We are recruiting for a Venture Builder to join Nesta’s Mission Studio

Mission Studio is creating the future of mission-driven tech startups. We're tackling the UK's toughest social challenges - from net zero to obesity - by building commercially successful businesses to address them. After two years of operating with a partner we are bringing the studio in-house, building a dynamic team, and entering an exciting phase of growth.

As a Venture Builder, you’ll be a driving force in building businesses from idea to validation and early-stage growth. You will have the drive, commercial acumen, and technical skills to transform ideas into thriving businesses

Who You Are:

• Real world validation of concepts drives you. You are highly driven and passionate about turning bold ideas into tangible solutions that can improve lives.
• Technical skills and experience in throwing up a website, creating a product roadmap, and UI/UX principles are a must.
• You will also be comfortable doing user interviews and lo-fi testing, and have a love of data and feedback.
• You get how startups operate and scale from 0 to 1, and have a proven track record of building successful ventures within a venture studio environment.
• You have exceptional communication and interpersonal skills. You love working with multiple stakeholders, and are able to reconcile conflicting views quickly but with care.
• You thrive in grey areas, look at ambiguity as an opportunity, and possess plenty of entrepreneurial grit.
• Experience working with a range of different products and industries, for example, D2C and B2B startups.
• You're not just looking for a job; you're on a mission to make a difference, to challenge the status quo, and to innovate for social good.

What You'll Do:

• Build, test, and validate venture designs and concepts as scrappily and speedily as possible, developing strong commercial foundations and working alongside the Venture Designer and wider Mission Studio team of successful entrepreneurs and builders.
• Lead the validation and build process from idea to MVP, ensuring our solutions are user-centric, impactful, and commercially viable.
• Embrace the startup spirit, iterating fast and learning faster, all while keeping our mission at the heart of everything you design.
• Work closely with the founders who join to take these concepts to scale. Working alongside them to get the business to a strong ‘spinout’ position and ready for scale.
• Be a core member of our initial team, helping build and shape the studio and our approach to venture building overall.
• This is your canvas. Paint big. Be the builder behind our next-gen startups, building solutions that are not just viable, but vital.

What we offer:

• Location: At least 2 days a week at our Thames-side, Blackfriars office in London with the freedom to work remotely on other days.
• Perks: Competitive salary, between £63k - £85k depending on experience, and a benefits package that cares for you beyond the office. The benefits include private medical insurance, dental insurance, the ability to buy and sell annual leave, eyecare vouchers, and more.
• Start Date: ASAP
• Who You'll Report To: Director, Mission Studio.

Apply now and let's build something extraordinary together.

Making an application

To apply for this role, please submit your application before 8:00am on the 22nd of July 2024. Interviews will take place on an ongoing basis.

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.

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.