Develop your skills and gain experience while helping to create a more open, just and responsible philanthropic sector.

The Good Problems Team at Science Practice helps science and innovation funders to identify and act on promising opportunities to tackle pressing global and local challenges.

We’re looking for an intern to join our team for 3 months in early 2022 (remote position). We are looking for curious and passionate people able to bring a combination of lived, academic and/or practical experience in one or more of the following disciplines:

• Health research
• Public health
• User research
• Service design
• Funding programme development
• Innovation research
• Policy research
• Community building

If you are interested in building a better understanding of how funding priorities are set and helping to make this process a more open and participatory one, we want to hear from you.

About us and the role

We are a dedicated team of five with skills ranging from design and research to social entrepreneurship, strategy and community building. Our portfolio includes over 50 innovation programmes designed in collaboration with funders such as the Wellcome Trust, the Humanitarian Innovation Fund, Impact on Urban Health, and Nesta.

We are currently supporting funders to scope and design programmes that:

• Address health inequalities faced by Black and other minoritised communities in London with a focus on mental health, maternal health, and air pollution
• Address priority gaps in pain research through data
• Expand the role of public engagement in health research.

As an intern, you will work as part of our team to support the development and design of these programmes. This will likely include organising and taking part in interviews with stakeholders who have different perspectives and levels of power, developing and testing new programme models, designing and facilitating workshops, and carrying out complementary desk research. You will be mentored by one of our team members who you will report to for the duration of the internship. We will make sure that the projects you are involved in match your interests and skills as closely as possible, and that they offer a relevant learning experience for you.

This role is suitable for someone at the beginning of their career interested in exploring different aspects of working with large funders and developing programmes.

We’re looking for someone who

• Has a combination of lived, learned and/or practical experience in one or more of the disciplines listed above.
• Has robust research skills and enjoys exploring new topics using a range of research methods including desk research and interviewing diverse actors such as scientists, policy-makers, people with lived experience, industry representatives, and civil society.
• Has excellent communication and organisational skills and can effectively support and build relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Shows initiative and is adaptable and interested in learning from and supporting the team across a range of activities including interviews, workshop design and facilitation, stakeholder management, and desk research.
• Is interested in the philanthropic sector and motivated to improve how funding decisions are made and resources allocated.
• Is generally curious and interested in making connections between ideas, practices, and people from across different fields.
• Can rapidly gain a competent understanding of new topics in unfamiliar domains (in particular, health research) and make judgements based on complex evidence.
• Writes well and communicates complex subject matter in simple, engaging language.

We are advertising this internship as a 3-month opportunity to start in mid–late January 2022, with the possibility to convert to a permanent role beyond this. For this internship, we are looking for applicants able to commit at least 4 days/week over this period.

What we are offering

• London living wage (currently £11.05 per hour)
• Mentorship and the opportunity to develop new skills
• Flexible working arrangements to fit around other commitments, such as coursework
• The ability to work remotely. Our Science Practice team still works remotely to minimise the risk from COVID-19. Our working hours, although flexible, are aligned with the UK timezone; anyone joining the team will be expected to have at least a 4-hour overlap with this timezone.

Right to work

In order to apply for this internship, you should have the right to work in the UK or be eligible to apply to work in the UK through an authorised immigration scheme for work placements.

How to apply

We value diversity at our company. This is core to our work as developing a robust understanding of problems and how to tackle them requires a diversity of thought, experience, and perspectives. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and abilities, and encourage applications from those who identify as members of frequently excluded groups.

Throughout our recruitment process as well as once part of our team, we are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that employees may need in order to be successful.

To apply, please submit your details via this form.

The deadline for applications is 10am on Monday, 17 January 2022 (extended from 10 January).

We will review applications on a rolling basis.

The application process will consist of two interviews – one with our team lead to discuss the role and your experience, and (if shortlisted) one with the wider team to explore in more detail your interest in the position and relevant experience.

We look forward to hearing from you! 🙌

No agencies, please.