This could have been gained through direct experience in politics and government, or through adjacent sectors. Regardless of the route, successful candidates will need to demonstrate above all that they understand how policy is developed;
- The ability to communicate clearly, incisively, and precisely. This includes the ability to translate complex policy topics into accessible language, and confidence when presenting conclusions from your work to senior stakeholders such as clients, policymakers or other experts;
- Experience managing cross-functional projects. You should feel comfortable working with colleagues and clients to deliver multifaceted research projects on time, and to a high standard. An ideal candidate will have demonstrable experience managing complex projects and/or campaigns;
- The ability to handle quantitative data. Public First employs economists and expert data modellers but all staff are expected to be able to work with large datasets and raw numbers, or have the enthusiasm and motivation to learn how to do so.
Working Arrangements & Benefits
This is a hybrid role within a flexible work environment. We all come into the Westminster office on Mondays and Thursday, with access available 24/7 depending on your preference.
Associate Director salaries start from £54,000 – £65,000, with some flexibility dependent on experience and skill.
We often work with international clients, and there may be some opportunities to travel overseas with this role. For example, we have recently visited clients in Canada, the US, Kenya and Taiwan.