Oxford Insights

Principal Consultant

Oxford Insights is a young consultancy motivated by helping governments, non-profits, and industry to harness technology for public good. We are growing, and we need your help to expand our reach and impact.

Salary

£60,000 per annum, pro rata. Full time or part-time candidates considered.

Location

Remote (UK), with occasional client visits. Optional access to our London and Malvern co-working spaces if convenient


Summary

Are you looking for the satisfaction of public service work, with the excitement and variety of a startup? Perhaps you are looking to introduce more flexibility into your working life, or are ready for a role where you can shape the future of a small business through your ideas, values, and energy. If you are looking for a diverse and rewarding challenge, and you are passionate about improving public service, this could be the role for you. 

Oxford Insights is a young consultancy motivated by helping governments, non-profits, and industry to harness technology for public good. We are growing, and we need your help to expand our reach and impact.

We are looking for an experienced leader in public services, central government, international development or a related field to join our leadership team where you will help to build and lead our client work, and to grow and develop our team.


Who are we looking for?

We are looking for a candidate with 5-10 years experience of delivering public sector transformation. You will be motivated by a role that offers the opportunity to bring about positive changes to public services, and excited by the prospect of working in an organisation small enough for you to make a tangible difference to how we operate. Though you will not necessarily have personal experience of acting in a consulting role, your own experience of delivering operational or policy change will offer you insights into what good public service looks like in practice.

You must be able to demonstrate:

  • Project delivery experience: You will have recent experience of managing projects or delivering change from inception to operation (experience of agile projects is desirable, but not essential) 
  • Public sector ethos - What unites our team is a passion to make governments work better: to understand how policies are made and how they affect citizens or public services. We want you to share that passion.
  • Leadership - We are a young team, and we will rely on your support to develop our team members with less experience. You should be invested in helping others to build their skills and have experience of leading others to perform at an even higher level.
  • Clear communication - Great teamwork and great outcomes for clients require excellent communication. You will need to be a credible and personable communicator who inspires trust in colleagues and clients and builds rapport quickly - often with senior leaders in our partner organisations.
  • Integrity - We are looking for someone who will inspire, and deserve, the trust of those they deal with. 

We believe that the best teams are built on diversity. We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds and fields of experience. Foreign languages (especially Spanish) are a plus, but absolutely not necessary. We welcome international applications, but we are currently unable to offer sponsorship for work permits, so you will need to have the full right to live and work in the UK. 

We welcome applications for candidates looking for a part-time role, as our remote working model is particularly well-suited to flexible work patterns.


What will you be doing?

As this is a startup environment, your role will be shaped by your interests and the company’s needs as it evolves. Our clients include governments in the UK and internationally (particularly Latin America), private companies, international NGOs and development organisations. 

As a principal, you would be expected to:

  • Lead client relationships, ensuring projects are on track and within scope
  • Lead and scope sales, making a meaningful contribution to the growth of Oxford Insights
  • Lead your team to deliver larger pieces of work, supporting colleagues with challenges, proposing solutions and providing quality assurance for the team’s work
  • Contribute to the long term direction of Oxford Insights through your ideas and areas of expertise. Call out opportunities to improve our internal practices, and take the initiative to implement fixes 
  • Contribute to writing reports and recommendations, providing a quality assurance role for the work of others
  • Contribute to OI’s independent research agenda, including proposing research ideas to improve our impact and credibility
  • Provide a pastoral care and personal development role for junior colleagues
  • Identify new client opportunities through your research or contacts. Spot opportunities for new collaborations
  • Help take responsibility for the public profile of Oxford Insights, writing blogs and contributing to our social media strategy

In a small team we expect everyone to share in everything that needs to be done. Days can be unpredictable and we share a spirit of adventure. We also believe it is possible to be a great consultancy and maintain a healthy work/life balance, and we will support you to minimise stress and overtime. 

What will we offer in return?

We are dynamic and enjoy the freedom to work on projects that excite us. Our commitment to you includes:

  • A varied and truly interesting portfolio of projects helping governments, non-profits, and enterprises across the world to work better
  • A great team filled with people who care about the world and each other
  • The chance to be part of a young business that you can directly help to shape and grow, and the scope to build your role around your skills and interests
  • Predominantly remote working, with occasional visits to client sites or team events (approximately once a month)
  • Flexible working patterns to suit your needs, including part-time or compressed hours
  • 25 days holiday p.a. plus two week office closure over Christmas and New Year and UK bank holidays
  • A company pension and health care scheme
  • Paid sick leave, including mental health days and compassionate leave 
  • Company cycle-to-work scheme

If the company does well at the end of the year, then we all share in the success. 


To apply

By close of play on 30th June, please:

Click on the apply button and apply by following the organisations instructions on their website. Please mention Escape the City in your application.


Timeline

Application deadline: 11:59 (BST) on 30th June 2023

First round interviews: 24th July 2023 (indicative)

Second round interviews: 14th August 2023 (indicative)

Expected start date: 11th September 2023, depending on the candidate


Accessibility

We are an equal opportunities employer who seeks to hire the best talent regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. 

Please let us know if you require any adjustments as part of the application process or to enable you to complete an interview. If you would like to discuss your requirements, or have any questions, please contact us on jobs@oxfordinsights.com and we will be happy to help.