Delivery and Product Manager

We are recruiting for a Delivery and Product Manager to join Nesta’s Centre for Collective Intelligence Design

About Nesta’s Centre for Collective Intelligence Design

Nesta’s Centre for Collective Intelligence Design helps create new ways for communities to use technology to harness their insights, ideas and power to act on the problems that matter to them and create the futures they want. We know well-designed systems can help promote healthy collective action at scale, but too often technology is designed to solve the needs of individuals or large organisations.

Our mission is to design digital tools and Products that allow communities to respond collectively to challenges, and that help public and voluntary sector institutions strengthen trust and collaboration with citizens.

The role

You’ll be a critical member of the Centre for Collective Intelligence Design, responsible for the performance of a team and the delivery of digital projects and services they produce.

You’ll help plan and run the agile rhythms and rituals of our projects helping multidisciplinary teams to focus on priorities, deliver on time, on budget and to high standards. You’ll help them overcome obstacles and keep the team motivated. You’ll also be responsible for building strong relationships with our clients and partners to deliver solutions that meet their needs.

In return, you’ll get to work in an exciting area of social innovation. We believe we can help solve complex problems in new and better ways by combining the collective intelligence of large groups of people and the power of digital technologies. We focus on climate change, health and increasing civic participation.

As a Delivery Manager, you’ll be experienced in agile delivery, know when to challenge and when to listen, you’re always proactive and an excellent problem spotter and fixer. You’ll be able to build relationships with clients at a senior level, clarify briefs and help ensure the smooth delivery of projects. You are skilled at supporting diverse teams of designers, researchers and software developers to work effectively and creatively together for maximum impact. You’re also motivated by building and embedding processes, tools and cultures that make teams work well together.

In the first year of this role, you will oversee the development of new digital products, and also manage the roll out of a recently launched product which aims to help councils in the UK and their communities imagine a net-zero future.

You’ll be responsible for:

• Leading the planning, Delivery and rollout of digital products and services - with responsibility for managing 2-3 projects at any given time
• Leading the day-to-day client relationships and engagements, ensuring high client satisfaction
• Motivating, managing and support project teams to achieve their best and collaborate effectively together
• Ensuring each project has a clear strategy and brief; helping shape the direction and vision of projects
• Putting in place and managing the agile rhythms and rituals of a multidisciplinary team, helping the team communicate and learn throughout delivery
• Reporting on project activities, risks, budget spend and priorities to external clients; the Directors and other internal stakeholders
• Ensuring we plan, estimate and use our team’s resources on projects effectively, proactively helping to address any bottlenecks individuals or the team might be facing
• Providing quality assurance of team deliverables, and managing director and client-level sign-off Working with the Centre’s management team in all operational matters like planning project resourcing, new business initiatives and quality control
• Planning, delivering and facilitating workshops with clients and users Take an active role in business development activity ranging from proposal and tender writing through to networking, outreach and pitching

Your experience and mindset:

• Demonstrable experience of delivering complex digital projects (products and services) in a fast-paced environment
• Proven track record of successful client and stakeholder management
• Leading teams of different sizes and with multidisciplinary backgrounds
• Significant experience in Agile project management and working practices (SCRUM/Lean/DSDM/APMG)
• Knowledge and experience of collaboration and project management tools (e.g. Asana)
• Strong strategic skills - able to see the bigger picture, and provide strategic thinking that supports clients/leaders with decision-making, and helps the project team manage risks and clarify priorities
• Financial acumen and attention-to-detail for robust budget management and monitoring
• An ability to anticipate problems and proactively develop strategies or tactics to address them.
• Understanding of user centred design principles and practices
• Willingness to roll up your sleeves and get stuck in - we’re a small team with big ambitions Willingness to travel in the UK or overseas, and be prepared to stay overnight on occasion

Desirable:

• Experience of supporting business development, including working on proposals and pitches
• Experience of leading product launches and recruiting users
• Knowledge of computer operating systems, hardware and software
• Experience of line management
• An interest in social research Experience of working with / drawing on a network of associates

What we offer

Salary: circa £50k (offers are expected to be made towards the bottom of the band) 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 Blackfriars, London, hybrid working arrangement with a minimum of two days in the office (Monday and Wednesday)

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: Director of CCID

Making an application

To apply for this role, please submit your application before 8:00am on the 22nd of January 2024.

Interviews will take place w/c the 29th of January 2024.

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. You’ll be a critical member of the Centre for Collective Intelligence Design, responsible for the performance of a team and the delivery of digital projects and services they produce.