Innovation Executives

How can technology be used to improve learning outcomes for the most marginalised learners? How can we enable collective action among philanthropic funders? How might storytelling be used as a lever for change in international development? How can we support public servants to try new technologies and innovative methods? 

These are just some of the questions we at Brink are exploring in our work. We are lucky to work on some of the world’s most interesting and important challenges with partners ranging from globally recognised academic institutions like UCL and University of Cambridge, to small grassroots innovators across Africa, S. Asia and the Middle East. 

Across our work, we apply our framework of Behavioural Innovation. We use a different mix of skills and expertise for every project, and draw on our five practices: 

1. Venturing: testing and growing ideas for positive change
2. Storytelling: using stories and design to bring data to life
3. Collectives: creating spaces and opportunities for collective imagination, collective learning, collective intelligence and collective action
4. Learning: designing ways to share knowledge and support people to apply it
5. Delivery: designing programmes and systems that support people to do their best work

We are looking for Innovation Executives to join our ranks.

The role of Innovation Executive involves playing a supporting role on our programmes of work. This role is intentionally varied to give someone starting out in innovation the opportunity to gain experience in a range of technical and operational tasks. You’ll get exposure to the different practices at Brink and, over time, we’ll support you to specialise in one of these areas. 

This is likely your first job in innovation. You know that you want to do work that matters and has a real impact for people’s lives. You might be early in your innovation career, but you know that you don’t want the same old, same old predictable workplace and role. You’re up for the challenge and the opportunity that comes with being in a startup that’s trying to shake up the way ‘things are done around here’. 

Brink is full of bright, passionate, big thinkers who spend their days challenging the status quo, making things happen with oomph. If this sounds like you and the kinds of people you want to be surrounded by and learning from every day, then read on. 

Here’s an overview of what these roles involve: 

• Getting stuck in: a key part of this job is learning by doing. You’ll be working alongside a team to apply innovation methods, collective building smarts and storytelling magic to make things happen across all of Brink’s work. 
• Facilitation: Supporting the team to run workshops. This might include the creation of assets and making sure that things are well organised and thought through. 
• Community management: Managing the operational side of community and network building, from engaging and supporting people to be involved to designing fantastic experiences when we bring people together, both virtually and in person. 
• Synthesising and storytelling: Synthesising and sharing key information, writing insight pieces, capturing stories across programmes
• Team delivery: Working with team leaders to remove obstacles to delivery, supporting scheduling and coordinating activities. 
• Operations: Contributing to team resourcing on the programme, forecasting and financial reporting. Supporting with hiring or freelancer contracting and new team onboarding into the programme. 
• Personal growth: Opportunities to learn about and support across all of Brink’s practices; venture building, collectives, learning, delivery and storytelling. We’ll work hard to give you a flavour of all we do and find an area that you want to specialise in.

We also look for these interpersonal skills (being a ‘Brinkster’):

• Growth mindset: keen and eager to experiment and learn, comfortable with not knowing all the answers yet and happy to let stuff go when it doesn’t quite hit the mark
• Is ‘interoperable’: quickly establishes rapport with all kinds of people
• Enjoys ‘making others shine': Brink is a low-ego zone that thrives on making our colleagues, clients and collaborators shine
• Self-starter: proactive, can 'get on with it', has a sense of agency and a point of view

In addition to your annual salary you’ll have access to extra things to support you to be your best self, in and out of the office.

🐙 A role that isn’t available for anyone else and shaped around you and your interests

🏖 ‘Take what you need’ annual leave

🧠 Dedicated coaching and therapy for your mental health and wellbeing from platform partner Oliva

🐣 16 weeks full pay parental leave

🎒 Brink retreats and away days

📚 Kindle with unlimited books

🎓 Generous training budget

🏡 Workspace expense budget for working from home

🚴‍♀️ Access to a cycle to work scheme (if in UK)

How we work:

• A team of around 30 (and growing) that genuinely enjoy spending time together, online and in person where possible
• Remote-first approach
• If based in the UK, you can work outside of the UK for a maximum of 100 days within the tax year. If based elsewhere, local tax laws regarding working abroad apply
• Flexible working hours; you take ownership over how you get your work done
• Dedicated learning time at our ‘Dojo Days’
• Certain set days over the year where we require the team to be together in real life. This is usually for around one week in mid January and for another week in mid July. Depending on your location it may also include travel and overnight stays.

🔗 OUR COMMITMENT AS BRINK

Diversity is in our DNA at Brink and we’re proud of the broad range of Brinksters we have on board. We also know there is always room for improvement which is why we track diversity in all its guises to see how we’re doing, and make efforts to cast our hiring net as wide as possible. Our latest survey shows we could do better in some areas, so we’re particularly encouraging applications from people of the Global Ethnic Majority, people over 50, parents, neurodiverse people and/or those living with a disability.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability or age. We are happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments individuals may require in the recruitment process, on commencement, or once in post.

❓❗ QUESTIONS THAT PEOPLE OFTEN ASK US:

How many years of experience do I have to have?

We don’t score people based on the “number of years” or higher education qualifications such as a university degree. This is a remarkable opportunity to work with some of the best changemakers in the world and the right person will have an opportunity to establish their career.

Where is this role based?

Brink is a remote team and we work all over the place from London, Nairobi, Cape Town, Kigali and Amsterdam. For this role our preference is for UK, Rwanda or Kenya based applicants only.

Please note that we are unable to employ anyone that does not have the right to work in the country they live in and work from. If you plan to work on an existing visa, there is a section on the application form where you can let us know the type and expiry date.